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Criticism Of Donations 'unfair'

Criticism Of Donations 'unfair' image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
June
Year
1974
Copyright
Copyright Protected
Rights Held By
Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
Editorial
OCR Text

Editor, TyfTf The recént unilateral criticism of contributions to campaigns for school board candidates is unfair. The Ann Arbor Educators' Public Affairs Council (PAC) offered the contribution, not the AAEA. These were not "unión funds" as the headline for the May 29 News editorial implied. These were voluntary, legitímate contributions. If rules and regulations are to be set on campaign contributions, they should be written by a respon sible legislative body and followed by all candidates. At present, with respect to I school board campaigns, there are no rules, no requirement to report, no [limitation of size or number of contribuI tions. We strongly support a system of (1) I mandatory public reporting of campaign í contributions and their sources, (2) limiI tation of size of individual contribution I and (3) limitation of total campaign [ budget. We also defend the right of a teaachers' I organization to have its voice heard on school matters. Teachers are members of the community and should not be made second-class citizens with respect to their votes on school matters, nor in tfeir right MürmirLmñgB tion campaigns. PAC has done nothing I illegal in its campaign contributions or I offered contributions. When we ran for the school board, we I welcomed the teachers' approval. The I teachers' organization publicly supported I our c.andidacies in both of our campaigns I and contributed money in the amount of $200.00 to each of our campaigns in 1972. Neither their money nor their support I could have "bought" us if we had been elected. We accepted this support as confidence in our philosophies and previous community service and actions. Ground rules should be set up for campaign financing. The rules should not be set so that they are restrictive to the point where issues cannot be aired. If disclosure of campaign contributions I were useful retroactively, we would be I pleased to publish our financial 1 ments from previous campaigns. We deplore the attempts to confuse 1 portant campaign issues and urge that I the school board candidates make public I disclosures to their support in the campaign for the June 10 election.