Rell, Activists Meet To Discuss Campaign Finance Reform

By Susan Haigh

Associated Press

HARTFORD — Gov M. Jodi Rell extended an olive branch to campaign finance reform advocates August 5, asking them for suggestions on how to revamp Connecticut’s political fundraising laws in the wake of a government corruption scandal.

Ms Rell, who mentioned in her inaugural address last month a desire to initiate reforms, said she does not support a publicly funded system for campaigns — something advocates have pushed for several years.

Ms Rell told reporters she wants to look at many options.

“I’m trying to now start the dialogue on how we proceed and what directions we take,” Ms Rell said, following an hourlong private meeting with leaders of Common Cause of Connecticut, the Connecticut Citizens Action Group, Democracy Works, the State Elections Enforcement Commission, Connecticut Public Interest Research Group, and the League of Women Voters.

For some advocates, the meeting was both positive and surprising. Tom Swan, executive director of CCAG, a grassroots organization that openly clashed with former Gov John G. Rowland, joked how he had been kicked out of two press conferences in the governor’s state Capitol office during Rowland’s tenure.

“I’m coming out of the governor’s office and I’m not handcuffed,” said Swan, who called Thursday “a historic day.”

Ms Rell asked the group of advocates to put together a list of suggested reforms for the next legislative session, which begins in January.

One idea high on the list will likely be a publicly funded system for campaigns — a bill that died in the last legislative session and that Mr Rowland vetoed the year before. Ms Rell believes the concept will come up again, but said she does not support using taxpayer dollars.

“I need input on other measures that we could take, and not let public financing be the sole purpose of our meeting,” the new governor said. “There are a lot of things we can do.”

Ms Rell said the group talked about other ideas such as regulating political action committees, possibly eliminating advertising books used at fundraisers, contribution limits, and other measures to reduce the influence of money in politics.

Many of the ideas have come up before in the legislature, but have died on the vine. Ms Rell said she believes lawmakers are now prepared to pass some kind of reform, preferably something that can garner bipartisan support.

“It has to be something where we can get more agreement than in the past. And that’s why I think it’s important to look at all measures and not just focus on one,” Ms Rell said, referring to public financing of campaigns. “We don’t want to start out being completely divided before you even get a chance to discuss the issue.”

Ms Rell became governor after Mr Rowland resigned July 1 amid legislative and federal corruption investigations. Mr Rowland had come under fire for accepting political contributions and gifts from major state contractors.

Andy Sauer, executive director of Common Cause of Connecticut, said he was not disappointed to hear Ms Rell say that she does not support public financing for elections.

“All agreements start with a dialogue. This is the first step in a dialogue,” said Mr Sauer, who echoed others in calling the meeting “historic.” Mr Sauer mentioned how the chairman of the Connecticut Common Cause board of directors had never been invited to the governor’s office during his 34 years with the organization.

Jeff Garfield, executive director of State Elections Enforcement Commission, said he does not believe Ms Rell will totally dismiss the idea of passing a public financing bill.

“She wants to get something passed and I think that may require looking seriously at some form of public financing,” he said, “at least for the governor’s campaign.”