Sunday, March 23, 2008

John Hartwell for State Senate

Redding Pilot: "Democrat eyes 26th Senate District seat"
Mar 7, 2008 - Page One
by Susan Wolf

John Hartwell knows where he wants to put his name come November — on the Democratic Party's ballot for the state's 26th Senate District.

Mr. Hartwell, of Westport, a strategy consultant to the financial services industry, has been quietly campaigning and amassing money for his run for the party's nomination at the May 19 state convention. If he is successful, he could be pitted against longtime Senator Judith Freedman, also from Westport. She has not yet announced her intention to seek another term.
Many of you might know John Hartwell as the Treasurer for Ned Lamont's ground breaking 2006 Senate campaign. Of course, there's much more to him than that, so visit the John Hartwell 2008 website to learn more.

John is raising funds for his campaign, and he's just about at the threshold of the required $15,000 to qualify for public funding. However, while he just about has all the cash required, he still needs a number of individual donors to meet the "contributor threshold", which is a minimum of 300 contributors within the 26th District.

That means if you (and your spouse, along with friends, family, and acquaintances within that district) want to get on board with a true Democrat, all you need to do is make a small donation (minimum $5 - yup, just five measly bucks!) to John's campaign.

First, you need to be a resident in ANY of these towns, even if you don't live exactly within the boundaries of the 26th District: Westport, Bethel, New Canaan, Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, or Weston.

Simply download and print THIS FORM, fill it out and send it with your check to the address listed on it.

A five dollar contribution is as good as a $100 one, so you get more value for your buck if you fill out one form and make a contribution, and your spouse fills out another and writes a separate check.

The landmark Connecticut Public Funding law has made it easier for more people to run for office. Without it, there might not have been a Democratic challenger in the 26th District this year. And it helps keep the playing field level and reduces the amount of influence the large contributors, corporate lobbyists and PACs have on a candidate.

Look for more info about John's run on this blog, and please make a minimum contribution if you live in the 26th!

3 comments:

MikeCT said...

As I understand it, you don't need to be a resident of the towns to contribute. He needs to raise at least 300 contributions from residents of those towns, but people from other towns can also contribute.

Here's the statutory language about qualifying contributions:

In the case of a candidate for nomination or election to the office of state senator for a district, contributions from individuals in the aggregate amount of fifteen thousand dollars, including contributions from at least three hundred individuals residing in municipalities included, in whole or in part, in said district.

Says "including" but not "limited to."

MikeCT said...

he's just about at the threshold of the required $15,000 to qualify for public funding. However, while he just about has all the cash required, he still needs a number of individual donors to meet the "contributor threshold"

Or maybe you were saying that the contributor threshold is the barrier for him now, and he might ultimately have to turn back non-resident contributions anyway. So focusing on local residents would make sense in that case.

CT Bob said...

Yeah, that's it. He's going to make the $15K, but there also has to be at least 300 individual contributors from within the district for him to qualify under the rules. So every new $5 donor from the district will be a big help.