Senator Warren Prods New York to Pass Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform Last week, at St. Peter’s Church in New York City, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman gave rousing speeches touching on campaign finance reform. Senator Warren explained the connection between the country’s broken campaign finance laws and growing income […]
Reinvent Albany joined a January 14 Memorandum of Support from good government groups for a bill that requires legislative committee meetings and votes to be webcast “to the extent practicable.” It also requires that committee and session votes be placed online within 24 hours of being cast. The bill, A2097-B (Hevesi) / S3046-B (Marcellino) is a […]
Gov. Cuomo Proposes Public Financing of Elections in Budget In his executive budget proposal to the legislature this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo included legislation advancing reforms to the state’s campaign finance, disclosure and election laws. Under the proposal, contributions up to $175 to state legislative candidates would be matched with public financing at a 6-to-1 ratio, starting […]
It’s been a great couple of months for prominent NYC civic technologist Ben Kallos; In November, Kallos was elected to represent Manhattan’s Upper East Side in the city council, and today he was appointed chair of the Council’s Government Operations committee. Along with newly appointed Technology Chair Jimmy Vaca, Kallos’s support will be crucial for […]
Good Government Groups Ask Gov. Cuomo for Reform Thirty good-government, trade and faith-based organizations penned a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday, urging him to include public financing of state campaigns in his annual executive budget proposal. “New Yorkers have waited long enough for action on curbing corruption and reducing the undue influence and role of […]
Gov. Cuomo Proposes Public Financing of Elections in State of the State Address In his annual State of the State address on Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo outlined his vision for New York, including a bold proposal for comprehensive ethics reform. With the stated goal of restoring trust in state government, Cuomo recommended public financing, a new anti-bribery […]
In his State of the State speech, Governor Cuomo presented an excellent argument for the politically challenging task of overhauling campaign finance rules and enforcement. Unfortunately, he did not mention any new steps to increase transparency — including actions he can take without new legislation. But without transparency — especially revealing who is benefiting from […]
