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Proposed changes to Denton’s campaign donation rules could level playing field for candidates

The Denton City Council chambers is seen from an elevated position.
Marco Barrera
/
For the Denton Record-Chronicle
Denton City Council member Brandon Chase McGee wants to make city elections in Denton more accessible and affordable for the average working-class person, who often faces financial barriers to run for office.

Denton City Council member Brandon Chase McGee wants to make city elections in Denton more accessible and affordable for the average working-class person, who often faces financial barriers to run for office.

McGee, a truck driver, and other council members including Mayor Gerard Hudspeth, who works in sales, and Jill Jester, a real estate attorney, raised between $35,000 and $68,000 for their 2024 campaigns.

For comparison, in 2022, Denton had a per capita income of $35,628, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“I’ve listened to the community throughout the last campaign cycle and it has become clear to me that they wanted comprehensive local campaign finance reform,” McGee wrote in a Sept. 25 email to the Record-Chronicle. “... I recognize that we have an opportunity to make campaigns more affordable to regular working people like me in Denton. I believe that these City Council seats don’t belong to wealth business interests or developers.

“These seats belong to the people and passing a campaign finance ordinance will help ensure that money won’t buy elections in Denton.”

McGee’s proposal, which he said “could very well be the toughest” campaign finance reform in the state, seeks to cap total campaign contributions from Denton donors at $20,000 and non-Denton donors at $5,000, as well as limit people outside of the city to $500 per individual or political action committee donation.

McGee also wants to limit Denton residents and Denton organizations and PACs to $1,000 donation per campaign year.

“Access is important to me,” McGee told council members at the Sept. 17 council meeting. “Access to make sure that regular folks can have the ability to run campaigns and win elections. This is a way to minimize the effect of money in that.”

Pitching process

McGee’s proposed campaign finance changes probably couldn’t occur until after the 2025 municipal campaign season. Four council seats — Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 — will be on the ballot in early May, and the campaign filing period begins in mid-January.

The delay is partly due to a change in how the process for proposals and pitches to go before council unfolds, from what was a linear one — pitch accepted, research conducted and work session scheduled for review — to a more complicated one that, after a Sept. 17 council vote, now involves council committees before a work session will be scheduled.

Council committees such as the Ethics Board and the Airport Advisory Board are filled with community members who have been nominated and approved by council members.

Dustin Sternbeck, the city’s chief spokesperson, said in an email Monday that city staff will be following the redesigned pitch process since a council majority didn’t give direction to follow the old process.

Sternbeck pointed out that only two council members, McGee and Brian Beck, gave direction to follow the old process, which could have seen this item come to a work session and vote before the spring election.

“Council didn’t provide clear direction on either process, so staff is moving forward with the new process (which Council approved later in the evening),” Sternbeck wrote in the email.

“It involves citizens in this process because we have so many talented people out there,” Vicki Byrd said to her fellow council members at the Aug. 20 work session to discuss the redesigned pitch process. “I wanted them to have an opportunity to weigh in. It helps me to continue telling the community that instead of just talking about it, go ahead and be about it. Join a board and commission.”

McGee and council member Beck, who worried about the delay the new process would cause, cast the dissenting votes at the Sept. 17 council meeting.

“This, for me, is all about accessibility,” McGee told council members earlier that day when he stressed that they followed the original pitch process. “I want to make sure that everyday regular working folks just like me can have a chance to run and win elections in this city.”

CHRISTIAN McPHATE can be reached at 940-220-4299 and cmcphate@dentonrc.com.