At today’s meeting of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) – the first since four Commissioners complained of “incessant interference” with the Commission’s operations – Commissioners argued about its […]
Archive Author: Hinman Straub
JCOPE Rejects ‘Source of Funding’ Exemption Applications
At its meeting earlier today, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) denied requests from three organizations that sought to shield the identities of their donors – the New York […]
Group Files Ethics Complaint Against DEC
Today’s New York Times includes an article that follows an e-mail trail which shows that officials from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) worked with a private company, NYCO […]
Report: Seven Cases Referred by SBOE Enforcement Unit, Others Being Investigated
The Daily News reports that the state Board of Elections (SBOE) enforcement unit has referred seven cases to local district attorneys and to the state Attorney General for potential criminal […]
JCOPE to Meet, Discuss Search for New Executive Director
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting in Albany next Tuesday. The meeting will be JCOPE’s first since it was announced that the organization’s Executive Director […]
JCOPE Commissioners Question Hire
In a letter to the editor of the Times Union, four JCOPE commissioners say the recent appointment of State Police First Deputy Superintendent Kevin Gagan to the position of ‘special […]
State Board of Elections to Investigate ‘Ghost Committees’
Bill Mahoney of Capital New York (behind a paywall, unfortunately) reports that Risa Hellerman, the state Board of Elections’ enforcement counsel, said that she will begin examining campaign committees that […]
Report: Advocacy Groups Able to Hide Donors, Despite State Donor Disclosure Requirements
Chris Bragg of the Times Union reports that three education advocacy groups – which together spent more than $8.3 million on lobbying in 2015 – were able to avoid disclosing […]
NYC CFB to Meet (Updated)
The New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYC CFB) holds its next meeting on Thursday, July 30th at 9:30 a.m. The meeting agenda is not yet available here. Update: according […]
Convictions Renew Calls for Ethics Reform in Albany
The convictions last week of two State Senators — Republican Tom Libous and Democrat John Sampson — have led to renewed calls for “ethics reform” in Albany. Government reform group […]