Cuyahoga County Reform Missing Restrictions on Campaign Donations
Contents |
October 5th, 2009. Amidst ongoing FBI investigations of cronyism in the Cuyahoga County Commissioner's Office, the people of Ohio have proposed a new charter, Issue 6, which proposes to restructure the County commission. Issue 6, if passed, would replace the current three commissioner board with an elected county executive and an eleven-member county council. Supporters of Issue 6 say that their proposed system would add oversight to the County Commissioner's Office. Many others oppose the proposal, however, because it lacks any provision that places restrictions on campaign donations [1].
[edit] Issue 6
Issue 6 aims to remedy the problem of cronyism in the Cuyahoga County Comissioner's office. One of the current County Commissioners, Jimmy Dimora, has been investigated by the FBI for possibly helping individuals obtain county positions in exchange for campaign donations or kickbacks. Issue 6, supporters say, would counter such an abuse of power by requiring the county executive to be overseen by an eleven-member council. The county executive would need the council's approval before he or she could make any hiring decisions[2]..
[edit] Criticism
While critics of Issue 6 agree that reform is needed, they attack the proposal because, among other things, it lacks any provision that would restrict the amount private or publicly employed individuals could donate to the campaign of the county executive. The lack of this provision is a serious problem, they say, because it means that candidates running for county executive may collect as much money as possible from individuals. If the winning candidate's campaign was funded by large donations, that candidate may feel obliged to, and have a self-interest to, reward campaign donors with county jobs. [3].
In response to criticism, supporters say that Issue 6, which will be on the ballot in November 2009, may be amended in the future to accommodate for further provisions, such as a restriction on campaign donations[4].
[edit] References
- ↑ The Plains Dealer, Campaign finance left out of Issue 6 or proposal
- ↑ The Plains Dealer, Issue 6 supporters & foes debate whether it can stop corruption
- ↑ The Plains Dealer, Campaign finance left out of Issue 6 or proposal
- ↑ The Plains Dealer, Campaign finance left out of Issue 6 or proposal
| |||||||
