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	Election Costs Leave Ordinary Citizens Out of the Running
	by Elliot Mulberg
	Our recent city council election was perhaps the costliest ever. Incumbents Cooper, Leary, and Scherman raised nearly $140,000, $80,000 and $60,000 respectively. For their efforts they received 53%, 40% and 33% of the vote. Does the average citizen have the ability to raise that kind of money to effectively compete for a council seat? Does it really take $100,000 to receive 50% of the vote? Why is it so costly and is there an alternate way to elect council members that is less costly?
	While there are many reasons why the winners spent so much money this past election cycle, one possible explanation is the way we elect council members. Each council member resides in a district, or is "from" a district, but must run citywide. That means they must find a way to reach all 110,000 residents spread over 45 square miles. The size limits many of the low-tech ways to reach voters, such as passing out flyers or walking neighborhoods. Even locations for campaign signs have been limited by the rapid development of commercial properties. That leaves only the more expensive ways, ads and mailers. A single mailer may cost as much as $10,000.
	If it is so costly why elect council members "from" a district? The rationale goes back to when the Elk Grove community was part of the county. As new development proposals came before the Board of Supervisors our own supervisor often voted "no" only to be outvoted by the other four supervisors. They had no accountability to Elk Grove because they did not have to stand for election before Elk Grove residents. In contrast, council members chosen "from" a district running citywide are accountable to all the voters of the city. Another reason why "from" district representation may work is the size and makeup of the community. Until recently the community was fairly homogeneous. There were not many issues in one neighborhood that were not an issue for the whole city. Besides an election "from" districts is not uncommon for our community. The Elk Grove Unified School District trustees are elected the same way.
	Unfortunately "from" district representation has lead to a lot of confusion by citizens as well as council members. Citizens often do not know who represents them. When they have a problem they are not sure who to call. Council members often speak of their district not realizing their district is the whole city. Another source of confusion is the role of the mayor. The mayor's primary role is to conduct city council meetings. In fact the mayor really has no more authority than any of the other members since all members are chosen by all city voters.
	Many citizens never the less remain confused. They are calling for a mayor elected at large. Does that mean residents don't even trust their council members to decide on who should run city council meetings? Perhaps it's the personalities involved or that citizens unhappy with the election results are looking for ways to put others on the council.
	One possible alternative to reduce costs and limit confusion would be to elect council members the way many large cities elect them. Maybe we should elect council members "by" district instead of "from" district. That means only those that live within a district vote for a candidate that lives in their district. Residents would know who represents them and hopefully, it would be clear to council members who they represent. Elections would cost less. Instead of having to reach 110,000 residents candidates would only need to reach 22,000. It is possible to walk a district with 22,000 residents or approximately 8,000 households. Even the cost of mailings becomes more reasonable.
	Some critics will say that the "by" district approach will lead to more discord and parochialism. After reading the papers there already is a degree of discord on the council, so nothing new. Hopefully relations will improve as council members realize they must build coalitions to achieve their goals. Nevertheless there may be some times when the focus of council members may be on their district rather than the city as a whole. That may be the place for a mayor elected at large to assert a vision for the broader community.
	Changing the way we elect our council members can be relatively simple. The law governing cities like Elk Grove, general law cities, allows for council members to be elected "by" district and a mayor elected citywide. The law only requires an odd number on the city council. It can be a five, seven, or nine member council or four, six or eight council members plus a mayor. Eight council members may be too many and four may be too few. It would be easier to carve a sixth district from the existing five than decide how to turn five districts into four. Besides, larger districts would result in costlier campaigns. In addition the council would have to decide which member loses their seat at the end of their term. The change can be made by a resolution of the current city council and be ready for 2006.
	So how about it. It's time to clarify the role of council members and to make city council elections more dependent on issues rather than on money.
	The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent those of the Elk Grove Insider or any other entity.
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