December 7, 2012
Op-ed by Lawrence Norden and Kelly Williams
Sen. Jeffrey Klein and his four colleagues who make up the Independent
Democratic Conference took the extraordinary step last week of caucusing with
the Republican Party, promising that the new power-sharing agreement would
finally end Albany dysfunction and bring needed attention to key issues like
campaign finance reform.
If Sen. Klein, who represents the Bronx and Westchester, wants to make good
on his pledge and justify this new coalition, he must work to pass
comprehensive campaign finance reform, to change the broken elections system
and the culture of dysfunction in Albany.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he supports comprehensive reforms of the state’s
outdated campaign finance laws. Most important, the governor has pledged his
support for a system of “small donor” matching for elections. Under this kind
of system, small donations, up to $175 or $250, would be matched with public funds.
A small donor-matching system would allow candidates to eschew big-money donors
and rely instead on their own constituents to decide who best deserves to run.
Sen. Klein and his colleagues in the IDC have repeatedly voiced their
support for a small donor-matching system, while his Republican colleagues in
the Senate have not. Sen. Klein, nevertheless, promised that “campaign finance
reform” would come to a vote under the IDC/GOP coalition.
Seldom has there been such a disconnect between what the people want and
what a legislature is willing to give them.
Poll after poll has shown that New Yorkers of every political persuasion and
from every geographic region want Sen. Klein to deliver on this pledge. A Siena
College Poll confirmed that 74 percent of New Yorkers approve of the governor’s
plan to institute a small donor-matching system and reform New York’s campaign
finance laws. By overwhelming margins, independents (75 percent), Republicans
(70 percent) and Democratic voters (77 percent) all declared that they want to
revitalize our democracy with such reforms. Remarkably, a poll from Zogby
Analytics shows that 80 percent of New York state business leaders would
support a small donor-matching system, when coupled with other critical
reforms.
A new study from the Campaign Finance Institute estimates that such a system
would cost just $25 million to $40 million per year, or just $2 per New Yorker
— well worth the cost of fixing our broken elections. As the Brennan Center has
reported, such a program has proven effective in New York City and can be a
model for New York state — and the nation.
Most important, this system would pay for itself by saving the state money
from wasteful spending and public policies that are otherwise the norm in
Albany’s current “pay to play” environment. It is a necessary investment given
the extensive costs New Yorkers currently incur under a system that puts Albany
on the auction block for influence-seeking political money — in special
interest tax breaks and spending programs, inefficient government, and a
failure to address the problems that matter to the public.
Gov. Cuomo has called for a four-point reform plan in addition to
small-donor matching: lowering contribution limits, eliminating loopholes to
reduce the influence of a small handful of wealthy donors; enacting pay-to-play
rules to further restore the public trust; and providing fair and even-handed
enforcement to ensure accountability.
The Assembly has passed comprehensive campaign finance reform in previous
sessions. That means Sen. Klein now co-leads the most important remaining
obstacle to finally cleaning up Albany. Sen. Klein and his IDC colleagues could
be heroes of reform if public financing of elections is passed this session. If
it stalls, last week’s move may be remembered as little more than another
Albany power play.
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