Introduction

This article introduces the subject of Volume XXVII, Issue I: an account of a From the Ground Up: Local Lessons for National Reform, a national conference on campaign finance reform held on November 9, 1998, sponsored by the New York City Campaign Finance Board and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. It offers a brief introduction to the New York City Campaign Finance Program, including the content of several amendments since its first introduction in 1988. While the conference discussed federal campaign finance reform, the focus was on how such reform might be informed by local experiments. The introduction explains that the conference is intended to assist public evaluation of federal campaign finance reform legislation by examining experience and data available from local initiatives.