30 reform groups have written to the governor asking that his new state budget plan include funds for campaign finance reform.
The groups are asking Governor Cuomo to essentially, put his money where his mouth is when it comes to campaign donations reform ideas like public financing, and a new agency to police violations.
Karen Scharff, with Citizen Action, says the governor has been talking about these proposals for over a year now, and the Moreland Act Commission chaired by some of the state’s District Attorneys has also endorsed them. She says it’s time for Cuomo to show he’s still serious by providing some funding in the state budget.
“Both of those things cost money,” Scharff said. “Neither can happen without a starting point of appropriations.”
In mid January campaign filings, Governor Cuomo reported he has raised over $33 million dollars for his campaign war chest, most of it from large donations. Scharff says the groups don’t expect the governor to “unilaterally disarm”, but she says the current lax rules give at least the appearance of a pay to play culture.