The Brennan Center regularly compiles the
latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State
politics—and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance
reform. This week’s links were contributed by Eric Petry and Syed Zaidi.
For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow
the Twitter hashtags #moNeYpolitics and #fairelex.
NEW YORK
State Sen. Libous Facing Charges of Lying to Prosecutors
New York State Senator Thomas Libous, a
13-term incumbent representing Binghamton, was arraigned in federal court last Tuesday for allegedly making false statements to the FBI.
Federal prosecutors claim that Libous lied about using his influence as a state
senator to boost his son’s salary at a Westchester law firm. Libous and his son,
Matthew, have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The indictment states that the
elder Libous arranged for an Albany lobbying
firm to pay $50,000 to the law firm where his son
was employed, in order to inflate his son’s salary. He “took advantage of his
position as senator and chairman of the Transportation Committee by corruptly
causing lobbyists, who wanted Libous’ influence to benefit their clients, to
funnel money through a law firm to his son,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet
Bharara explained. When questioned by prosecutors regarding these charges,
Libous denied involvement in any deal between the lobbying firm and the law
firm, according to the indictment. Matthew Libous is being simultaneously accused of tax evasion. If the senator is convicted, it would increase the number of
Albany legislators that have been forced out of office due to misconduct since
2000 to 27.
Real Estate Interests Seek to Boost Republicans in November
Elections
Following the collapse of the power-sharing
coalition in the New York State Senate
last week, conservative interest groups are combining their efforts with New
York real estate developers to win additional seats and
maintain Republican influence in the state legislature.
The Republican State Leadership Committee and its affiliated 501(c)(4), the
State Government Leadership Foundation, have made significant donations to New
York political groups, including $10,000 to the Balance New York super PAC,
most of whose funds in turn come from the Rent Stabilization Association PAC and
the Neighborhood Preservation Political Action Fund. The Rent Stabilization
Association PAC, composed of owners of the city’s rent stabilized buildings,
has been actively contributing to incumbent Republican Senators including Andrew Lanza in Staten Island and Jack Martins in Long Island, who are facing Democratic challengers this November. More
information regarding contributions and expenditures in the state races will be
available following the state Board of Election’s July 15th filing
deadline.
Teachout Gathers Signatures to Challenge Gov. Cuomo in Primary
Zephyr Teachout, the Fordham Law professor hoping
to challenge Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, informed the
press this week that her campaign has the necessary signatures to appear on the ballot. Thus far Teachout says she has
gathered more than 45,000
signatures from registered Democrats. Although only 15,000 signatures are required
to be placed on the ballot, the campaign expects the governor to legally
challenge the validity of some signatures. Teachout has been actively seeking support from local Democratic clubs in New York City. She has centered
her campaign on concerns regarding rising income inequality and corruption in
the state capital. “I would love to be the governor of New York” she told a
crowd of likely primary voters. “But I would also like to get this governor of
ours … [to] actually listen to the deep, very heartfelt concerns of the
Democrats of this state.”
