Commentary: Leveraged Influence in Davis City Council Campaigns
As campaign time roles around, there is the bi-annual debate over what a campaign donation means and whether certain groups can purchase influence through a process of bundling checks.
It was interesting yesterday morning I had a long discussion about this very topic with a community member who argued it should not make a difference who a candidate took money from if that individual was open to taking money and representing a broad-coalition of people.
In October of last year, Councilmember Lamar Heystek stunned many in the community and many of his closest supporters by announcing he would not seek a second term to the Davis City Council. As it turned out that would not be the end of the story for Mr. Heystek who has distinguished himself during his first term as a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility in the city of Davis while at the same time he remains graceful and civil on the dais.
And then there were three again. There was a brief period of time when it looked like candidates Sydney Vergis and Joe Krovoza would be anointed rather than elected to the Davis City Council. That was in a period where everyone believed that Mayor Ruth Asmundson would not run for a third term on City Council.
Mayor Ruth Asmundson made official what many have speculated in the weeks following the January 26, 2010 City Council Meeting she will not seek a third term to the Davis City Council. Her decision is just one of several changes to what was shaping up to be a rather mundane council race. Right now her decision means that neither incumbent will seek re-election. Last October Councilmember Lamar Heystek announced that he would not seek re-election siting personal reasons in his decision. However, as we report above, a group of citizens is mobilizing to get him to possibly reconsider that decision.
