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NY Reform

Remembering Jerome Koenig (1933-2012)

By John Travis – 02/22/12

Crossposted at ReformNY.

The Brennan Center was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our friend Jerome Koenig last Friday. Jerry was an active member of the New York Voting Rights Coalition, where he will be remembered as the leading expert and most knowledgeable person on New York State election law. If there was a question about statutory interpretation, members inevitably turned to Jerry for help. This is not surprising; as former Chief of Staff for the State Assembly Elections Committee, Jerry was often the author of the statutes we sought to understand.

Most recently, Jerry played an instrumental role in the coalition’s efforts to secure that the State Board of Elections count affidavit ballots as registration forms and ensuring that the New York City Board of Elections continue its practice of distributing postage paid voter registration applications. His wealth of knowledge and commitment to improving elections in New York so that every eligible New Yorker could vote, and be confident their vote was counted, was an inspiration to us all. He will greatly be missed.

Our deepest condolences go out to Jerry’s friends and family.

Tags: Democracy, NY Reform

Money and Politics This Week

By ReformNY – 02/17/12

Crossposted at ReformNY.

Every Friday, the Brennan Center will be compiling the latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics — and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform. We’ll also be linking to dispatches from around the country highlighting the national scope of this crisis. This week’s links were contributed by Matthew Ladd.

For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow the Twitter hashtag #moNeYpolitics

New York Campaign Finance and Ethics News

1. The New York Times renewed its call for Gov. Cuomo to make good on his promise to reform the state’s campaign finance regime, citing a public campaign financing program as a necessary component of any legitimate reform efforts. The editorial also called for lower contribution limits, reforms to housekeeping accounts, and a prohibition on using campaign funds for personal expenses.

2. The Times also reports that some of New York’s most prominent businessmen, political donors and former public officials have joined the New York Leadership for Accountable Government (NY LEAD) coalition, demonstrating to lawmakers that public campaign financing has garnered the support of New York’s business and donor communities. Allies of the coalition include notable names such as Barry Diller, David Rockefeller and former NY major Ed Koch, as well as William Donaldson, former chairman of the SEC, and several former members of Congress. The alliance also produced reports from the Albany Times Union, Politics on the Hudson, NCPR, and other media outlets.

3. The Center for Working Families released a study today finding that public financing can help candidates from poor and majority-minority districts raise funds in their own communities. The study was released in advance of the of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus’ annual conference weekend. The New York City system of public matching dollars has led to a more racially diverse city council, the study found.

4. Michael Grimm, the US Representative for Staten Island, has come under scrutiny for a “checkered business background” that includes joint dealings with a former F.B.I. colleague convicted on state racketeering and fraud charges. The new publicity regarding Mr. Grimm’s business history, combined with a recent New York Times report that the Republican freshman raised campaign funds with the help of a man currently under federal investigation for embezzlement, has led the Romney presidential campaign to drop him as a regional surrogate and campaigner.

5. Former state Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr., is back in the news after federal prosecutors accused him of intentionally disguising personal expenses—paid for with funds allegedly embezzled from his Soundview health care clinics—as tax-deductible business expenses. The prosecutors’ letter to the judge in Espada’s corruption trial finds that the disgraced state senator claimed the rental costs of a Puerto Rico villa as “legal fees” on a corporate tax return, and mislabeled funds used for spa treatments for himself and his family, as well as for improvements to his home in Westchester County.

6. “Albany’s Favorite Felon” is former state Sen. Nick Spano, according to an article describing Spano’s lucrative second career as a lobbyist for state gambling interests. Spano pleaded guilty last week to felony charges of state and federal tax evasion. In contrast to states that prohibit lobbying activity by felons, such as New Jersey, New York still allows such activity, leaving Spano free to continue lobbying on behalf of gambling clients such as Genting—owner of the Aqueduct Race Track in Yonkers—which reportedly pays him $25,000 a month for his services. That such lobbying is legal, the Times Union remarks, is “downright embarrassing.”

7. A federal jury heard arguments yesterday in the trial of former Yonkers City Council member Sandy Annabi, who allegedly took nearly $175,000 in bribes to secure her support for two local development projects.

Campaign Finance News Nationwide

1. This week the New York Times expressed its strong support for the Disclose 2012 Act, currently pending in Congress but unlikely to move forward without Republican support in the Senate. The bill would require, among other reforms, that the names behind donations of $10,000 or more be disclosed within 24 hours, making it more difficult for super PACs and other funding groups to abuse lax reporting deadlines. The lack of a Republican sponsor or supporter in the Senate, however, seems to belie Sen. Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s statement in 2000 that members of his party favored strong disclosure laws.

Tags: Democracy, Campaign Finance Reform, NY Reform

Latest News from the Brennan Center

By Erik Opsal – 02/16/12

Look for updates on the latest Brennan Center work, publications, events, and more. Spread the word and encourage your friends to sign up.

New Study Shows Need for Modern Voting System

The Pew Center on the States released a report Tuesday showing that 1 in 8 voter registration records are flawed. "This report proves that our nation’s ramshackle voter registration system does not work for 21st century America," said Wendy Weiser. "It's a mess. It's expensive. There isn't central control over the process," Lawrence Norden told USA Today.

Read the Brennan Center’s proposal to modernize our voter registration system, which would add 65 million eligible Americans to the rolls. Also read our comprehensive study on new voting restrictions that could make it harder for 5 million people to vote and our report on voter registration around the world. Read more at The New York Times and Associated Press.

Business, Civic Leaders Urge Public Financing in New York

A new bipartisan group called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday to fulfill his promise to clean up Albany and overhaul the state’s campaign finance laws. Called New York Leadership for Accountable Government (NY LEAD) and led by Hudson River Ventures’ Sean Eldridge, former Congressman Scott Murphy, and other prominent business and civic leaders, the group urged public financing as the key to restore fairness and accountability to the Empire State’s political process. Read the New York Times story and editorial. See video of the press conference. Read the Brennan Center's report on New York City's successful public financing system, a model for the state.

Virginia Presses Restrictive Voting Measure

With Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) breaking a tie vote, the Virginia state senate passed a voter ID bill, continuing the wave of restrictive voting laws that will make it harder for up to 5 million people to vote in 2012. Now the Senate bill must be reconciled with the House version. The Brennan Center’s Keesha Gaskins spoke to the Virginian-Pilot about the bill. Read the our comprehensive study, Voting Law Changes in 2012, which details how new voting restrictions fall most heavily on young, minority, and low-income voters.

A $26 Billion Mortgage Settlement, But for Whom?

Government authorities and five of the nation’s biggest banks reached a settlement that could assist nearly two million homeowners harmed by the real estate implosion. Yet, four million Americans have been foreclosed upon since 2007. Behind all the numbers are people. To hear their stories — and why they need legal help — watch the Brennan Center’s multimedia series, Fighting Foreclosure: Why Legal Assistance Matters. Read Neeta Pal’s interviews with advocates aiding homeowners. And watch Mark Ladov discuss the settlement on Capital Tonight.

House Democrats Revive Transparency Bill

House Democrats introduced a slimmed-down version of the DISCLOSE Act, which would increase transparency in elections by requiring outside groups to disclose their donors and list them in campaign ads. “Already in the 2012 cycle, corporations and individuals have donated unlimited sums to candidate-specific Super PACs, which have flooded the airwaves,” reads a letter urging members of Congress to support the bill. “The DISCLOSE 2012 Act is a crucial step to shine disinfecting sunlight on this secretive spending.” Read more at The Hill’s Congress Blog.

Ideas on Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law

Pew Report Shows Need for Modern Voting System – Wendy Weiser & Lianna Reagan

• A new study reveals our deeply flawed election administration system — and the urgent need to bring it up to date.

The Real Fraud Behind Photo ID – Lee Rowland

• Claims of widespread voter fraud collapse under close inspection.

Chile’s Voter Registration System: A Model for the U.S. – Lianna Reagan

• Chile modernized its voter registration system. But a first-rate democracy like the U.S. still lags behind.

Obama’s Super PAC Flip-Flop – Adam Skaggs

• The president's use of Super PAC support distracts us from the real questions about today’s campaign finance environment.

Iguanas and the Rule of Law at Guantánamo – Liza Goitein

• I traveled to the prison recently to observe the hearing of accused U.S.S. Cole bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.

Brown and Warren Unilaterally Disarm Super PACs – Jonathan Backer

• Many candidates have piously condemned Super PAC spending, but two Massachusetts candidates backed up their talk with action.

Money and Politics in New York – Reform NY

• A roundup with the latest news highlighting the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics — and the need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform.

What We’re Reading

• See what the Brennan Center’s reading in this daily round-up of quick hits, clips, and opinion pieces touching on key issues of democracy, justice, liberty and national security. Includes stories the mortgage settlement, voter ID in Texas and South Carolina, and the DISCLOSE Act.

Read more blogs here.

• Feb. 17 – Nic Riley participates in a voting rights panel at the New Organizing Institute in Washington, D.C.
• Feb. 17 – Nicole Austin-Hillery speaks about the evolution of voting rights in America at a Congressional Black Caucus panel in Washington, D.C. Reps. Steny Hoyer, John Conyers, John Lewis, and Marcia Fudge will be in attendance.
• Feb. 29 – The Brennan Center hosts a roundtable discussion on the state of the foreclosure crisis in New York. Representatives from NYU’s Furman Center, the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, and New York legal services groups will speak on the panel.
• March 8 – The Brennan Center hosts former Inspector General Glenn Fine, who will discuss his experience overseeing the FBI and lessons learned about oversight of intelligence operations.

• Lawrence Norden spoke to USA Today and the Associated Press about a new report from the Pew Center on the States, which shows that 1 in 8 voter registration records are flawed. Read more at The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, International Business Times, and Time.
• South Carolina is trying to pass yet another restrictive voting bill. Writing in the Boston Review, Jonathan Brater said, “If the United States awarded medals for voter suppression, South Carolina would compete for the gold.”
• The New York Times covered the launch of New York Leadership for Accountable Government. Also read the Times editorial urging Gov. Cuomo to enact campaign reform.
• Michael Waldman appeared on Current TV’s The War Room with Jennifer Granholm to discuss restrictive voting laws. Also see him discuss the presidential race on CNN's OutFront with Erin Burnett.
• Mark Ladov appeared on Capital Tonight to discuss the recent mortgage settlement that will help millions of homeowners.
• Super PACs dominated the news these past few weeks. Read our experts’ comments in the Washington Post and The American Prospect.
• Read Adam Skaggs’ take on Super PAC disclosure in Salon and his views on Citizens United in Reuters. Also read his op-ed urging passage of the DISCLOSE Act.
• Nicole Austin-Hillery wrote an op-ed for Roll Call on why Congress should make more efforts toward cooperation.
• Rep. Charles Gonzalez cited our voting research in an op-ed on voter ID.
• At the Huffington Post, Neeta Pal conducted two Q&As with advocates aiding homeowners going through foreclosure.
• NPR detailed why millions of Americans don’t have government ID.
• The Virginia Senate passed a voter ID bill. Keesha Gaskins spoke to a Virginian-Pilot columnist about the bill. Also read the Washington Post’s editorial opposing the measure.
• Gaskins also spoke to the Minneapolis Star Tribune about Minnesota’s proposed voter ID measures.
• Other experts discussing voting laws: Lawrence Norden on The Takeaway and Wisconsin Public Radio, Mimi Marziani on CBC’s The Current, and Keesha Gaskins on Al Jazeera.
• The Brennan Center continued its call for an inspector general for the NYPD.
• Adam Skaggs spoke on a panel on judicial ethics rules at the ABA convention in New Orleans.
• Keesha Gaskins explained redistricting to PBS Newshour’s Extra, an online program put together by students.

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Tags: Newsletter, Democracy, Campaign Finance Reform, NY Reform, Voting Rights & Elections, Justice, Civil Justice

A Plan to Clean Up Albany

By John Travis – 02/15/12

Crossposted at ReformNY.

A new coalition endorsing the governor’s call for meaningful campaign finance reform in New York State launched today. New York Leadership for Accountable Government (NY LEAD) is a bipartisan group of New York business, civic, and philanthropic leaders who have joined to advocate for comprehensive reform to the way elections are funded in the Empire State. The group, formed with the goal of restoring integrity to the state's political process, is endorsing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s call for campaign finance reform, as outlined in his January State of the State address, and is calling for a system of public financing for New York State elections as the centerpiece of that overhaul. Members of the new group are listed here.

The new group supports a public financing system modeled on New York City’s successful matching funds system which has increased the competitiveness of elections, diversity among candidates, and the participation of small donors. Comprehensive campaign finance reforms, “will put the needs of real voters — the business owners and workers who drive New York’s economy — back on the agenda,” according to the NY LEAD website.

NY LEAD adds a new voice to the increasing calls for campaign finance reform in New York State. Earlier this month, over 100 groups from the civil rights, business, faith, grassroots community, good government, environmental, and labor communities wrote Governor Cuomo detailing the need for publicly financed campaigns, lower contribution limits, and better enforcement.

Members of NY LEAD are scheduled to hold a press conference in Albany today at 12:30. You can follow NY LEAD on Twitter and “like” the new group on Facebook.

Tags: Democracy, Campaign Finance Reform, Public Financing, NY Reform

Money and Politics This Week

By ReformNY – 02/10/12

Crossposted on ReformNY.

Every Friday, the Brennan Center will be compiling the latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics — and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform. We’ll also be linking to dispatches from around the country highlighting the national scope of this crisis. This week’s links were contributed by Matthew Ladd and Dan Rockoff.

For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow the Twitter hashtag #moNeYpolitics

NY Campaign Finance

1. A new report issued by NYPIRG identifies a “core group” of 127 donors who each gave $50,000 or more to state candidates and party committees in 2011, for a grand total of $16.8 million. Of the 127 deep-pocketed donors, the largest — a New York City property development group — contributed nearly $700,000 in total, and several organizations made single contributions in excess of $100,000. The report highlights New York’s chronically lax laws governing “housekeeping” and soft money accounts, which allows individual donors to skirt the $150,000 ceiling on individual giving. The full report can be seen here.

2. A coalition of more than 100 organizations, including policy institutes, community groups, and labor and religious organizations, delivered a letter to Gov. Cuomo expressing their strong support for public financing in New York state elections, and calling on the governor to “press hard for the creation of a robust public financing program” during the upcoming year.

3. The Wall Street Journal finds that Gov. Cuomo has built strong relationships with public interest groups committed to campaign finance, ethics, and disclosure reform, citing his hiring of Jeremy Creelan, a former deputy director at the Brennan Center, as special counsel for public integrity and ethics issues. The liaison was instrumental in the governor’s overhaul of state ethics laws last year, and reformers hope it will continue to bear fruit in upcoming legislative campaigns.

4. State Senator Liz Krueger is publicly calling for an end to political spending by “ghost campaigns,” which allow Albany’s lawmakers to spend campaign funds long after they’ve retired from office — and, in at least one case, after they’ve passed away. The article highlights continued spending by the campaign committees of former Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned in 2010, as well as the re-election committee of former State Sen. Ron Stafford, who passed away in 2005. “Politicians shouldn’t be able to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign money hoarded years after their own careers end,” Sen. Krueger said. “It’s an invitation to corruption.”

5. US Congressman Joe Crowley (D–NY) was singled out this week as a top Democratic beneficiary of a private equity PAC with a history of spending on behalf of Republicans. The PAC, formed in 2007 by some of the country’s biggest private equity firms, has drawn unwelcome media attention since it emerged that Bain Capital, where Mitt Romney made his fortune, was one of its founding members.

6. Pay-to-play politics is alive and well in New York, as the Daily News reports that freshman US Congressman Michael Grimm (R–NY), seven months after sponsoring a bill to permit a natural gas pipeline under Jacob Riis Park in Queens, has received contributions from the pipeline’s developers. Two weeks ago, the New York Times also reported that Rep. Grimm was drawing scrutiny for allegedly soliciting campaign donations above the legal limit, and for enlisting the help of a fundraiser now under federal investigation for embezzlement.

Campaign Finance News Nationwide

1. On Tuesday, President Obama signaled that he would not oppose spending on his campaign’s behalf by Priorities USA Action, the super PAC that backs his re-election bid. Aides to the President confirmed that he planned to allow cabinet members, senior advisors and top campaign staff to speak at fundraising events led by Priorities USA. The decision was condemned by many as an about-face by an administration that has criticized the use of super PACs — but has also prompted at least one writer to observe that the decision presents a unique opportunity for Obama to make campaign finance reform a centerpiece of his election campaign.

2. Media mogul and philanthropist Leo Hindery, Jr., argues for a strong link between campaign finance reform and renewed corporate responsibility, proposing that national reform efforts should include not only stronger disclosure rules for corporate contributions and lobbyists, but also voluntary efforts by business leaders not to use corporate funds to influence elections. Such an approach, Hindery writes, would help to reclaim corporate responsibility as a duty extending to “employees, shareholders, customers, communities and the nation.

3. A new poll released Wednesday by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner finds strong support — by a 2-to-1 margin — for the Fair Elections Now Act, which would allow federal candidates who agree to contribution limits to receive public matching funds for donations from residents of their home states. The poll also finds that voters would be more likely to re-elect representatives who voted in favor of a campaign finance reform package that included the Fair Elections Now Act.

4. Politico reports that two PACs have used shell corporations to circumvent existing laws on fundraising and spending, making campaign committees into “black boxes” for anonymous contributions. According to the report, the Alliance for New America, which raised money for John Edwards in 2008 and now plays a supporting role in his trial, created an LLC through which it funneled much of its spending, while Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, accepted donations through shell corporations, allowing the names of donors to remain hidden.

5. Two recent reports highlight the corrosive potential of so-called “c4s” (after their 501(c)4 tax code designation), the “social welfare” arms of super PACs, to raise and spend money without disclosing their donors to the FEC. Based on their IRS filings, such groups have begun to play a bigger role in direct independent spending than supporters of campaign finance reform had expected, and their ability to filter money from contributors to their associated super PACs means that some super PAC spending is virtually untraceable. A report recently issued by Demos and the US PIRG Education Fund found that out of 10 super PACs active in the 2012 elections, 6 had received money from untraceable sources.

Tags: Democracy, Campaign Finance Reform, NY Reform

Money and Politics This Week

By ReformNY – 02/03/12

Crossposted at ReformNY.

Every Friday, the Brennan Center will be compiling the latest news concerning the corrosive nature of money in New York State politics — and the ongoing need for public financing and robust campaign finance reform. We’ll also be linking to dispatches from around the country highlighting the national scope of this crisis. This week’s links were contributed by Dan Rockoff.

For more stories on an ongoing basis, follow the Twitter hashtag #moNeYpolitics

NY Campaign Finance:

1. Today, over 100 organizations that support Fair Elections for New York wrote Governor Cuomo detailing the need for publicly financed campaigns, lower contribution limits, and better enforcement. The civil rights, business, faith, grassroots community, good government, environmental, and labor organizations who signed the letter, thanked the Governor for his strong support and expressed their enthusiasm to work with him and members of the Legislature to pass publicly financed elections and other campaign finance reforms during this legislative session.

2. Despite the annual $150,000 contribution limit by individuals to candidates in New York, luxury-apartment mogul Leonard Litwin gave almost $700,000 to candidates in 2011. A study by the New York Public Interest Research Group revealed that Litwin was the biggest individual donor in the state. Litwin was able to dodge the state’s campaign finance laws by utilizing the limited liability company (LLC) loophole, which allows companies to contribute multiple times through affiliated LLC’s, even when the LLC is completely controlled by a corporation or individual who has already reached the maximum contribution limit.

3. Governor Cuomo spoke with reporters about the need for public financing and campaign finance reform after participating in a fundraising event for the Democratic Governors Association. “One of the things we have to work on is getting money out of politics,” Cuomo said. In response to a reporter’s question about the meeting, Cuomo replied, “Your issue of, ‘You are in a room where people contribute money’ — that is the current state of politics and that is (the case for) every elected official in every fundraising forum.”

4. Manuel Ortega, law chairman of the Staten Island Democratic Party, filed a complaint with the FEC against Republican Representative Michael Grimm. The complaint alleges excessive and illegal cash contributions. A key fundraiser of Grimm’s is now being investigated for embezzling millions of dollars from a rabbi’s congregation. According to the New York Times story that Ortega used as the basis for his FEC complaint, unnamed followers allege that Grimm sought donations over the legal limit, and that he sought those donations in cash and from undocumented aliens.

5. The Democrat and Chronicle calls for Governor Cuomo to follow through on his election promises for public financing and campaign finance reform. The newspaper notes that “the governor continues to say the right things” and urges him to “prod the Legislature to deliver.”

Other News Nationwide:

1. In his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke about the “corrosive influence of money in politics.” He called for “a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress,” places limits on incumbents’ ability to own stocks in industries they impact, and restricts the ability of bundlers to lobby Congress.

2. The New York Times editorializes that under the federal lobbying law, “Newt Gingrich can legitimately claim that he is not a lobbyist.” The paper stated that Gingrich had “made a great deal of money in Washington peddling his influence, while carefully staying about half-an-inch short of the legal definition of lobbyist.” The paper calls for a better law limiting lobbyist activity and promoting disclosure. Part of the problem is that many Members of Congress use the revolving door—more than 400 former members have become lobbyists or consultants in the last decade.

3. In Massachusetts, Senator Scott Brown and likely Democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren agreed on a plan to stop outside groups from running negative ads. The agreement “requires each side to donate to a charity of the other’s choosing” when benefiting from a third-party ad, and also requires each side to write to outside groups and television station managers requesting a cease-fire. Brown, who is up for re-election to a full term, said that third-party ads “spend millions of dollars from anonymous donors portraying their opposition unfairly and misleading voters.” The question now is whether the agreement is enforceable.

4, In Montana, the State Supreme Court upheld by a 5-2 vote a law banning corporations from making political expenditures. A New York Times editorial praised the Montana Supreme Court, stating that “in Citizens United, the conservative majority turned itself into a copper kings’ court.” The majority rejected Justice Kennedy’s “misguided reasoning” that money does not “give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.” The court’s dissenters, however, argued that the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision dictates the opposite result, and warned that the Supreme Court would not allow Montana to ignore precedent.

Tags: Democracy, Campaign Finance Reform, Public Financing, NY Reform

Former Representatives Voice Support for Public Financing

By John Travis – 01/25/12

Crossposted at ReformNY.

In a joint op-ed in today’s Times-Union, former New York State Congressmen Sherwood Boehlert and Scott Murphy voiced their support for Governor Cuomo’s plan to enact a system of public financing of elections, an issue he gave prominence in his State of the State address.

Speaking from their experiences as former members of Congress representing both major political parties, Boehlert and Murphy acknowledge the “corrosive role that private money plays in political campaigns and the legislative process,” both in Washington and Albany. The increased cost of running for office in New York means that candidates have to spend more and more time courting special interests to raise money for their campaigns. This has only contributed to Albany’s culture of dependence on big money.

The solution for our state: adopt a system of voluntary public financing of elections with matching funds like we have in New York City. If small donor contributions are matched on a 4-to-1 ratio, politicians would be able to spend less time raising money from lobbyists and special interests, and more time focusing on serving the interests of their constituents.

A recent Siena poll indicates that public financing of elections has broad support among both Republicans and Democrats in New York. Boehlert and Murphy have now added to the growing — and bipartisan — chorus of calls for meaningful campaign finance reform in Albany.

Tags: Democracy, Campaign Finance Reform, Public Financing, NY Reform

Kruger Used Campaign Contributions to Pay Legal Fees

By John Travis – 01/20/12

Crossposted at ReformNY.

New York’s notoriously weak campaign finance laws were highlighted this week as disclosure reports revealed that former Assemblyman Carl Kruger used nearly $1.4 million from his campaign funds to pay for his legal defense against federal corruption charges. While other states require that candidates set up a legal defense fund, New York allow candidates to use cash from campaign funds pay attorney’s fees.

Susan Lerner from Common Cause/NY notes that “when contributors give to a candidate, they want to support the candidate in his election campaign — not pay for his defense against fraud charges.”

Our former colleague, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, has pointed out that lawmakers have taken advantage New York's laws by using campaign funds to pay for cars, cell phones, country clubs, sporting events tickets, legal bills, meals and even pet food.

Senator Liz Krueger introduced a bill last year that would address the misuse of campaign funds for personal purposes. Among other restrictions, S3053 would forbid the use campaign funds to “pay attorney’s fees or any costs of defending against any civil or criminal investigation or prosecution for alleged violations of state or federal law.”

Of course, this incident highlights only one of the many problems with our state’s campaign finance laws and we hope that it will be among those addressed when the promised campaign finance bill is introduced.

Tags: Democracy, NY Reform