NPT: Mayor Cook firing a warning shot?

Yesterday this blog noted that Gus Haddad is announcing his campaign for mayor against current Mayor John Cook. It should have been noted that Cook did something interesting on the agenda for the last City Council meeting — he threw up a list of heavy-hitters who donated to him. The item was pulled from the agenda, which raises the question of why it was there in the first place. Warning shot? Here is the agenda item, followed by the city rule referred to in the item.

From the Tuesday (Jan. 27, 2009) agenda

NOTATION OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION

For notation pursuant to Section 2.92.110 of the City Code; receipt of campaign contributions by Mayor John Cook: Stanley Jobe, $1,000; El Paso Sheriff’s Officers Association, $1,000: Harold and Beth Hanh, $2000; Paul Foster, $1,000; Robert and Sherry Brown, $1,000; The El Paso Association of Firefighters-Local 51, $1,000; Ike Montey, $1,000; Noel Rosenbaum, $500; Andrew and Leslie Cook, $500; Hector and Debbie Gutierrez, $500; Ainsa & Hutson, $500; James and Samantha Singelyn, $500; Delgado, Acosta, $500; Marty Martin, $500; Elaine Barron, $500; Gary and Leanne Hedrick, $500; Sam Legate, $500; Eliot Shapleigh, $500; Margarita and Gerry Licon, $500; El Paso Electric PAC, $1,000; Robert and Paulette Wingo, $750; Randy and Margo Kuykendall, $500; Bill and April Terrell, $500; Rachel and Gregory Harracksingh $500; Irene Epperson, $500; James F. Scherr, $2,000; Leonard A. Goodman, $500; J.A. Cardwell, $1,000; Henry Ellis, $500; Ginger Francis, $500; L. Fredrick Francis, $500; Adam and Dana Frank, $500; Carlos and Irma Garza, $1,000; Robert Hoy Hill, $500; Woody and Gale Hunt, $500; Michael and Sydney Jelinek, $750; Travis Johnson, $1,000; Linda Jordan, $500; C.F. Jordan III, $500; Susan Mendez, $500; Michael and Clara Miles, $500; Jim Phillips, $500; K. Alan Russell, $500; Cita Sanders, $500; William Sanders, $500; Leo Schuster, $1,000; Scott PAC, $1,250; Lou and Laura Alpern, $2,300; Moore, Nordell, Kroger, $500; Kenneth Gezelius, $500; Ann Morgan Lilly Campaign, $500. [Mayor John F. Cook, (915) 541-4145]

Section 2.92.110 of the City Code

2.92.110 Disclosure of campaign contributions.
A. If a member of the city council has received campaign contributions from a contributor totaling five hundred dollars or more subsequent to the date that the member last filed a campaign finance report pursuant to state law, such member shall disclose the receipt of such contributions to the council before any deliberation or vote of the city council regarding any matter on a meeting agenda which concerns or relates to the contributor, a business entity owned in whole or in part or operated by the contributor or which employs the contributor, or any other time that the contributor appears to address the council during the meeting.
B. This requirement shall apply to all meetings of the city council.
C. Such disclosure shall be orally made by the member and shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
D. If a member of the city council accepts a campaign contribution from a contributor of five hundred dollars or more, he shall report the amount and the donor by an item for notation on the consent agenda of a city council meeting within thirty days of the date of such contribution.
E. No action of the council which is otherwise legal shall be invalidated merely by reason of the disclosure of a campaign contribution by a member of the city council or the failure of a member to disclose a campaign contribution. (Ord. 16301 § 4, 2006)