Bush & Kerry Campaigns Leave Unpaid Bills Behind

One of the unfortunate consequences of a Presidential campaign coming to town is the bill that is left behind for the locals to deal with.

Under current campaign finance law, the local governments are able to get reimbursed for expenses incurred when a Presidential candidate comes for a visit. The exception is that the locality cannot be reimbursed for security expenses.

Excuse me, but security arrangements are often the biggest expense that there is. Many cities in battleground states are tired of the frequent visits and the ever-larger bill that they will have to deal with.

Here’s a rundown of some of the security tabs that some Midwestern city governments are dealing with:

Cleveland, Ohio: $270,000
Dubuque, Iowa: $36,800
York, Pennsylvania: $21,000
Cloquet, Minnesota: $10,000 (for a 45-minute visit from one of the candidates!)
Davenport, Iowa: $23,000
Akron, Ohio: $21,000
Traverse City, Michigan: $20,000
Grand Rapids, Michigan: $80,000

It is estimated that both campaigns have or will incur a total of $450,000 in unpaid-for security expenses across Michigan.

Michigan communities are making budget cuts to balance their budgets, laying off firemen and police officers, while Bush and Kerry are running up a tab for THEIR campaigns!

Thanks but no thanks.

The law needs to be changed so that towns that play host to national candidates are reimbursed for all of the overtime and security expenses. Or each candidate needs to budget at least $25 million to fully reimburse every community that they visit.

This is ridiculous!