Corporations and limited liability companies will no longer be allowed to contribute to Wichita City Council and mayoral campaigns after a contentious debate and 4-3 vote Tuesday. The four Democrats on the council approved the measure over the objection of their Republican colleagues during the final meeting before incoming Mayor Lily Wu, a Libertarian, and two new Republican council members take office. In a break from standard procedure, outgoing Mayor Brandon Whipple made an emergency declaration, allowing the council to finalize the reform Tuesday and forgo the standard second reading that would have otherwise been required next week. Whipple said the emergency declaration was necessary because the state-mandated $500 contribution limit for individuals and businesses resets with the start of a new year. “If you gave tons of money last campaign, you now can do this tomorrow if this doesn’t pass today,” Whipple said. The Republicans didn’t buy his logic. “I don’t think anyone would think that this is an emergency, and as a public health professional before I was elected to this position, I am just concerned with diluting the word ‘emergency,’” council member Becky Tuttle said. “I also believe firmly that businesses should have a say in who runs our city,” she said. “Businesses pay property tax, they pay sales tax. I don’t think they should get to vote, but I do believe they should have a say.” The city previously barred political committees, corporations, partnerships, trusts, labor unions, business groups and other organizations from contributing to candidates. But those restrictions were dropped in 2015, five years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United decision, which prohibits the government from restricting independent spending for political campaigns by corporations and other groups.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle