Campaign Funding and Debt

Carla at Loaded Oregon does excellent work in her regular “Spanning the State” review of news from outside Portland. I hope more Portlanders will start reading these posts and clicking the links – it would help mend the “urban-rural divide” if we all knew what is happening in Harney County and Pendleton as well as in SoWa and The Pearl.

Today’s LO post links to the Ashland Daily Tidings’ report on campaign contributions and spending in the November election. Aside from noting that “Daily Tidings” is an excellent name for a small town newspaper, I’m particularly struck by their report on funding of the races for Ashland City Council. In Seat 2, John Stromberg, who won 35% of the vote, spent $10,809 and raised $11,048; re-elected incumbent Kate Jackson spent $6,350 and raised $6,910 in winning 48% of the votes [side comment – incumbent greatly outspent, still wins]. Nick Frost, who also ran for Jackson’s seat, spent $1,526 and raised $1,563. In the other highly competitive race, Eric Navickas spent $3,114 and raised $3,116 in his narrow win over Greg Lemhouse, who raised $3181 and spent $3147.

Notice anything about these numbers, apart from the very low amounts spent on these campaigns compared with those in our races for positions with higher salaries in Portland and Multnomah County? Not one of these candidates spent more than s/he raised. Yet in Portland and Multnomah County, not only has it become routine that candidates often take on ending campaign debts over $10,000, but nobody seems to care.

Why isn’t the ability to keep campaign spending within the money raised deemed a necessary and desirable quality in candidates here in Portland, especially in those who win and will be guardian of the public purse?