CAO 03-06 Election/Vendors Cont CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
DATE:
Commissioner Steinberg
Dubbin, City Attorney. ~i.i ~
jMeaUnrraKY. Olin, Deputy City Attorne~y~
Election Contributions by City Vendor
April 4th, 2003
CAO NO. 03-06
This memo is written in response to your request for a legal opinion as to whether a vendor running
for office may contribute or lend to his or her own campaign.
The legislation at issue is City of Miami Beach Ordinance No. 2003-3389, entitled "Prohibited
Campaign Contributions by Vendors" (effective January 18th, 2003), which law amended City
Ordinance No. 2000-3244, passed by the City Commission in May of 2000. The legislative intent of
both the original ordinance as well as its recently-amended version were to dispel the appearance of
corruption in government occurring as a result of a City vendor making a contribution to a candidate
for City elected office, and/or as a result of a campaign donor becoming a City vendor within 12
months from the swearing in of the candidate/donee. The stated City interest in preventing
governmental corruption (or the perception thereof) does not exist under the scenario you have
presented, i.e.-when the vendor/donor and the candidate/donee are one and the same.
Accordingly, a vendor running for office in the City of Miami Beach may make a campaign
contribution to his/her own campaign.
CCi
Robert Parcher, City Clerk
(for distribution to all candidates for elected office in the City of Miami Beach)
F:httto\OLlJ~M EMOS\Steinberg. ElecContCityVendor.doc
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR & COMMISSION
MEMORANDUM
TO:
CC:
FROM:
DATE:
RE:
MURRAY DUBBIN
CITY ATTORNEY
JEAN OLIN
DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY
!
RICHARD STEINBERG (,~J~?~
COMMISSIONER
April 1, 2003
Election Contributions by City Vendors
I would like to request a legal opinion as to whether a vendor running for office
could contribute or lend to his or her own campaign. Also, please distribute the
response to all candidates via the City Clerk's Office.
RLS/dm