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To the Editor:
As we enter another election cycle here in Alameda, voters who hope to be electing the best candidates to serve on the next City Council should be paying close attention to our perennial groups of quid pro quo-motivated sponsors of political campaigns. These groups are comprised of citizens who reside not only in Alameda, but in cities located throughout the Bay Area and, in some cases, even as far away as the Mexican and Oregon borders.
Of course, most of these members can’t vote here, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t influence the outcome of the elections in a manner that supports the election of candidates who, when the time comes, will take positions favorable to their sponsors.
Quid pro quo sponsorship isn’t limited to labor groups but is also practiced by groups of residents who support candidates who will support the groups’ particular issues. I would argue that such focused sponsorship corrupts the democratic election process.
I see a spectrum of motivations for sponsoring political campaigns. At one end I refer to the form of sponsorship as altruistic or civic-minded. I would refer to the form of sponsorship at the other extreme as quid pro quo or self-serving.
I believe that both forms of sponsorship are legitimate. My purpose in writing this is to encourage voters to pay close attention to who is financing each candidate’s campaign, not only through financial contributions, but also by financing the publication and distribution of flyers and other materials as the campaigns progress.
Of course, we should always be on the alert for the influence of special interest individuals and groups in our political process year-round, but even more so during the months leading up to an election. And while the information provided by the campaign literature can be instructive, it is especially important that we look critically at the names of funders that are required to be included on the literature that will arrive at our homes as the tsunami of campaign literature hits during the weeks immediately preceding the election.
We should all be prepared to discount the value of campaign messages when we see that their printing and distribution have been funded by special interest groups such as those who have, or seek to have, contracts with the City for payment for services and/or supplies.
Jay Garfinkle
Editorials and Letters to the Editor
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