In politics, perception is everything.
And the current perception is that public office is on sale to the highest bidder.
That’s why we are hoping this year’s candidates for Township Council will cut back on their campaign spending.
Almost $340,000 had been raised and spent total on the past three municipal elections in South Brunswick, with the 1998 race for Township Council topping out at a whopping $130,000 — more than $10 per household. That’s a lot of money — far more than had ever been raised or spent before in South Brunswick.
The money paid for professional polling, glossy brochures mailed to voters, cable advertising and large, professionally designed billboards.
And it has led to a series of accusations from both parties that local officials are beholden to their donors — the Democrats to the Middlesex County Democratic organization and Republicans to land developers. While both sides deny a quid pro quo exists, voters have a right to question what donors get in return for their money.
Such doubts make the business of local government more difficult and erode the faith voters should have in their elected officials.
That’s one of the reasons, for the past five years, we have been calling for a cap on local campaign spending. The $10 per household price tag — and the glossy, professional campaigns it pays for — does not produce a more educated electorate. Instead, it widens the gap between the candidates and the voters, bringing the soundbite wars that dominate national and state politics to the local level.
It is time for the two sides to negotiate a truce. Set a limit and stick to it. Spending more is not the answer.
We know this will not be easy. Trust is in short supply and state’s reporting requirements allow parties to hide the bulk of their contributions until after the election (election reports are due 11 days before the election and 20 days after).
But it is necessary in the short term to ensure that South Brunswick voters can have confidence in their local officials.
In the long term, South Brunswick should seek free 30- and 60-second advertising spots from Comcast Cable — which has a contractual monopoly over the township’s cable television franchise — for candidates during the month of October.
And it should work with Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and other organizations seeking to remove private money from the campaign process.
In Maine, a new Clean Elections Act has made state money available to candidates who opt not to raise private money, bringing a host of new candidates into the process. Similar laws have been passed in other states and are on the ballot in Missouri and Oregon this year.
Ultimately, the growing cost of political campaigns is not just a local phenomenon; the solution, therefore, cannot be just a local one.
In the meantime, however, South Brunswick candidates can do their part by shrinking their campaign budgets and reconnecting with voters.
