The proper fix was not even more complicating language describing district campaign funding, the real fix was to postpone the whole subject until the issue of districts is decided in November.
As councilmembers themselves pointed out, there is plenty of time between November and the next city election to write campaign funding rules. There was no need to push ahead right now -- except that certain forces are insisting that public funding be on the ballot alongside districts, so they can tout pubic funding as a better solution, a better reform. Public founding is being used as a stalking horse to kill districts.
Why insist on having them fix it for district-based elections when we don't currently have it? I know it is a popular idea among the Slog crowd, but the city has repeated voted down district-based elections before. So unless something changes, in all likelihood it will be voted down again this fall.
It would be a waste of time for the council to figure out a fix for a problem that does not exist, and probably won't. If the districting ballot measure passes, they'll have a year or more to come up with a fix. This is not something to lose sleep over.
The problem is if we the people have to VOTE on this again. If it's a fix that the Council can do on their own, with simple rules changes, then sure, wait. That makes sense. On the other hand, if we have to vote on yet another ballot to fix this language, then the common sense thing to do is add a simple sentence or two clarifying what happens for district vs. citywide races.
As councilmembers themselves pointed out, there is plenty of time between November and the next city election to write campaign funding rules. There was no need to push ahead right now -- except that certain forces are insisting that public funding be on the ballot alongside districts, so they can tout pubic funding as a better solution, a better reform. Public founding is being used as a stalking horse to kill districts.
Why insist on having them fix it for district-based elections when we don't currently have it? I know it is a popular idea among the Slog crowd, but the city has repeated voted down district-based elections before. So unless something changes, in all likelihood it will be voted down again this fall.
It would be a waste of time for the council to figure out a fix for a problem that does not exist, and probably won't. If the districting ballot measure passes, they'll have a year or more to come up with a fix. This is not something to lose sleep over.