Other cities in the state are following Chapel Hill’s lead by supporting movements toward public financing in municipal elections.
Associate Director of Democracy North Carolina Jennifer Frye said cities including Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Asheville have passed resolutions in support of programs like Chapel Hill’s pilot voter-owned elections initiative, but the ordinances must be approved by the state first.
“These programs are driven by the fact that campaign costs are increasing, and more and more special interests are becoming active and engaged in local politics,” Frye said. “There is also a broader concern about the issue of money and politics.”
New York City; Boulder, Colo.; Tucson, Ariz. and Austin, Texas already have programs for election public financing, Frye said.
Although changes were recently made to the state’s first voter-owned elections initiative, Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said the way the program operates won’t change much.
Kleinschmidt, who used the program last year when he successfully ran for mayor, said the changes passed by the Chapel Hill Town Council Wednesday night won’t have a great effect on the program because they are so small.
“The changes continue to ensure that the program is doing what it is supposed to be doing,” said Kleinschmidt, who said the alternations were necessary due to the economy and changing population.
Council members voted to raise the minimum number of signatures town council candidates need from 75 to 83 based on an increase in the number of voters in the area. Mayoral candidates must now collect 165 signatures as opposed to last year’s 150.
They also increased the amount of public grant money town council and mayoral hopefuls can receive by just more than $300 and $1,000, respectively. The increases were based on a rise in the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation.
