[Northampton-GP] Clean Elections Update - March 31

[Jane Winans]

Please remove me from this list.
thanks,
sings2trees at yahoo.com

--- Tim Carpenter <sheilacarp at earthlink.net> wrote:

---------------------------------

********************************************************************************Pioneer
Valley Clean Elections Update - March 31,
2003********************************************************************************Support
Clean Elections 
Clean Elections House Party Fundraiser 
    Friday, April 4 -   THIS FRIDAY!!    
    7:00 PM 
    Eastworks Studios 
    Studio 4 
   116 Pleasant Street 
    Easthampton 
The Northampton Green/Rainbow Party invites you to
join us 
for an evening of politics, fun and community. We will
be gathering in 
support of Clean Elections. We will begin the evening
with a social hour 
of wine and dessert before we view "The Road to Clean
Elections," narrated by Bill Moyers. 
If you have questions or need directions, please
contact 
Andrea Burns at 413-529-9513 

*******************************************************************Greenfield
Campaign ReformTown Hall Meeting Wednesday, April 9 at
7:00 PMGreenfield Community CollegeDowntown Center270
Main StreetRoom 201City of Greenfield Speakers will
include:Joe O'BrienDirector of Mass Voters for Clean
Elections M.A. SwedlundSteering Committee Member, Mass
Voters Peter VickeryFairvote Massachusetts Pam
WilmotExecutive Director of Massachusetts Common Cause
The Event is Free and Open to the
Public***********************************************************************NORTH
CAROLINA & NEW MEXICO PASS CLEAN MONEY LEGISLATION
Vermont, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Maine have Clean
Money laws in place.  Now, North Carolina and New
Mexico join the ranks of states with public financing
for at least some of their crucial offices. First,
North Carolina made a giant leap forward by enacting
this country's first full public financing system for
high-level judicial candidates. Similar to other Clean
Money/Clean Election laws, The Judicial Campaign
Reform Act gives candidates for state Supreme Court
and Court of Appeals the option of running with full
public financing if they raise sufficient qualifying
contributions and agree to strict fund-raising and
spending limits. Unlike California, where judges are
appointed and then reconfirmed in elections, North
Carolina judges, including Supreme Court justices, run
in partisan elections. Since most of the funding for
these candidates comes from attorneys and law firms
appearing before the judges, there was a natural
conflict of interest that is addressed by enactment of
this law. Then, this March 14th, New Mexico became the
sixth Clean Money state.  The hard work of New
Mexicans for Campaign Reform paid off as legislators
passed the Voter Action Act, providing full public
financing for the five members of the Public
Regulation Commission (PRC).  The PRC regulates nearly
every major industry in New Mexico.  Governor Bill
Richardson signed the bill into law. A similar system
is already in place in Arizona.  It is crucial to
regulatory bodies, said Marc Spitzer, chairman of the
Arizona Corporations Commission, the New Mexico PRC's
equivalent: "It's a tough job to run and get
contributions for, because the only people interested
are utilities, and you don't want to take
contributions from them," Spitzer said. "In the old
days, there'd be endless debate about who was raising
money for who. Now, candidates are talking about
issues." Read more about North Carolina's law:
http://www.publiccampaign.org/press_releases/pr10-03-02.htm
Read more about New Mexico's law:
http://www.publiccampaign.org/press_releases/pr03_14_03.htm
*******************************************************Thank
you for all your support! --- Tim Carpenter---
sheilacarp at earthlink.net  

_______________________________________________Northampton-Greens-Discuss
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