The campaign ethics reform package recently proposed by Aurora Mayor John Laesch has been held at the committee level of the City Council approval process amid questions from aldermen.
The proposed changes to city code would put a $500 cap on campaign donations from those doing business with the city or looking to, would expand required economic interest disclosures and would set limits on how city property can be used for political purposes, among other things.
Laesch has said the proposed code changes were designed to increase transparency and “reduce the influence that outside money has on city contracts.”
But some aldermen questioned if the new rules really would achieve that goal, particularly since there would be no limit on contributions from political figures or organizations. Others were worried about the potential increase in paperwork they said might come from the expanded disclosure requirements and about whether they would be able to host fundraisers at city-owned venues they pay to rent out.
The newly-proposed city code changes would limit contributions to candidates or elected officials from those doing business or looking to do business with the city to $500 per year. Counting towards the $500 cap would be donations made by the business itself as well as any made by parent companies or subsidiaries, and in some cases donations made by employees themselves.
Candidates for city office would also be barred from accepting cash contributions of over $150 or any amount from anonymous or pass-through donations, and lobbyists would face restrictions around contributing to city elected officials or candidates.
Those who do not follow these proposed rules could be barred from doing business with the city.
Campaign ethics reform was a campaign promise for Laesch, who won the mayoral seat over former Mayor Richard Irvin in April. During the most recent campaign and in a previous unsuccessful run for mayor, Laesch claimed Irvin prioritized government contracts or incentives to those who donated to his campaign, which Irvin consistently denied.
Laesch has said he does not believe state law around campaign financing is strict enough. There aren’t restrictions for those doing business with the city, “which is where the appearance of ‘pay-to-play’ exists,” he told The Beacon-News earlier this week.
Also under Laesch’s proposed code changes, those in office and those running for a city elected office would need to provide more information than what is typically required in economic interest filings.
That includes not only their occupation but also if their employer has ever done work for or received any financial assistance from the city of Aurora, all real estate they own within the city or nearby, any organizations or businesses they own, any city-funded or affiliated organizations they are involved with and any gifts they’ve received from those doing business with the city or looking to.
The filings would only need to be turned in once per year, rather than each quarter, and would continue to be available for the public to view online.
The proposed code changes would also set limits around ways city property can and cannot be used, primarily around campaign purposes.
For the new rules to go into effect, they need to be approved by the Aurora City Council. But before the proposal reaches that level, it first needs to pass through the City Council Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee then the Committee of the Whole.
The proposal was presented publicly to aldermen for the first time at the Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee meeting on Tuesday. After roughly an hour of discussion about the campaign ethics reform package, which included a presentation by Chief of Staff Shannon Cameron and questions for aldermen, the proposal was held to be considered at a future meeting.
Some aldermen who attended the meeting questioned why the changes do not also address the influence of political figures and organizations on city elections.
Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, questioned how limiting the amount local businesses are allowed to support candidates creates a “level playing field” when “a billionaire governor” can give tens of thousands of dollars to a local candidate. The state Democratic Party spent over $100,000 helping Laesch in the recent mayoral campaign, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“If somebody’s in our town doing business here, they should have more support for a candidate than somebody in Springfield,” he said.
Cameron said the intent of the cap is to make sure that people putting forward bids for city contracts are not paying for undue influence by supporting a candidate. But Franco asked how businesses can have such an influence over candidates but not a political party.
“What we’re doing now is really cherry-picking who we want in office and who we don’t,” he said.
Ald. Edward Bugg, 9th Ward, said this proposal is about the influence that funds can have on elected officials when they vote on whether or not a business gets a contract with the city. The Aurora City Council isn’t the first body to bring this up, and it won’t be the last, he said.
Plus, those doing business with the city still can give to officials and candidates up to a certain dollar amount, Bugg noted. It’s the City Council’s job, he said, to decide what that amount will be.
Bugg said he didn’t think aldermen needed to debate whether receiving $50,000 from a company would influence an official’s vote.
“I don’t see how you could look at that and say it wouldn’t influence you in some way,” he said.
Ald. Shweta Baid, 10th Ward, suggested that the proposed ethics reforms also address donations from Political Action Committees, also called PACs, since city elections are non-partisan.
“It is essential that we impose reasonable limits to PAC contributions to avoid undue influence and preserve the integrity of electoral process,” Baid said.
Cameron said the suggestion would be considered.
Aldermen will likely be discussing the proposed ethics reforms further at the Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee meeting on Oct. 21.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
