March 19, 2010 · www.gothamgazette.com

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The Charter and Land Use
With Mayor Michael Bloomberg having named a commission to look at possible changes in the City Charter, the Pratt Center for Community Development has issued a report on land use issues it thinks the commission should consider. These include what the center sees as a lack of planning by the City Planning Commission, a shortfall in community based planning, and the proliferation of so-called side agreements, such as Community Benefits Agreements  2010-03-09

Latino Vote Makes an Impact
A new report from Make the Road New York and America's Voice shows the impact of Latino voters growing in New York and nationally over the last decade. The report says registration among Latino voters grew nationally by 54 percent from 2000 to 2008, while turnout grew 64 percent. In New York, turnout amongst Latino voters grew more than 48 percent between 2000 and 2008.  2010-03-01

Getting on the Ballot
A new report from the Citizens in Charge Foundation gave New York a letter D grade for its ballot initiative and referendum process. The foundation looked at the process and restrictions for getting an initiative on every state's ballot. To improve its grade, the report recommends allowing citizens to propose state constitutional amendments, statutory laws, and veto referenda in New York. 2010-02-08

Candidates on HIV Crisis
Gay Men's Health Crisis has released its mayoral candidates report, which divulges where all of the candidates stand on issues relating to AIDS and HIV. Democratic candidates Bill Thompson, Tony Avella and Tyrell Eiland answered the questionnaire. Mayor Michael Bloomberg declined to. 2009-09-01

More Contributors in City Elections
With more candidates running for office, more contributors are getting involved in local politics, according to a new analysis by the Campaign Finance Board. Between May 12 and July 11, 2009, there were 21,942 contributors. That is a 25 percent increase from the total for the same period in the 2005 election. 2009-08-05

Recommendations for Elections Reform
Citizens Union, whose sister organization, Citizens Union Foundation, publishes Gotham Gazette, last week released a detailed list of recommendations for election reform in New York. The recommendations fall under four broad categories: dismantling the Board of Elections; creating a new state and local election structure; ways to standardize and improve campaign finance and current Boards of Election; and easing barriers to voting. 2009-06-02

Campaign Donations and Legislation
This new report by Citizen Action of New York alleges that campaign contributions to state legislative candidates have an influence on legislation. The report analyzes five bills and finds that donations from affected industries far outweighed supportive non profits. Those bills failed to pass. 2009-05-29

Immigrant Voting on the Rise
City Limits Magazine and the New York Immigration Coalition released preliminary exit poll data for New York City that suggests that more than 40 percent of first-time voters on Tuesday were foreign born. Gains this year could influence 2009 elections for city offices. The authors expect to release hard numbers next month. For more on immigrant voting rights in Gotham Gazette, see links in the news and coverage of the campaign to let non-citizens vote in local elections. 2008-11-11

Election Reform Report Card
Both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city Board of Elections received overall grades of "C" for their efforts to improve conditions at poll sites, as rated by four civic groups. The mayor got an "F" for not funding staffers needed for new accessible voting machines. The board received an "F" for failing to follow state law and verify the voter information it inputs into its system. Both received an "A" for their use of technology because of the online poll site locator and the use of 311 to assist voters on election day. 2008-10-24

'Doing Business' Contributions
Campaign contributions from those who have business with the city have dropped from over 20 percent of all funds raised in past city elections to 3 percent of total contributions in the most recent filing period, according to an analysis by the Campaign Finance Board. The study covers the period from Feb. 2, when the implementation of the first phase of "doing business" legislation began, through July 11, the end of the most recent filing period. 2008-09-16

State Pay-to-Play
State Senate Republicans received far more campaign contributions than the Assembly Democrats from the health insurance industry from 2003 to 2007, according to a report by Citizen Action New York. While the Republicans received $600,000, the Democrats received $175,000, it said. Meanwhile, only the Democratic controlled Assembly has passed legislation to curb rising insurance premiums. This, the report argues, is an example of why public financing is needed on the state level. 2008-09-12

Statewide Campaign Finance Filings
According to an analysis of state campaign finance filings, the Longshoremen's Association's political action committee has the most cash of all political committees, reporting $11 million on hand. Rep. Anthony Weiner's committee for his mayoral race has more cash than any other candidate, reporting $4.5 million on hand, and is the fifth highest of any committee. Republican candidates have raised over $12 million in Senate races, while Democratic candidates have raised about $10 million. 2008-08-21

Record Spending on Lobbying
Spending on lobbying in New York state broke records last year, rising $20 million over the previous year to $171 million, according to the state Commission on Public Integrity's annual report. The health industry reported the highest lobbying expenses, totaling $27 million, with the real estate and construction industries a close second, spending $21 million. Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LLP was the highest compensated firm, garnering nearly $9.6 million for lobbying, with Patricia Lynch Associates ranking second, pulling in $6.7 million. Verizon was the highest spending client, with $3.2 million in expenditures, and Columbia ranked second, spending $2.2 million. 2008-04-10

Congress and the Middle Class
How well does New York City's Congressional delegation serve the middle class? According to the Drum Major Institute, very well. In a grade ranking, only one House member received a grade below a B. That would be Vito Fossella, who was given the lowest grade of C, but who passed for the first time in four years. Three House members and Senator Hillary Clinton received an A+. The grade was based on their voting record on over a dozen bills that covered issues such as consumer safety, health, and certain tax measures. 2008-03-14

Campaign Contributors Surge
About 30 percent more contributors have given to candidates vying for office in 2009 than in a similar election in 2001, despite the fact that the election is almost two years away, according to a new analysis from the city's Campaign Finance Board. Net contributions have more than doubled compared to a similar period during the 2001 cycle to $25.7 million. Campaigns in the most recent election cycle are also more reliant on large contributors than in 2001 - small donors represent more than 56 percent of donors now when they represented more than 70 percent in 2001. 2008-02-11

Problems With Provisional Ballots
During the 2006 election, provisional ballots caused myriad problems for New Yorkers, according to a new report by Demos, a nonpartisan public policy center. The report was compiled from data collected by the national Election Incident Reporting System, a hotline that registered complaints and documented problems during the 2006 election. The report notes that poll workers were unfamiliar or confused by the provisional ballot process. It also urges fixing these problems before the election in 2008. 2007-11-27

Dear Not Approved by Any Panels
Civil Court Candidate Noach Dear has not been approved by any of the various judicial screening panels set up to evaluate candidates of their qualifications, according to a summary of all judicial races and panels by the New York Lawyer. The two surrogate candidates were approved by all except the Brooklyn Women's Association, who did not rate candidates in that race. 2007-09-17

The Flaws in Special Elections
Recent vacancies in elected offices have highlighted flaws in the way that New York City and State fills those vacancies, according to a new report by Citizens Union, a good government group. The problems cited by the report, “Circumventing Democracy,” include the way candidates are selected and low voter turnouts for special elections. These problems have a lasting effect, since, according to the study, 31 percent of New York State legislators are first elected to office in special elections. The group, the sister organization of Citizens Union Foundation, which publishes Gotham Gazette, offers a number of possible solutions to correct the problems in the system. 2007-03-28

Albany Reform, Unfinished Business
The Brennan Center follows up on its 2004 report calling for major reforms in the way the legislature in Albany operates in this report, saying that the state has not done enough, and that in at least one case, a "reform" has actually been a step backwards. 2006-11-03

New Voting Machines Easy To Use
Voters who used the Board of Elections' new, accessible voting machines during the Primary elections last week overwhelmingly found them easy to use, says a report by the City Council's Oversight and Investigations Committee, chaired by Council Member Eric Gioia. However, the report also found that despite outreach efforts by the City Board of Elections, very few disabled voters utilized the new voting machines. The report calls for expanded outreach, and for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to coordinate with the Board of Elections to improve outreach to the disabled community in advance of the upcoming general election and enhance transportation options for disabled New Yorkers on Election Day. 2006-09-21

Campaign Contributions and City Business
More than one-fifth of all money donated to New York City campaigns during the 2005 election cycle came from people, businesses or groups doing business with the city, according to a preliminary report issued by the Campaign Finance Board. The report is the first effort in New York City to measure such contributions and make such findings public. 2006-06-20

Voting Rights in NYC
This report from the Community Service Society and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund details Voting Rights violations in New York City from 1982 to 2006. The Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965, bans racial discrimination and prohibits practices like literacy tests and unfair redistricting schemes. Congress is currently considering whether to renew several key protections that are set to expire 2007. 2006-04-06

Grading Albany
A report from the Drum Major Institute grades the New York State Legislature - as well as each party and the individual members - on votes over the last five years that have an impact on the state's "middle class." The report focuses on issues like the outsourcing of jobs, the cost of healthcare, and education funding. And the Assembly consistently scores higher than the Senate, and Democrats fair better than Republicans. The report card gives 84 percent of the members of the Assembly a "C" or better, while only 39 percent of the Senate earns the same marks; 39 percent of Senate Republicans are given a failing grade. The report also includes details of the bills, voting records, district maps, and a preview of similar issues that may come up for a vote in 2006. 2006-03-16

Report Card for State Lawmakers
Elected officials in New York State have so far earned themselves a C- for their follow-through on ten key areas for reform. The grade was given out as a report card by a group of good government organizations, including Citizens Union, the sister organization of Citizens Union Foundation, which publishes Gotham Gazette. The Assembly received a C, but the Senate scored a D+, as did Governor George Pataki. Big ticket items elected officials should focus on now, according to the report: redistricting, ethics, campaign finance, and legislative process. 2006-01-12

Reforming City Council
With the new City Council about to start work, a leading good government organization has issued a report analyzing the council’s rules and operations and listing five principles it says should guide reform of City Council operations. In its report, Citizens Union found that most votes on the council floor are close to unanimous and that not a single piece of legislation was defeated on the council floor in the last four years. The group, the sister organization of Citizens Union Foundation, the publisher of Gotham Gazette, recommends greater transparency of council operations, including meetings and expenditures; stronger council committees; and a great role for council members in the city budget process. 2006-01-04

Election-Day Voter Registration
With voter turnout at a long-time low in New York, now is the time to make it easier to vote, by allowing citizens to register through Election Day, argues a report from Citizens Union Foundation (which also publishes Gotham Gazette), "Election Day Voter Registration." (Right now, a New York voter must register 25 days before the election.) As the report points out, the six states that have implemented this innovation saw an increase in turnout. 2005-11-08

New York's Debt
In "New York's Endangered Future, Debt Beyond Our Means," the Citizens Budget Commission argues bluntly that "New York State has too much debt," which is putting it at a competitive disadvantage with other states. The report calls for "a new constitutional limit" on the amount of debt the state can assume, and argues that voters should reject "bond referendums such as the Transportation Bond Act of 1005 until debt is brought under control." 2005-10-11

Issues And Proposals For The Candidates
Three leading New York civic groups have issued a report on key policy issues that they believe York’s next mayor will face over the next four years. The report, “Framing the 2005 Mayoral Debate: Issues and Proposals for the Candidates,” by the Regional Plan Association, the Center for New York City Affairs at Milano Graduate School and the Center for an Urban Future, considers major problems in such areas as education, economic development, child welfare and homelessness and presents possible solutions. The groups say the report is intended to encourage substantive discussion of policy issues in this year's municipal campaigns. 2005-08-25

The Matter of Councilman Allan W. Jennings
The City Council's Committee on Standards and Ethics recently published its findings on charges of sexual harassment made by female staff members against Councilman Allan Jennings. The report details these offenses and recommends that action be taken against Jennings. Newsday has posted the report on its Web site. 2005-04-14

Problems at the Polls
Citizens who went to vote last month only to find their names not on the registration rolls encountered a number of difficulties when they tried to cast provisional ballots, according to the private, non profit group Demos. Many of them simply could not get the provisional ballots. 2004-12-08