Honest Government

By Jim Gardner

City council members are taking $ from companies and individuals who do business with the city.

With regard to companies that did business with the city, 12 companies made at least 80 payments (amounting to more than $60,000) to city council members and these companies received more than $13,000,000 in payments to the companies from the city. Council members Dixon ($17,940) and Herzog ($12,500) received the bulk of the payments.

With regard to companies seeking concessions from the city, 16 companies and/or individuals made at least 40 payments to city council members totaling more than $39,000. Council members Dixon ($9989) and Herzog ($9398) received the bulk of the payments.

These payments were often made within 12 months leading up to the city council meeting in which the contract or concession was discussed. Sometimes the payments were made immediately after the favorable action. Dixon and Herzog received more than 90% of the payments made in this manner.

At no point in any of the public discussions of any of these companies/issues did any of the council members disclose the fact that they had received contributions to their re-election campaigns from these companies and/or individuals, and at no point did any of these council members recues themselves from the vote. In every case, when they could, the council member voted in favor of awarding a contract or a concession to the company and/or the individual who gave them money.

These actions are not technically illegal because the FPPC specifically allows campaign contributions to fall outside the legal definition of a bribe or a payoff. But it's obvious what is going on.

I refuse to accept any campaign contributions from any person or company doing business with the city or seeking concessions from the city.