Graves Running ​“Clean”

A man challenging John DeStefano for mayor plans to use the Democracy Fund — a clean-elections system the mayor helped create, then opted out of.

The challenger, civil-rights activist Clifton Graves, filed papers last week to form an ​“exploratory” committee (i.e. start raising money) to challenge nine-term incumbent DeStefano in a September Democratic Party primary. Graves said he plans to formally announce his candidacy within the next two weeks.

Graves said in an interview that he will participate in New Haven’s public-financing campaign system, the Democracy Fund, aimed at limiting the amount of money spent on campaigns, reducing big-money special-interest influence on elections; and enabling more challengers to seek office.

“We’re excited,” Graves said of his campaign’s decision to participate.

DeStefano first embraced the concept of public financing in 2000 after a corruption scandal and after facing criticism for his team’s campaign shakedowns of city contractors. The Fund offers a $17,000 grant plus matching money to candidates who raise a minimum of donations — at least $10 each from 200 local voters. A candidate who raises just $2,000 can obtain up to $21,000 if her opponent has raised at least $5,000. Participating candidates agree to limit how much they raise from each donor.

The system has been in place for the last two mayoral elections. As it turned out, only the incumbent — DeStefano — has qualified to participate in the program in those elections. He collected $11,850 in 2007 and $11,390 in 2009 from the Fund.

This time around, DeStefano has decided not to participate in the Fund. That means he can raise a maximum of $1,000 each from contributors.

By participating in the system, Graves will be able to raise only $340 per contributor.

“We decided that given DeStefano’s war chest, there’s no way we can compete with him” in raising money, Graves said. ​“From a strategic standpoint, [the Democracy Fund] gives us an opportunity to get more of the population involved in this campaign. Even with the reporting features and restrictions, we think it’s the way to go. We’re aware of the limitation it imposes on us.”

“If it works for Mr. Graves, more power to him,” said DeStefano’s campaign manager, Danny Kedem.

Kedem noted that DeStefano participated in the first two mayoral elections under the new system, and that no other candidates qualified.

“That has given him the idea maybe it is not so effective,” Kedem said. ​“In addition, in a year when the city is struggling to pass a budget without tax increases, it’s probably best that we not use taxpayer dollars to fund campaigns.”

DeStefano has also encountered conflict with his appointees to the Democracy Fund board. They voted to fine his campaign $500 for late filings and criticized him for ​“flying in the face of” the spirit of the clean elections law by moving cash into a political action committee to support aldermanic candidates. (Read about that here.)

In an earlier interview on the subject, DeStefano said he has found the Democracy Fund’s ​“conduct” to be ​“baffling,” and consumed with ​“bureaucratic nonsense.”