Allan Appel Photo
The candidate with campaign manager Gage Frank in background.
Justin Elicker, who plans to challenge Mayor Toni Harp in a Sept. 10 Democratic primary, is about to hire a field director to accelerate getting the word out. He is also about to open a campaign headquarters on Whalley Avenue this Sunday.
By Friday of this week, Elicker should have $35,180 more in the campaign’s bank account to help pay the rent and the salary for those expenses.
That’s because, at a Monday night meeting, the city’s Democracy Fund public-financing agency unanimously approved Elicker’s first grants under its program, and the checks should be cut by the end of the week.
Elicker earned the grant by participating in the voluntary program, under which candidates agree to limit how much money they collect from donors, and from what kind of donors, in return for matching public dollars. The program’s goal is to limit the influence of large donors or special interests on government. Harp has chosen not to participate in the program.
The Fund provides public matching funds up to a maximum of $125,000 and a grant of $19,000 for both the primary election and the general election. Gifts under ten dollars are not subject to a match.
Fund Administrator Alyson Heimer with board chair Rodriguez.
Led by its Chairman Sergio Rodriguez, board members approved two separate grants for Elicker, one for $19,000 and another for $16,180. The first Elicker earned by submitting 200 names of contributors who are verified New Haven residents who are registered voters (and not lobbyists) and who gave individually no more than the maximum $370 allowed.
The second grant involves two-to-one matches on amounts from $10 to $30 for each contributor, a maximum of $60 per contributor, after the first 200.
According to fund Administration Alyson Heimer, Elicker’s campaign submitted for purposes of the two grants 609 names of contributors who gave money between Jan. 10 and Feb. 17.
The fund confirmed 479 names as qualified. The first 200 sparked the public financing grant of $19,000 and the balance of 279 qualified for matching grants. Heimer reported that 89 names were duplicates and 41 did not qualify, because of a clerical omission or the donor was not registered to vote. Those names can all be re-submitted, she added, but checks of the non-registered voters would have to be rewritten after registration.
These funds augment the $117,000 Elicker’s campaign pulled in during the first quarter.
Democracy Fund Board Member James O’Connell.
Over 500 New Haveners were among 727 donors bringing Elicker $117,694 in first-quarter donations for his mayoral campaign. Harp reported pulling in $26,042 from 125 total donors, including $10,700 from 72 different city residents.
Since Elicker is participating in the public-financing program, all of his individual donations are $370 or smaller. Harp can legally collect donations as high as $1,000 apiece and from political action committees.
Elicker said the funding will go toward efforts “to get our message out.”
Specifically, it will help defray costs for the ful0 time field director, whose job is to coordinate volunteers as they door-knock and otherwise hit the streets. The funding will also pay for flyers, mailings, and rent for the new office; the office’s grand opening, at 161 Whalley Ave. across from Stop & Shop, is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m.
The fund’s board members also took a third vote, which also passed unanimously. They authorized Heimer to use her discretion to make matching funds available between the fund’s monthly meetings as the Elicker campaign submits its information.
Heimer with DF Board members O’Connell, on left, and Goode, on right.
Aaron Goode, the board’s newest member, made the motion that the matching funds be provided at Heimer’s discretion so a campaign would not have to wait. After an approval, Heimer forwards information to the city finance department, which cuts the check; that clerical process takes about five days.
Goode noted the fund has had trouble mustering a quorum in the past. “I wouldn’t want that and we have to go to a candidate and say, ‘Sorry, we can’t get you your money.’” He said the fund should provide “as quick a turnaround as possible for [qualifying] candidates to use the funds.”
The Fund provides public matching funds up to a maximum of $125,000 and a public financing grant of $19,000 for both the primary elections and the general election. Gifts under ten dollars are not subject to a match.
The next financial reporting period to the Democracy Fund is June 1.