Health & Fitness
Blog | "Can't Buy Me Love"? Don't Let Them Buy Your Vote
City Council Candidate John C. Smith decries the massive influx of PAC $$$ pouring into our city.
I'm a life-long Democrat and a life-long fan of the Beatles. I can play at least twenty of their songs on guitar. And the one song that's been running through my head in recent weeks is, "Can't Buy Me Love."
Warning, Santa Monicans: Someone is trying to buy your vote.
A deep-pocketed PAC led by Santa Monica's biggest developer has now funneled $400,000 dollars into backing four City Council candidates, including the two incumbents. Four hundred thousand dollars! The PAC, "Santa Monicans United For a Responsible Future" (or SMURF, not to be confused with the true development watchdog organization, SMRG), is trying to buy this election -- and your vote.
SMURF and the developers behind it will never have your best interests in mind. What do they care about? They care about money. They care about the profits they can make from our city. Believe me, that $400K is only a fraction of the millions of dollars they hope to make from throwing up development after development, ruining our skyline and clogging up our streets. They are backing certain people to win so they can win, too. And, they think they can confuse you. They think you won't notice they're pretending to be similar to other, more conscientious groups. They think you can be fooled.
You can stop them. Choose a candidate like me. As columnist Bill Bauer wrote in his recent endorsement: "[John Smith] is a common sense guy running for the first time without any 'big bucks' backing him. I’m confident that Smith will affect smart, objective solutions to traffic and parking problems while only supporting responsible development."
As an Emmy-winning journalist and teacher, I am running the right kind of campaign for the right reasons -- to represent your interests. I don't take money from developers and never will. Our campaign is fueled by individual donations and powered by volunteers. No paid consultants. No armies of paid canvassers. No slick, glossy mailers. If you see my flyer on your door or one of my yard signs around town, I or one of my volunteers put it there.
A vote for me is a vote reclaiming our democracy from big money. We may not be able to change the world November 6th, but we can change our part of it. Let's work together to keep Santa Monica the incredible city it is. Use your vote to tell developers, "You can't buy my love. You can't buy my vote, and our city isn't for sale, either."
-- John Smith (second on your City Council ballot)
