Ethics and Campaign Finance Update – Final Week of Session Edition
It promises to be an interesting week in Albany, what with session scheduled to end for the year on Thursday.
But first, a recap of recent activity:
The Time’s Union’s editorial board calls Governor’s Cuomo’s election and ethics reform plan “the best hope for reform.”
The editorial board of the Rochester Democrat Chronicle also wants ethics and campaign finance reform accomplished this session (among other things).
And the Syracuse Post-Standard editorial board calls for reform as well.
The Daily News editorial board disagrees, calling the proposed campaign finance reforms “half baked, at best.” Instead of public financing of campaigns, they call for reducing donations limits, better enforcement of election laws and empowering district attorneys to prosecute public corruption.
The Daily News reports that a Soros-funded Super PAC is threatening to target State Senators who did not support legislation to allow public financing of political campaigns – Republicans and IDC members.
The New Roosevelt Initiative is urging the Governor to extend the legislative session by a week, in order to ensure that campaign finance reform comes to the floor. Some Republicans want the New Roosevelt Initiative to register as a lobbyist.
The trial of Al Baldeo, a candidate for the New York City Council in 2010, has been scheduled to begin on Nov. 18. Last fall, the U.S. Attorney charged Baldeo with gaming the city’s campaign finance system, among other things. (Read my prior blog post from last fall.)
Just in case you missed it, last Friday former State Senator Pedro Espada was sentenced to five years in jail for stealing from the non-profit health clinics he ran. Read reports from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Daily News.
Finally, in a statement issued earlier today, Gov. Cuomo endorsed the Speaker’s campaign finance reform bill (A.4980-C Silver/S.4705 Stewart-Cousins) and called for it to be brought to the floor of the Senate for a vote. That bill was approved by the Assembly 88-50 on May 7th.