Council Candidate Will Refuse Matching Funds: 'The City Has Enough Problems'

The city’s fiscal crisis is the reason why John Tabacco said he won’t seek matching funds for his City Council campaign.

“Well, I think the city has enough problems,” said Tabacco in a brief telephone interview this morning. “In light of the fact that we just had to accept a tax increase so that we can get our tax rebate checks from last year, New Yorkers don’t need candidate’s taking money out of their pockets.”

Tabacco, who has the same spokesperson as Al Sharpton, Rachel Noerdlinger, is running to replace Mike McMahon in the special election February 24. The campaign has not filed petitions yet, but Tabacco says he will by early next week.

Tabacco said he’s only accepting $10 contributions from supporters, isn’t holding any fund-raising events, and expects to file about $100,000 by the next financial disclosure deadline next week.

“I want to get out there; I want to meet people, and I don’t want to ask the people I’m meeting to pay for me to run for office,” he said.

 Tabacco, who later described his candidacy for the nine-month gig as “a trial run,”said he will talk about not taking public money on the campaign trial, which could put pressure on other candidates in the race to do the same.

The next candidate forum in this race is on January 12 at 8 p.m., on the second floor of the Manor House, 917 Manor Road, and is being organized by the Anthony R. Gaeta Democratic Club of Staten Island.

There’s about half a dozen candidates also running in the race, including Ken Mitchell, former chief of staff to the outgoing City Councilman, who already submitted petitions to get on the ballot, and Tom Curitore, a former police officer and deputy commissioner in the mayor’s administration.