Last Wednesday, a few hundred people rallied at the capitol and met with lawmakers, telling them not to leave Albany before the legislative session ends June 20 without enacting public campaign financing.
Even though the New York Senate is a cesspool of corruption, Majority Co-Leader Dean Skelos is fighting against reform. In between the misleading bluster and hyperbole, he makes three main claims that are easily debunked.
In a recent post, Ezra Klein said we got "too excited" over big money in the 2012 election. But it's about more than just election outcomes. Money still distorts public policy, as we've seen this year.
Although no system can stop individuals from behaving badly, public financing combined with strong enforcement, disclosure, and reasonable contribution limits can change Albany's "show me the money" culture.
The New Mexico House passed a bill establishing a campaign finance system where participating candidates would receive an initial public finance grant from the state, and then get a four to one match for small donor contributions of up to $100.
After a corruption scandal rocked New York City, Mayor Ed Koch helped develop a new campaign finance system using public matching grants. With many voters lacking faith in Albany due to the power of big money, we need a similar system statewide.
The Independent Democratic Conference will caucus with the Republican Party, promising that the new power-sharing agreement would finally end Albany dysfunction and bring needed attention to key issues like campaign finance reform.
America is the world’s leading democracy, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t improvements to be made. By modernizing registration, ending government dysfunction, and combating Citizens United, we can put the people back in charge of our democracy.
Good government groups have urged Albany to adopt real campaign finance reforms for years, but year after year, legislative sessions end in disappointment. Will this year be any different?
New York State’s business leaders have weighed in: they are deeply concerned about the role of big money in the state’s politics and would support comprehensive reforms.
