State Senator Paul Pinsky of Maryland authored and fought hard for the Clean Elections bill in Maryland this session. It
lost by a mere one vote, despite a vehemently opposed Senate President and a $1.5 billion budget deficit. Pinsky fought valiantly on the Senate floor for its passage and deserves credit for truly fighting for reform.
Here's part of
his analysis of the session:
The drive to remove big money from campaigns and elections has also been picking up steam across the country. Last year, Connecticut adopted public campaign financing, joining Arizona and Maine, which have run "clean," publicly financed campaigns successfully through four election cycles.
The time appeared ripe for Maryland to follow suit, particularly after the surfacing of a secret FBI tape that revealed a former Maryland state senator, now under indictment, declaring himself a "whore" for the racetrack industry who "saved Comcast $75 million" as a legislative committee chairman.
In 2006, the House did pass a "clean money" campaign finance bill. The legislation only needed a nod from the Maryland Senate. But Senate leaders opposed the move, and the governor's office stayed silent. Despite these obstacles, the campaign reform legislation finally reached the Senate floor - with just two days left in the session. The bill lost, 23-24.
He concludes, in a column titled, "Session of missed opportunities," by asking what should be happening in the Maryland assembly. His answer?
Much more should be happening than the General Assembly was able to deliver.
I'm looking forward to joining Paul Pinsky and passing public financing, aka "Clean Elections," in Maryland next year.
