New Group Launched to Support Campaign Finance Reform

A new coalition endorsing Governor Cuomo’s call for reforming the state’s campaign finance laws announced its launch at a press event Albany today.

New York Leadership for Accountable Government (NY LEAD) describes itself as “a bipartisan group of New York business, civic, and philanthropic leaders” advocating for “comprehensive reform to the way elections are funded in the Empire State” to “restore fairness and integrity to New York’s political process.”

The group is pushing for a public funding proposal modeled on New York City’s program.

They also support lower contribution limits, reducing contribution limits for those who do business with the state even further, and an independent enforcement unit within the State Board of Elections.

The group’s members are an interesting and varied lot.  They include former members of Congress Sherwood Boehlert, Amory Houghton, Scott Murphy and Michael Arcuri, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, former Attorney General candidate Sean Coffey, and Frederick A.O. Schwarz, of the Brennan Center for Justice.