(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago aldermen are considering an ordinance that could create a public fund to help finance political campaigns and, proponents say, even the playing field.
The ordinance, co-sponsored by acting Ethics Committee Chair Matt Martin would match small donations given to, say, aldermanic campaigns by a factor of six.
Such a system would turn a $25 contribution into $150, notes Alisa Kaplan, director of the group Reform for Illinois. It could cost $16 million a year, she said, but other cities find it worthwhile.
Ald. James Cappleman, an Ethics Committee member, wondered if Chicago could launch such an initiative. Martin said the Law Department had not been consulted; Kaplan said Chicago’s “home rule” powers would allow it.
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