LAKEWOOD —Lakewood could put limits on contributions to mayoral and council candidates.
A proposed ordinance now before the Lakewood City Council would cap donations at $1,000 per person for council candidates and $2,500 for mayoral candidates.
Cash and in-kind donations would be treated equally under the proposed limits, meaning that taken together they must not exceed the maximum, according to City Attorney Tim Cox.
A public hearing and council vote on the limits is scheduled for Oct. 14.
The contribution limits are the most controversial change in what is an overhaul of Lakewood’s campaign finance regulations.
A committee convened by Mayor Bob Murphy has been examining the issue since February, in response to a 2012 state appeals court ruling that said the state’s campaign finance regulations do not apply to home-rule cities with their own local rules on the books. That includes enforcement, which was previously handled by the Secretary of State’s office.
Under the proposed ordinance, complaints against Lakewood city candidates would be filed with the city clerk’s office. A hearing officer would be on retainer to review allegations, if and when they came in.
Council and mayoral hopefuls would become candidates as soon as they officially declare their candidacy or receive a donation or make a campaign-related expenditure, a change from the city’s previous definition.
The deadline for filing complaints would also change to 120 days after the report was filed. Today, complaints must be filed within 180 days of the alleged violation.
Limited liability corporations that make political donations would be required to disclose their members if the donation was $500 or more.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Cindy Baroway served as chairwoman of the review committee and said her first charge was really to make sure the rules were “simple and user-friendly.”
“I truly believe the majority of people who run and serve on our city council are average citizens. They’re there to give back to the city and make it a better place for their neighbors and future generations,” Baroway said. “I don’t want to scare people away from that.”
A lot of discussion has been given to the idea of limits, though, Baroway said, because of an incident two years ago involving a sitting council member.
In 2011, Ward 4 Councilman David Wiechman donated more than $20,000 to then-Ward 3 candidate Pete Roybal, mostly through in-kind donations of advertising and other campaign materials, according to finance reports available online.
Roybal won the seat, but he was also fined $1,575 after a resident filed a campaign finance complaint regarding a $2,000 loan to Roybal from Wiechman. Only banks are allowed to loan money to candidates under state law.
Baroway said while the incident was “unfortunate,” she does not believe there is a need for limits, overall.
“It’s really on me as a candidate — am I comfortable accepting large sums of money? That says something about you,” Baroway said. “I think the honor system is better, without limits.”
At the Sept. 16 council study session, though, a number of council members, including Mayor Pro Tem Diana Wilson, expressed support for the idea of contribution limits.
Roybal, for one, said in an interview that he’s all for campaign finance reform — to lessen the influence corporations and developers have on city officials.
“With this campaign refinancing, what it will do is stop the special-interest groups from buying a vote,” Roybal said. “Right now, we don’t have anything stopping that.”
Emilie Rusch: 303-954-2457, erusch@denverpost.com or
