Hein (podium): “These are not simple times”
KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Michael Hein proposed a sweeping campaign finance reform bill on Wednesday.
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 they were
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,” Hein said. “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 money functions as a moat between the voters and the people they elect,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York.. “And that is not the way our system is supposed to work. The laboratory for democracy is really at the local level, not at the national level. The best ideas come from our cities, counties and states. Albany desperately needs a model for how to do it better.”
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,” Hein noted. “We believe there is an opportunity to focus on the future. 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.”
Russ Haven, general counsel for the New York Public Interest Research Group, Inc. (NYPIRG), said the proposed bill encourages grassroots involvement, “so you don’t need a rolodex or stack of business cards from Fortune 500 companies in your back pocket.” Haven said New York rules are a Swiss cheese system, with terrible enforcement at the state and county election boards. “The Democrats protect the Democrats, and the Republicans protect the Republicans.”
“It is really shameful what is happening in New York with money,” agreed Dare Thompson, president of the New York State League of Women Voters. “It has gotten only worse. The politicians are not really winning when they have to spend all their time raising money. Were losing as citizens; our vote is being taken away by people who can afford to buy a politician.”
