Time for Reform?
April 23rd, 2009
“The moment of reckoning has now arrived,” declared Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union of New York City (Gotham Gazette is published by its sister organization, Citizens Union Foundation). Dadey, along with Blair Horner from the New York Public Interest Research Group, Barbara Bartoletti from the League of Women Voters and Susan Lerner of Common Cause New York gathered in Albany on Wednesday to call on state leaders to enact major ethics and campaign-finance reforms.
The group is calling for:
- The establishment of a voluntary public financing system.
- Overhaul of the state’s campaign finance system including lower contribution limits, a ban on “soft money” and stronger campaign disclosure requirements.
- The creation of an independent campaign finance agency.
- Creation of a new, independent ethics oversight agency with jurisdiction over both the executive and legislative branches.
- New requirements for financial disclosures for all public officials.
- Strengthening the ban on the personal use of campaign contributions.
- Specific restrictions on campaign contributions from lobbyists and those receiving government contracts.
The group’s statements follow on the heels of the draft report of the Senate Temporary Committee on Rules and Administration Reform and a budget process that was lambasted for its oppressive secrecy. Some members of the coalition felt this creates a good environment for pushing legislators into action. Other members of the group were a little less optimistic. Horner described the recomendations as the third step in a “1,000-mile journey.”
But Dadey insisted that the fact that Republicans and Democrats got together to discuss amending the rules of the Senate to give rank and file members more control of the legislative process means that major progress toward reform has been made. “The talk that has existed for years has now been replaced with an opportunity for action,” continued Dadey, “And so we hope that the Senate and the Assembly work together with the governor in trying to find the solution.”
Activists say that they think they have legislative leaders’ attention. They point out that a number of Senate Democrats ran on reform platforms and now that they are in the majority they have the opportunity to deliver.
Good government groups do have some reason to hope. Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith announced this week that Senate Elections Committee will hold public hearings on campaign-finance reform in June.
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Whip Kevin Parker said that Senate Democrats had been on the forefront of reform for years. He noted that he had described the recommendations by the Senate’s Temporary Committee on Rules and Administration Reform as “the death of the tyranny of the majority.” When asked whether he thought the Senate might be able to tackle major ethics and campaign-finance reform before the end of the session Parker said he wasn’t sure but noted, “We have plenty of time for that later.”
By David King on April 23, 2009, 3:49 pmIn category: Albany, Eye on Albany, Gotham City | No Comments »

