City government decisions are not normally decided by drawing
straws but that was the case when the City Council had to decide
whether to continue paying the cost of ballot statements for local
candidates.
City government decisions are not normally decided by drawing straws but that was the case when the City Council had to decide whether to continue paying the cost of ballot statements for local candidates.
The randomly selected council members decided that the city should.
During the same week, the school board voted not to continue to pay filing fees for potential candidates, a result of the district’s fiscal condition.
Because every council member is either running for office – or could run – each was disqualified from making the decision because they would have a conflict of interest. City Attorney Helene Leichter advised that a quorum could be legally chosen by lot.
Councilmen Larry Carr and Greg Sellers and Councilwoman Hedy Chang drew the long straws. Carr has unofficially announced that he is running for re-election; Chang has not announced but has not ruled it out and Sellers is officially challenging Mayor Dennis Kennedy for the mayoral seat. Because the city budget continues to shrink the $38,841 estimated by the Registrar of Voters as the cost to the city of election a mayor, two council members, the city clerk and city treasurer, was deemed of interest.
Broken down, the registrar charges $3,884 for each candidate statement on the ballot; cost of each ballot measure is $13,710. City Clerk Irma Torrez, who wrote the staff report, pointed out that, while the positions do come with a stipend, it is small. The mayor is paid $800 a month, council $300 a month and city clerk and city treasurer, $200 a month each.
Election costs to the city has increased with the purchase of electronic voting machines – spread out over five years – and the need to print ballots in five languages instead of two.
Seven cities in Santa Clara County currently charge for candidate statements – six assess the actual cost and one, only charging half if the candidate limits campaign contributions to $25,000.
Chang said she must pay taxes on her $3,600 a year stipend, leaving her $2,000 – just enough to cover her costs. She said she shouldn’t have to pay to perform her elected duties.
Carr said he feared making candidates pay would limit participation and Sellers said charging would limit democracy.
Trustees voted 5-0 at a recent meeting to change board policy so the district will no longer pay the fees.
During the earlier discussion, Trustee Shellé Thomas said she was concerned that fewer candidates would come forward if the district no longer paid the filing fees, which roughly tripled since the November 2002 election from $600 to approximately $1,800.
“I think we would be pushing people out because of the filing fee,” she said. “I wonder what city officials are doing … Unless we are looking at big money, you are taking away a fundamental right we all have to run for office.”
Board President George Panos said the higher fee would be a measure of commitment on the part of potential candidates.
“Candidates would have to step up to the plate, put their money where their mouth is,” he said. “The $1,800 is a pledge, so to speak. If they are truly interested, they can raise the money … I would like to look at making this a permanent revision (to board policy).”
