By Jorge Casuso

February 27, 2025 -- The City Council on Tuesday took steps to nearly triple the contribution limit to Council candidates' campaigns.

In a 6 to 1 vote, the Council directed City staff to explore raising the individual contribution cap for candidate-controlled campaigns from $410 to $1,500 and explore the caps in comparable cities.

The proposed ordinance is meant to help deflate the out-sized influence of Independent Expenditure (IE) Committees, or PACS, that raised a record-shattering $1.1 million in last November's Council race.

"Spending on campaigns is out of control, and we need desperate fixes to this," said Councilmember Ellis Raskin, who along with Councilmembers Dan Hall and Natalya Zernitskaya, placed the discussion item on the agenda.

Expecting the U.S. Supreme Court to cap contributions to PACs or for the cash-strapped City to implement publicly funded campaigns is not going to happen, Raskin said.

Raising the individual contribution cap is the only realistic way to "recalibrate the balance" between PACs and campaigns run by the candidates, which accounted for less than $400,000 of the $1.5 million raised in the November race.

It is important to help bridge that balance because "candidates have no control whatsoever of the messaging that occurs from the large donations that pour into these IE committees," Raskin said.

"In fact, it's illegal for candidates to collaborate with IEs," Raskin noted.

Several Councilmembers noted that PACs, which include unions and other special interest groups, can benefit candidates who don't have direct connections to well-to-do private donors.

Councilmember Caroline Torosis cast the lone dissenting vote, saying it would be "inappropriate voting for this" since she plans to run for reelection in 2026.