Markeshia Ricks Photo
Harp, Paca last week at their first campaign events.
Mayor Toni Harp said she is opting out of New Haven’s public-financing system for her reelection campaign, while opponent Marcus Paca is exploring jumping in.
New Haven has the state’s only municipal public financing system, administered by the Democracy Fund. It distributed a total of $111,250 to three mayoral candidates in 2013, the last time any campaigns participated.
Advocates tout the fund as a way to limit the influence of big special-interest money in elections and to enable more candidates to field competitive campaigns.
Harp did not participate in the system in her 2013 mayoral quest. She said Thursday she has decided not to participate this year as she seeks a third two-year term.
Harp said the city’s system requires too many “steps” from candidates. “They’ve got to get it fixed before I participate,” she said. “They should really model it after the state Citizens’ Election Program.”
Candidates qualify for the city’s system once they collect individual donations of at least $10 from at least 200 registered New Haven voters and a total of at least $5,000 (including donations from outside the city). But the candidates must agree to limit contributions to $370, rather than the $1,000 allowed by state law; to limit spending to $368,000 in the primary election and another $368,000 in the general election (and personal spending on the company to $19,000 in each case); and to forswear contributions from “business entities” and political action committees.
Once they qualify, the fund gives them a $19,000 grant and then doubles the first $30 they receive from each individual donation from a New Haven registered voter, up to $125,000.
Diana Li Photo
Heimer at a Democracy Fund meeting.
The only real difference between the state and city programs is that the city program allows candidates to keep fundraising once they receive their matching grant, said Democracy Fund Administrator Alyson Heimer.
After studying Harp’s reelection campaign filings to date, Heimer calculated that Harp would have come out $9,000 ahead so far if she had signed up to participate in the Democracy Fund. She would have had to focus more on raising money from New Haven rather than out-of-town donors to meet the threshold of local donors (a threshold she may have now reached since the April 10 filing). And she would have had to give back around $10,000 in the portions of donations exceeding $370, but she would have received the $19,000 grant. Then she would have continued to have received $60 matches on every New Haven donation of $30 or higher through the election.
“I would love the mayor to use the fund,” Heimer said. “It would be an amazing example for the other mayors in the state.”
New Haven got state permission to launch its public-financing program as a pilot. That enabling legislation allowed for three municipalities to launch programs, but so far no other municipality has followed suit.
Marcus Paca, who’s challenging Harp for the Democratic Party nomination, met with Heimer this week about the program.
“Right now I’m keeping all options on the table. I think public financing is a wonderful opportunity for candidates to participate on an equal playing field,” Paca said Thursday. “We understand that we’re going against a career politician with deep out-of-town pockets. So it’s no surprise to me that she’s not considering the Democracy Fund. However, for candidates that believe in clean elections like myself, it will definitely be an option.”
Paca would have to return two contributions reported so far in order to participate in the program: $500 donations from Board of Education member Ed Joyner and retired educator Shirley Joyner.
The campaigns’ most recent campaign finance reports were filed on April 10. Paca reported raising $3,200 to date, with $3,200 on hand. The Harp campaign reported raising $14,860 between Jan. 11 and April 10, and $35,960 in total to date, with $10,821.80 on hand. It listed three fundraising events in the most recent period, including one held by housing authority Executive Director Karen DuBois-Walton. Both campaigns have continued raising money since April 10.
Following are the names, hometowns and (where available) employers and professions of donors of at least $200, along with the amounts they contributed, listed in the most recent report. (An apparent tear in the corner of one page of the Harp report left out the last name of one contributor; listed here as “John H”; asked for his first name, campaign Treasurer J. Peter Wilson wrote in an email message: “I will be able to answer your question when I am able to touch base with our accountant, probably after the holiday weekend.”) Harp also received donations of under $200 from city contractors from Giordano Construction and Bank of America.
Paca Donors ($200+)
Ed Joyner, Board of Education member, New Haven, $500
Shirley Joyner, New Haven, $500
Joseph Baez, Hamden, $200
Edward Jefferson, Hamden, $200
Mary Rucker, Cheshire, $200
Harp Donors ($200+)
John Alston, New Haven fire chief, Plainfield, N.J., $250
Sheila M. Carmon, deputy city community services administrator, New Haven, $250
Joseph N. Desanti, senior project manager, Downes Construction, Hamden, $1,000
Joseph N. Desautel, CEO, Downes Construction, Old Saybrook, $1,000
Rohan A. Freeman, engineer, Freeman Companies, Rocky Hill, $1,000
Howard K. Hill, funeral director, Howard K. Hill Funeral Services, Hamden, $300
Nancy Hill, New Haven Board of Education school social worker, Hamden, $250
Patsy Mayo, retired, New Haven, $300
John H., self-employed, Hartford, $1,000
Matthew Nemerson, city economic development administrator, New Haven, $1,000
Tony Pearson, Pratt & Whitney, New Haven, $250
Avalyn Quick, Cheshire, $350
Thomas Romagnoli, Downes Construction, Wethersfield, $1,000
James Segaloff, attorney, Susman Duffy & Segaloff, New Haven, $500
Matthew Short, “passive” real estate, New Haven, $250
Edward Zack Jr., city government auditor, Branford, $250
