Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels October 30, 2004 Morris blasts through spending cap By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings The Hartzell-Morris race for City Council Position 3 could turn into one the most expensive city council elections in Ashland history. Although final figures for campaign expenditures and contributions will not be released until after the Nov. 2 general election, one candidate has already exceeded the voluntary expenditure limit he signed for the campaign and the second is closing in on the figure, according to the second pre-election reports filed with the city recorder. Michael Morris, who is vying to unseat incumbent Cate Hartzell, had spent $6,447.04 as of Oct. 17, including outstanding expenditures. Morris has more than doubled the voluntary limit of $2,980 and expected campaign costs to rise before the election is over. "It was kind of a surprise to me at the last statement," Morris said, explaining his campaign treasurer, Janice Marvin, has handled all financial issues during the race. Morris signed the expenditures limit pledge on June 4, although Marvin wasn't aware of the promised limitation until October. Candidates are not allowed to "unsign" the pledge. "I didn't even know it had been signed," Marvin said. Hartzell's corrected pre-election report, released Thursday afternoon by the city recorder, indicated she had spent $2,827.57 as of Oct. 17. "We were really focused on doing what we're doing and not going over," Hartzell said. According to the city recorder, Hartzell also exceeded the spending limit in her two previous campaigns for city council, although she was only held accountable to her pledge during her unsuccessful bid for council in 1998. She ran a five-week write-in campaign that cost $3,579, the sole instance of a pledge violation on record since the limit was introduced in 1995. Hartzell also went beyond the limit when she defeated Chris Hearn for city council in 2000. However, like this year, both candidates exceeded the pledged fiscal constraints. Once one candidate spends beyond the limit, the second is no longer expected to follow the pledge because the second would be left at a serious disadvantage. In 2000, Hartzell was not constrained by the pledge because Hearn did not agree to the limit. The limit, which started off around $2,500, is increased each year according to the consumer price index, which measures inflation. The only repercussion elections officials can dole out when candidates exceed voluntary spending limits is printing a public notice of the violation in the newspaper the next time that person runs for local office. Candidates are not fined or cited for reneging on the pledge. Money, money, money Although the race for position three has heated up, there is little chance it will go down in the record books as the spendiest in Ashland politics. Prior to the inception of the voluntary spending limit, current mayoral candidate Steve Hauck spent $5,950 in a city council race back in 1988. His opponent spent $4,785. That same year, current city council candidate Don Laws spent $8,680 when vying for the mayor's office against Cathy Golden, who spent $7,066. Four years later, an opponent to Golden spent $6,271. "It happens, especially when you're running against an incumbent with name-recognition," City Recorder Barbara Christensen said. "It has happened before." Marvin estimated the Morris camp will spend around $4,000 during the race. Discounting personal expenditures, the campaign has cost over $3,500, with more than a $1,000 in contributions still available at the time the pre-election report was filed. Hartzell estimated her campaign will total at least $3,700 by the conclusion the election. "I planned on not going over and then I realized my opponent was and I was no longer constrained by the pledge," Hartzell said, explaining her committee decided to run a pricey endorsement ad when the mounting Morris expenditures were released. "I felt like the level he was raising money and spending money warranted doing things I hadn't planned on." However, because candidates filed their most-recent reports in mid-October, there's a chance the Hartzell-Morris race won't be the only one where spending pledges go out the window. "It looks like other candidates will go over too," Christensen said, urging voters not to judge the campaigns based on spending figures. "It needs to be a fair look at the big picture for all candidates." Jack Hardesty, running for City Council Position 1, had spent $2,036.17 at the time he filed his second pre-election report. Hardesty still had $1,905.55 remaining in campaign contributions and loans with several weeks left in the election. Any money campaigns collect but do not spend must be returned to donors at the end of the election. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams