Amanda makes it (Jack Bog's Blog)

Portland City Council candidate Amanda Fritz has announced that she has gathered all 1,000 individual $5 contributions needed to qualify for taxpayer financing of her campaign to unseat Commissioner Dan Saltzman. She's planning to file them with the city on Monday. Apparently this means that she'll get $150,000 out of the city's coffers to pay for political advertising and other campaign needs between now and the May 16 primary election.

It was harder to get that many checks than Fritz first estimated, and I'm not hearing that any of the other candidates who hope for public financing under the "clean money" system are anywhere close to getting the 1,000 contributions they would need. Saltzman is not taking the "clean money," and neither is Ginny Burdick, who's challenging Commissioner Erik Sten for his seat.

And so if Sten doesn't take the "clean money," Fritz could wind up being the only candidate who gets it. And I do mean only, because repeal of the "clean money" system will also likely be presented to the voters in May, on the same ballot as the local income tax for schools. Now there's an interesting juxtaposition. It's still early, but if I had to predict, I'd say that for better or worse, "clean money" and the tax are both heading for defeat. (Via Also Also.)

Comments (6)

Garden Burger can blow big bucks at the Super Bowl without achieving any long term notoriety other than to have blown big bucks at the Super Bowl.

What makes Amanda any different?

What is her message, and will it resonate? Who cares if she gets a Spag style free time show or some 15-second protest spot like Mr. Arrow (tree guy hangin from building) or gets a long term embrace from Phil Knight like he gives to his puppy UofO?

What will be Amanda's message . . . other than she got 1000 individual donations of five bucks? The street corner cardboard holding guys (the regulars) could have already met that test but what does it get them? Scorn? An attempted ordinance to sweep them away? What would they do with a $150,000 gift? Use it for politics or to get some quiet time at the beach?

Posted by Ron Ledbury | November 23, 2005 10:21 AM

Can we assume the group of contributors will thus be known as the "1000 Friends of Saltzman?"

Posted by Abe | November 23, 2005 10:48 AM

Oh, goody. I was going to pop in for some shameless pimping, but now I see I have a purpose. With an assist from the Oregonian's story, I bopped off to find Amanda Fritz' site (some links here, but not much discussion beyond her issues with OHSU's aerial tram). I see that Bogdanski has it up there as well, but it's worth noting that you can find out a bit about Fritz' positions (and I do mean "a bit"; it's pretty vague statement of personality and prinicples stuff, though her background contains a good deal more) through her site.

Posted by Jeff Bull | November 23, 2005 10:49 AM

Ron Ledbury:
Are you some kind of algorithm?

Posted by Allan L. | November 23, 2005 11:44 AM

My Grandfather was a computer.

Posted by Ron Ledbury | November 23, 2005 1:59 PM

What makes Garden Burger and Amanda any different?!? Amanda will be spending my money without my consent. If Garden Burger did that it would be conversion (or theft).

Posted by Molly | November 23, 2005 5:43 PM

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Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Amanda makes it

Comments (6)

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