Stan Geiger

The Millionaire Mayor Game

Recent reports are saying the combined raising and spending of three mayoral candidates in Tulsa approaches $2 million.

Who loves campaign seasons? It ain’t me, I can tell you that. My BS recycle bin is overflowing. But I imagine the owners of the local TV stations are peeing their pants with glee. Bonanza!

Topping the leader board is Democrat Tom Adelson. He has reportedly spent $1.3 million.

I find it ironic that the Republican Party is labeled as the party of the rich, yet it always seems to be the Democratic candidates that have campaign coffers that are bulging at the seams.

Of Adelson’s total, $850,000 has come out of his own pocket. What kind of an idiot would spend 850 grand of his own money trying to get a job that pays a hundred grand a year for four years?

If you had 850 grand to throw around, would you piss it off running for mayor?

You might. You might, that is, if you were a whore and knew where all the backdoors were located.

But hey, let’s give ol’ Tom the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume he’s willing to spend tons of his own money to get elected just because he wants us all to have the benefit of his genius while he sits as one of them there “public servants.”

What’s wrong with that? I mean it’s his money; he can spend it anyway he likes, right?

True dat. But the problem is he’s not actually spending anything. His $850,000 comes to the table in the form of a loan. It’s a bit of a gamble, I suppose. If he loses he has to eat it. But if he wins, bribing the mayor becomes legal. He would be able to accept campaign contributions after getting elected, contributions that would go straight into his pocket because his campaign fund would be paying back his personal loan---with interest, I would guess.

If a candidate wants to fund his or her own campaign for public office, fine. But let’s make it a contribution. The practice of candidates making personal loans to their campaigns should be banned.

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