I suggest you cancel your previous engagements, rsvp and go the the DMI forum next Monday Morning. Election victories may go mostly to the moneyed, unless stringent reforms are effected. They'll even feed you a little. See you there.

"Getting Special Interest Money Out of State Elections" with Activist Dennis Burke

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2007 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

As an activist and former director of Arizona Common Cause, Dennis Burke helped lead the1998 effort to pass the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Act by ballot proposition. The Act provides voluntary public financing to candidates for state-level elected office who agree to run without private campaign contributions. The system is funded by surcharges on civil and criminal fines and a voluntary tax check-off. Arizona’s Clean Elections system is credited with increasing the number of women and people of color running for state office, boosting voter turnout in communities of color, and reducing the influence of special interest campaign money.

DENNIS BURKE
Former Director, Arizona Common Cause

A panel discussion on clean elections will feature:

HON. LIZ KRUEGER
New York State Senate

More info; rsvp phone & email after the jump

The New York City Council is about to pass, by an overwhelming margin, a “campaign finance reform” bill. On the day it passes, several elected officials will undoubtedly hold a press conference in order to pat themselves on the back. They’ll claim the did these great things, closing loopholes, leveling the playing field, and reducing the influence of big money on elections.

Unfortunately, they will have done nothing of the sort.

While the bill makes a pretense of keeping people who have big contracts with the city government from making large campaign contributions, their friends, relatives – and their subcontractors – are not limited. Big contractors, big developers, and other big money interests will still be able to bundle large donations. They will continue to have the same undue influence they always had. Any claim to the contrary is fraudulent.

Via the Daily Kos New York blogwire comes this:

Governor Spitzer has made full public funding with Clean Money Clean Elections the cornerstone of his reform New York program. But he is getting resistance from Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who is against public funding of campaigns, and from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who favors partial public funding. With partial funding using our tax dollars, candidates would still have to raise the bulk of their money from private wealthy donors, who would continue to have the upper hand in legislative matters.

It's a quick call to 518 474-8390. All callers have to say is "I'm for full public funding with Clean Money Clean Elections" and give their zip code.

Give our man Eliot a call.