Hein, podium, unveils his campaign finance reform package
KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Michael Hein Wednesday proposed
a sweeping campaign finance reform bill.
Carried in the county legislature by Kingston Democrat Peter Loughran,
the proposal mandates lower contribution limits, matching funds, and independent
oversight – similar to measures passed in New York City back in
1988. This would be the first campaign reform ever enacted upstate.
Hein and Loughran unveiled the proposal at a briefing where he was joined
by representatives from public advocacy groups. “We believe in democracy,
and we believe it is worth fighting for,” Hein remarked.
“These are not simple times. We’ve seen on the national level,
where campaigns are measured in the billions; in congressional campaigns,
where they are measured in the tens of millions.” Hein said he dreams
of a world where one need not be rich to run for public office.
The local law seeks to lower the maximum campaign contribution for county-wide
candidates (including sheriff, district attorney, comptroller, and executive),
to $5,000 per donor. The current limit under state law is $6,000.
Additionally, that limit falls to just $1,000 for vendors doing business
with the county, eliminating the pay-to-play loophole.
For legislative candidates, the limits under Loughran’s bill are
$500 per donor, or $250 for vendors.
A campaign finance fund, containing $50,000 for 2018, will match individual
contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to $100 per contributor. The cap is
$23,000 for county-wide office, and $1,000 for legislative races. The
total fund, which cannot exceed $150,000, is managed by an independent
oversight committee.
“Normally, people in my position don’t talk about campaign
finance reform, because they are the beneficiaries in these situations.
We believe there is an opportunity to focus on the future,” Hein
noted. “I can’t fix the national level, but I can absolutely
do something in conjunction with partners in the legislature, right here,
and we can set a model.”
