Yesterday,
thousands of people called in to a telephone rally for public campaign financing
in New York State. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and New York City
Comptroller-elect Scott Stringer joined the “tele-town hall” and
trumpeted the reform proposal as fiscally sound, echoing comments by Moreland
Commission Co-Chair William Fitzpatrick and others. “In the
context of a multi-billion dollar budget, spending $40 million [for public
campaign finance] is a small investment with a big payback,” DiNapoli said.
Meanwhile, more
than a dozen major environmental and philanthropic organizations sent a letter
to Gov. Andrew Cuomo urging him to pass public campaign financing.
“The move could bring far more money to Albany for lobbying and to energize the
public over the idea in the 2014 legislative session, which begins Jan. 1,” the
Associated Press reports. The groups backing reform include the Rockefeller
Brothers Fund, the New York Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council,
and the Park Foundation. Their letter calls for “systematic reform” in Albany
and promises, “We stand ready to support such changes in whatever way we can.”
Latest
News
Cuomo Stockpiles Cash
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has raised far more money than any other 2014 gubernatorial candidate in the nation, despite having no obvious challenger. The Wall Street Journal notes that Cuomo has been able to amass a $27.8 million war chest in part because of New York’s weak campaign finance laws, which allow a small class of big donors to finance campaigns.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has raised far more money than any other 2014 gubernatorial candidate in the nation, despite having no obvious challenger. The Wall Street Journal notes that Cuomo has been able to amass a $27.8 million war chest in part because of New York’s weak campaign finance laws, which allow a small class of big donors to finance campaigns.
Disgraced Brooklyn Pol William Boyland, Jr. Used Dad as
Bag Man: Prosecutors
Prosecutors have submitted court papers detailing bribery allegations against Assemblyman William Boyland, Jr. Boyland’s father, himself a former assemblyman, allegedly took a check for $3,000 from an FBI agent posing as a real estate developer in exchange for a promise from the younger Boyland to direct government funding to a development project.
Prosecutors have submitted court papers detailing bribery allegations against Assemblyman William Boyland, Jr. Boyland’s father, himself a former assemblyman, allegedly took a check for $3,000 from an FBI agent posing as a real estate developer in exchange for a promise from the younger Boyland to direct government funding to a development project.
***
Over the next several weeks, the Brennan
Center for Justice at NYU School of Law will send regular updates to
this list of Friends of Reform in New York State on efforts to secure
comprehensive campaign finance reform centered on public financing of
elections. These updates will be sent to good government advocates, allies of
the Fair Elections New York campaign, legislative and opinion leaders, scholars
and engaged students, reporters, and other advocates for reform. They will
also be posted on the Brennan Center’s New York blog at ReformNY.blogspot.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment