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Sunday, July 02, 2006
Ind. Law - Jeffersonville's campaign finance law
The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel ran this AP report yesterday that begins:
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. - A local campaign-finance ordinance that prohibits recent large city contractors from giving more than $200 to a candidate in a single year may not hold up in court.The ordinance adopted Friday states that "no person who has done business with the city in the preceding four years or is seeking to do business with the city shall make contributions exceeding $200 in a year in which a candidacy occurs."
If Mayor Rob Waiz signs the law, it would take effect about 30 days after being published in a local newspaper.
Both Waiz and City Attorney Les Merkley, however, said they had concerns over whether the ordinance is legal.
Merkley said he isn't sure the council has the authority to adopt such a measure. He said he has requested a legal opinion from the Indiana attorney general's office to make sure the local law will hold up in court.
Even the measure's main sponsor says the wording of the ordinance may have to change. As it now stands, the law allows an individual or a company to make a large donation and then receive a large city contract as long as the donor had not done local government work in the previous four years.
Councilman Keith Fetz, the measure's main backer, said he plans to offer an amendment that would restrict donors from doing large amounts of work for four years before or after they donate more than $200.
Despite the wording problem, he said the law helps put all candidates on a level playing field. The law's intent is to prevent large donations being made in return for city business.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 2, 2006 08:37 AM
Posted to Indiana Law