Over 50% of Gaffney’s and Petty’s Campaign Money Has Come from Outside the City

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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Only two individuals running for an At-Large City Council seat in Worcester have declared their candidacy for Mayor. Current Mayor Joseph M. Petty and City Councilor Michael Gaffney appear to be aimed for expensive campaigns and have reached beyond the boundaries of Worcester to help pay for their run for Mayor.

Together, Petty and Gaffney have raised a total of more than $28,000 in the first five months of 2015.

After careful analysis of Petty and Gaffney's campaign donations so far this year, GoLocalWorcester has found that 52% of the campaign donations ($14,750) were made from individuals living outside of the city of Worcester.

Mayor Petty has received $8,125 (43% of total 2015 contributions) in contributions from donors living outside the city. Councilor Gaffney has received $6,625 (68% of total 2015 contributions).

Contributions from outside the city and state are absolutely legal and is a common practice in elections all across the United States. However, political experts and other municipal candidates agree that there are underlying reasons for such contributions - especially in this race.

Dr. David Schaeffer, Political Science professor at the College of the Holy Cross, believes the candidates are gearing up with large war chests with an eye on a larger elected position.

"The likeliest reason for it is a report that (Congressman) Jim McGovern, who has close ties with Petty, is worried about Gaffney's candidacy for mayor. Gaffney, unusual for a Worcester city council member, is not a registered Democrat, and hence, in McGovern's eyes, a potential threat to his control over the City and his Congressional seat," said Dr.Schaeffer.

Schaeffer notes that although McGovern has been running unopposed and winning re-election, the number of Republican or Independent voters outside of Worcester, but within the district, has been increasing. 

"Whether or not Gaffney himself would choose, if elected mayor, to challenge McGovern for the seat by running as a Republican, even McGovern's loss of direct influence over the mayoral office might signal a weakening of his power and an invitation for a serious Republican candidate like Lew Evangelidis to run against him," said Schaeffer. "For this reason, I can well understand McGovern's wanting to help Petty raise more money from outside the city, as well as Gaffney's doing so, either seeing it as essential to mounting a serious challenge to the McGovern machine or as a defense against Petty's outside funding."

Is This Out of the Ordinary?

Clark University Political Science Professor Dr. Robert Boatright said, “These are not unusually high amounts of money. For instance, Petty raised $16,000 from outside of Worcester last time (2013), and Gaffney raised a little under $4,000."

Under the supervision of Dr. Boatright, Clark University students run Worcester Campaign Finance Project, a website dedicated to helping Worcester residents keep track of the amount of money spent on municipal elections and where the money comes from.

“It's easier to raise money outside of Worcester if you're an incumbent and probably if you're running for mayor, so that would explain the increase for Gaffney,” said Dr. Boatright. “It may also be that people get more money from outside of the city in non-election years because they're getting it from PACs, labor, etc., but I don't know this for certain.”

"Obviously, with less than $200 in my campaign account, I need more friends who live outside of Worcester. In any case, unlike me, Joe Petty and Mike Gaffney are skilled fundraisers," said City Councilor Gary Rosen, who is running unopposed for the District 5 City Council. "They realize that running for elective office, even at the municipal level, generally takes money for materials such as lawn signs, handouts (combs, nail files, etc.), printing and mailing of campaign literature, and an online and social media presence, among others. Usually, in political campaigns, if you don't raise money, you don't serve. But I'm less concerned about where political contributions come from geographically, than I am about why those often substantial donations are being made."

Where is the Money Coming From and Why?

As GoLocalWorcester reported on Wednesday, Petty's biggest supporters include many of the leaders of commerce in the city of Worcester. Gaffney, on the other hand, is being backed by organizations and individuals that routinely support Republican candidates all across the state.

"Since there is nothing illegal about the practice of obtaining contributions from outside the city, I see no objection to it," said Schaeffer. "One legitimate reason for allowing it is that since plenty of people who work or own businesses in the city live outside it and aren't eligible to vote here; why not allow them to have a say in local policies that affect them, in this way?"

“It’s hard to critique where people get their funds from. There are people that don’t live in the city but want to be involved in the campaign process. There are reasons other than just living in the city or knowing a candidate - these contributors may have vested interest in the city such as they own land or they own a business in Worcester,” said City Councilor Moe Bergman. "When donation limits get higher you limit the amount of people in the city that can contribute to your campaign. You can get a lot more people locally involved when you set your donation limits at a reasonable amount."

Bergman is running for re-election for an At-Large Council seat. Only 15% of the more than $12,000 Bergman has raised so far this year is from contributors living outside of the city.

Although candidates for an At-Large seat have until September to decide whether or not they will declare their candidacy for mayor, Bergman has decided not to run until the position becomes open. 

"If the Mayor's seat was open, it would be something I would consider. However, Mayor Petty is running for re-election and I will focus on running for, and hopefully winning, a council seat. With only one and a half years on the council, I think more experience doesn’t hurt. If that changes in 2017, and the mayor’s seat becomes open, it would be something I would have to consider," said Bergman.

"At all levels of government, there are many smart, caring and honest individuals with true vision - the type of people that we need in elective office. I'd like to think that those people receive the brunt of their political contributions because of their ability and integrity, not because of their party affiliation or support of self-interest groups," said Rosen. "So, raising money is a political necessity. However, candidates should always consider the sources of those campaign contributions before accepting them. The votes of elected officials should never be for sale."

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Related Slideshow: City Council Candidates with Most Campaign Money

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• Worcester Municipal Elections: Petty Wins Second Term As Mayor
• Mass Fiscal Alliance and the Purchase of Central Mass Politics

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