Stanganelli Calls for No Outside Money Pledge by State Rep Candidates

AMESBURY, Mass. - Aug. 27, 2014 - PRLog -- Saying that “outside money distorts the conversation” with local voters, Steve Stanganelli, an independent candidate for state representative for Amesbury, Salisbury and Newburyport, is calling on all candidates for the seat that Mike Costello is vacating to reject financial support from money interests outside of Massachusetts.

“Let’s not make a sham of the process.  Like I tell my four- and two year olds, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.  And turning a blind eye while outside interests distort the conversation is tantamount to accepting their support.”

So Stanganelli is calling on challengers for the 1^st Essex State Representative seat to reject any ads or campaign support from outside state interests.

Stanganelli, owner of an independent local financial planning firm, noted that outside money can create a potential conflict of interest.  “Local residents need to know where your loyalties are,” added Stanganelli who went on to say that “accepting money or allowing ‘uncoordinated’ support from a 501(c)(4) ‘social welfare’ group can lead a representative to become bound to someone else’s agenda or to become deaf to what the local voters need and say.”

He went on to compare this to what happens in financial services.  “Too often, financial advisors accept commissions or other financial support from product sponsors.  Sometimes this creates a conflict of interest. And the client needs to think twice about whether the recommendations made by the advisor are in the best interests of the client or the advisor’s bottom line,” noted Stanganelli, an advice-based advisor who does not work on commission but only is paid by clients.

“When you don’t accept money from outside interests, you simply have no incentive to promote their agenda or give a client reason to wonder what your motivations are,” added the fee-only planner.

“The same is true in politics. That’s just makes plain common sense,” he said.

Ever since the US Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, more and more “dark pools of money have been injected into state races creating potential for distorted conversations and eventual conflicts of interest” stated Stanganelli.

With stalemate achieved at the federal level, many groups are trying to hijack the agendas at the state level.  “We don’t need that type of politics here,” insisted Stanganelli who is running on the November 4 ballot as an Independent.

Despite the state’s current limits on donations of $500 per person per race or $1,000 per year, Stanganelli noted that organizations can get around these limits by running ads in support of a candidate if they ‘do not coordinate.’