Voter-owned elections: Rumors

Willamette Week passes on the latest word regarding the possibility of a referendum-based challenge to Portland's recently enacted public campaign finance measures.

Hot on the heels of Portland City Council's vote to set up a publicly funded campaign-finance system for city elections, the Oregonian editorial page urged citizens to force a referendum on the issue. And the city elections office did get a flood of calls. But so far, the Oregon Restaurant Association seems to be the only caller with the heft to gather 18,000 valid signatures by the June 17 deadline.

Now let's think a moment: Why would the ORA want to keep private financing of campaigns in Portland? It's a puzzle, isn't it?