Yates: Limit campaign contributions

After watching a record $2.7 million spent on this fall’s Hamilton County commission race, one state lawmaker had to do something.

State Rep. Tyrone K. Yates, D-Evanston/East Walnut Hills, (pictured) has decided to introduce a bill – by no later than the first quarter of next year – that would limit the amount individuals could give in county-wide elections.

Yates, who represents Ohio’s 33rd District. Admits “it is almost impossible” to take money and power out of the political process, but views his daft bill as a way to make it more fair to all potential candidates.

Yates has a draft of the bill that would limit campaign contributions in county races – where there currently is no limit – to between $2,500 to $10,000 per individual.

Yates’ plan, he added, is to avert the “financial thermonuclear war” that took place this last election when both Commissioner Phil Heimlich and successful challenger David Pepper raised more than $1.3 million – each doubling the previous record for a commission race when Heimlich raised $592,867 to win his 2002 race.

Heimlich relied on a few big-bucks contributors – Carl Lindner, Richard Farmer, Robert Rhein -- for much of his money this time. They contributes tens of thousands at a time.

All but about $500,000 of Pepper’s money came from his family – or his own pocket.
Pepper, who defeated Heimlich 53-47 percent despite being outspent, believes Yates’ proposal is a great idea.

“These races shouldn’t be attracting these kinds of dollars,” Pepper said.

Heimlich is skeptical, saying the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that limits can’t be placed on the amount a candidate can give from his own campaign.

“It won’t work. If you limit contributions,” Heimlich said, “that means people who have vast wealth like my opponent control the process.”

Pepper received about $460,000 from his parents – his father, John Pepper, is the former chairman of Procter & Gamble – and the candidate loaned his campaign $375,000.

He did that because that was the only way to offset Heimlich’s multiple contributions for large dollars from billionaires.

Much of the money paid for television advertising.

“My goal in life is not to enrich television stations,” Pepper said.

In the final few weeks of the campaign, Pepper looked at polling and saw he had the lead, looked at the endorsements and saw he was winning most of them. But when he looked at the finances he saw what he expected would be an onslaught of spending by Heimlich’s camp that could offset the polling and endorsements.

“That was the only way to keep up with (Heimlich),” Pepper said of the money he loaned his campaign and his parents’ contributions.

Heimlich, though, accused Pepper of relying on his parents and family money to win the election – noting that one of the reforms Pepper preached for during the campaign was a limit on contributions.

That’s the point, Pepper countered.

Were there limits on amounts individuals can give, Pepper’s family wouldn’t have been able to give the money it did.

“I raised more money without (family) money than has ever raised before and the truth is that wasn’t even close,” Pepper said.

Pepper admitted he essentially wiped out his personal finances by loaning his campaign $375,000. He hopes to repay that loan from future campaign contributions.

There are limits on city, state, federal and presidential races, Yates noted, so there also should be on countywide races.

“By having campaign limits, we’ll have a more responsible debate (on issues),” Yates said.
Yates’ draft bills calls for the limit to disappear if a candidate announces he will self-fund his campaign.

Heimlich, whose parents gave their son $25,000 in campaign contributions, said it was unfair even his well-to-do family – his father is the noted doctor Henry Heimlich, his mother heir to the Arthur Murray dance estate – couldn’t compete with the Pepper wealth in the race.

“If you put those kinds of limit on it, guys like me don’t have a shot,” Heimlich said.

What it cost
In this year’s race for Hamilton County commissioner, a record $2.7 million was raised by both candidates:
* Incumbent Republican Phil Heimlich -- $1.39 million for 134,595 votes. That’s $10.33 per vote;
* Commissioner-elect David Pepper -- $1.341 million for 151,999 votes. That’s $8.82 per vote.

Read the candidates’ full campaign reports at the Politics Extra blog below.