Public financing under scrutiny in Albuquerque’s mayoral race Candidates seek taxpayer funds while outside groups pour in private money Share Copy Link Copy

AND SIX PLEADING GUILTY. SO FAR, YOUR TAX MONEY GOES TO FUND CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR MAYOR, AND IN DOING SO, THEY’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT ANY OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS. TONIGHT, IN A TARGET 7 INVESTIGATION, JASON MCNABB SHOWS US HOW POLITICIANS CAN SKIRT THE LAW AND STILL GET DONATIONS WHILE USING YOUR MONEY TO FUND THEIR CAMPAIGNS. THAT’S RIGHT, RON AND SHELLY. IT’S CALLED PUBLIC FINANCING. AND NOT EVERY MAYORAL CANDIDATE GETS IT. POLITICIANS HAVE TO OPT IN AND GET $3,705 CONTRIBUTIONS BEFORE THEY CAN RECEIVE THOUSANDS. NOW, OVER THE YEARS, SOME HAVE CALLED FOUL OVER A LOOPHOLE THAT STILL ALLOWS CANDIDATES TO GET PRIVATE MONEY AND IS LIKELY TO COME UP AGAIN FOR THIS YEAR’S RACE FOR ALBUQUERQUE MAYOR. THESE FIVE CANDIDATES ARE RUNNING FOR MAYOR, AND THEY WANT YOU TO PAY FOR THEIR CAMPAIGNS. PUBLIC FINANCING, I BELIEVE, IS IS A CRITICAL RESPONSE TO THE OUTSIZED IMPACT THAT LARGE DONORS AND MONEY HAVE ON OUR POLITICS. ALEX BIESE IS ONE OF THEM. IF YOU ONLY COME INTO OFFICE ON THE BACKS OF PEOPLE WHO CAN FUND YOU, THEN IT MEANS THAT YOU’RE NATURALLY GOING TO BE INCLINED TO LISTEN TO THOSE VOICES. MORE. PUBLIC FINANCING IS KEY SO THAT THE PEOPLE’S VOICE IS FIRST IN THE OFFICE. UNDER A CITY ORDINANCE PASSED 20 YEARS AGO, CANDIDATES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET TAX DOLLARS. IF THEY GET A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF $5, DONATIONS. IF THEY SUCCEED, THEY GET A CHECK FOR AROUND $700,000. IT’S HARD FOR A CANDIDATE TO QUALIFY FOR PUBLIC FINANCING. KOAT POLITICAL ANALYST BRIAN SANDEROFF SAYS CANDIDATES HAVE STRUGGLED IN THE PAST TO MEET THE THRESHOLD. THIS YEAR, AT LEAST TWO CANDIDATES HAVE WITHDRAWN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO GET PUBLIC FINANCING. THE WHOLE GOAL OF PUBLIC FINANCING IS HOPEFULLY TO MINIMIZE THE CORRUPTING INFLUENCE OF MONEY IN POLITICS. SO IF A CANDIDATE RECEIVES PUBLIC FUNDS, THE TAXPAYERS ARE FOOTING THE BILL AS COMPARED TO INDIVIDUALS. BUT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS CAN STILL FORM WHAT IS CALLED A MEASURE FINANCE COMMITTEE, WHICH ACCEPTS PRIVATE DONATIONS. THOSE COMMITTEES CAN BUY TELEVISION ADS AND TAKE OUT BILLBOARDS BACKING ONE CANDIDATE, JUST AS IF THE CANDIDATE THEMSELVES PAID FOR IT. BUT THEY CAN’T COLLUDE WITH THE ACTUAL CAMPAIGN. IT IS LEGAL AS LONG AS THOSE SEPARATIONS ARE MADE, BUT IT IS A WAY TO DOUBLE YOUR MONEY AS A CANDIDATE. PAUL, GUESSING OF THE GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG GROUP RIO GRANDE FOUNDATION, HAS OPPOSED PUBLIC FINANCING MONEY IN POLITICS, I ALWAYS SAY, IS LIKE JURASSIC PARK, YOU KNOW, THE DINOSAURS WILL FIND A WAY. WELL, MONEY WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUCH POWER AND SO MUCH IMPORTANCE THAT WE HAVE IN THESE, THESE RACES. IN 2017, MAYOR TIM KELLER WAS THE FIRST TO WIN A MAYORAL ELECTION WITH PUBLIC FINANCING, BUT HIS CAMPAIGN CAME UNDER FIRE WHEN ONE OF HIS OPPONENTS FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE CITY’S ETHICS BOARD, ALLEGING A MEASURE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF COLLUDING WITH KELLER’S PUBLICLY FINANCED CAMPAIGN. THAT COMMITTEE WAS RUN BY ONE OF KELLER’S FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGERS. THE ETHICS BOARD FOUND THAT KELLER VIOLATED A SEPARATE LAW, BUT FOUND THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO DETERMINE IF HE AND THE COMMITTEE COLLUDED. IS THIS SHADY? YES. SHADY IS A GOOD WORD TO DESCRIBE IT. NOT INHERENTLY ILLEGAL. I WOULDN’T CALL IT A SHADY PROCESS. IT IS DONE IN A WAY THAT I THINK CIRCUMVENTS THE TRUE INTENTION OF THE LAW. IT DOES DEFEAT, IN A WAY, PART OF THE PURPOSE OF THE GOAL OF PUBLIC FINANCING IS THAT TO MINIMIZE THE INFLUENCE OF MONEY AND POLITICS. NOW, IF YOU’RE WONDERING IF THERE’S BEEN ONE COMMITTEE FORMED TO BACK MAYOR KELLER, WHO IS ALSO ONCE AGAIN SEEKING PUBLIC FINANCING. WE REACHED OUT TO THE CANDIDATES WHO ARE LEADING THE RACE IN THOSE $5 CONTRIBUTIONS WE TOLD YOU ABOUT EARLIER, TO SEE HOW THEY ANSWER WHEN WE ASKED THEM HOW THEY WILL ENSURE THEIR CAMPAIGNS DON’T COLLUDE. YOU CAN HEAD TO KOAT.COM. FOR TARGET 7. I’M JASON MCNABB. THE CANDIDATES WHO HAVE WITHDRAWN FROM PUBLIC FINANCING