Our campaign finance system needs reform. The “clean elections” and “voter-owned elections” that are being used in more and more states will, when instituted in Maryland, go a long way towards removing the impact of special-interest lobbying.

The impact of corporate lobbying is widespread. The continuing energy price debacle facing Maryland is one example, resulting from industry’s favorite program, de-regulation. The anti-consumer bias in our state medical insurance system is another, allowing companies to ban people with pre-existing conditions, to deny coverage for procedures based on whim, to fund Viagra prescriptions but not contraception. The heavy hand of the development community has led to the ICC program eating up an enormous portion of the state’s transportation budget.

The need to raise money to campaign makes it harder for candidates to concentrate on getting out the vote and discussing the issues. And for elected officials the dinners and other perks at best lead to subtle bias and at worst to legislation that benefits corporate interests over public interests. As a personal example, I recall pharmaceutical companies swooping down on us medical students at the University of Pennsylvania from the first day of school, bearing gifts. We had to ban their food and gifts outright. That was in 1974, and matters have only worsened since then. An official who has been elected with public financing owes her seat to the public, and not to corporate interests.

Fixing the campaign finance system in the state will go a long way to restoring the state to the control of the people’s representatives. I will work assiduously to pass a public campaign finance bill similar to the ones introduced repeatedly over the years. I will also work to reform election law and the management of elections in the state and the county. We cannot afford confusion and mediocrity when it comes to the fundamentals of our system of representative democracy. The voters of Maryland demand it.