Ethics, Elections and Campaign Finance Update, Oct. 8

On the Moreland Commission front…

The Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption does not appear to have any upcoming public events scheduled, but that does not mean that things have been quiet on the ethics reform front.

Last week, Ken Lovett of the Daily News reported that the Moreland Commission killed a subpoena seeking information on the state Democratic Party’s “housekeeping” account, even though it sought such information from other campaign committees.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Moreland Commission acknowledged that the Commission reports on a weekly basis to the Governor’s Office and the Attorney General’s office.

Good government group Common Cause NY expressed its concern about the Governor’s possible via a letter, dated Oct. 4.

The Times Union reports that State Senator Neil Breslin (D-Albany County) is willing to share his client list with the Moreland Commission, but only if they keep the information private once it sees that his clients present no conflicts of interest with his work in the State Senate.

The New York Times reports that Gov. Cuomo “appears to be considering an exit strategy” with respect to the Moreland Commission.  What might that mean?  From the article:

“Because Republicans in the Legislature have been unwilling to approve public matching funds for state campaigns — a measure sought by government reform groups — Mr. Cuomo’s aides are discussing whether to ask legislators to allow voters to create a public financing system by amending the state’s Constitution. But supporters of public financing worry that a referendum would be a tough sell, and would result in an expensive, and perhaps uphill, statewide campaign.”

And campaign finance issues are being argued in court today, both in Washington D.C. and NYC

The U.S. Supreme Court takes up campaign finance in its first major case of the new term. In McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the Court will consider whether the federal cap on the amount of money that an individual can give to candidates, political parties and PACs is constitutional.

In New York City, a federal court judge will hear arguments on the state law that that prohibit individuals from donating over $150,000 annually to political campaigns. (Read my prior blog post on these issues here and the complaint here.)