Cuomo’s ammo: $22.5 million bank
Yes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is getting his gun legislation that places restrictions on ammo as well as assault weapons, but he’s got plenty of ammunition of another kind — he just announced he has nearly...
View ArticlePeriodic campaign filings: Early impressions
Today was the deadline for the latest round of campaign filings and NYPIRG’s resident spread sheet wizard Bill Mahoney has some early impressions: Cuomo’s top donor appears to be New York City...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ken Jenkins campaign has $218,000 in the bank in Westchester county exec race
Westchester Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins raised $180,774 toward his campaign to unseat County Executive Rob Astorino over the past six months and has $218,000 on hand as a down payment for...
View ArticleCuomo’s big givers: Real estate, wrestling, booze
Real estate interests, a firm looking to legalize mixed martial arts, a liquor distributor and health care interests are some of the largest donors to Gov. Cuomo, according to a just-out NYPIRG...
View ArticleDrumroll: Common Sense Principles lists its donor
“Transparency”: Common Sense Principles, the shadowy group based at a Virginia Post Office Box that spent over $950,000 helping Senate Republicans in the past election cycle, has disclosed its donors....
View ArticleCoalition says loopholes would close with campaign reform
A left-leaning coalition pushing for partial public financing of state election campaigns argues that political contributions from corporations is preventing legislative action on collecting more...
View ArticleQualcomm discloses political giving
In the wake of a lawsuit filed by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, the telecommunications firm Qualcomm has disclosed its political activities for most of 2012. The San Diego-based firm contributed $78,000 to...
View ArticleUFC battles for permission, increases contributions
Here’s a chart showing the more than six-fold increase that Zuffa LLC, the firm that operates the UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship franchise, has made in terms of political giving in recent...
View ArticleTkaczyk, who campaigned for reform, holds fundraiser
Republicans are blasting Freshman Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk as a hypocrite for a fairly basic political activity: holding a fundraiser. Yes, yes: EVERYBODY holds fundraisers. But Tkaczyk, a Duanesburg...
View ArticleFundraising, er, legislative season is in full swing
Here’s an indication that the legislative/fundraising season is in in full swing as we prepare to begin three weeks of four-day-a-week legislative sessions. Below is a schedule, thanks to NYSNYS.com,...
View ArticleCuomo: ‘Money is very powerful in an electoral context’
After appearing a luncheon discussion devoted to campaign finance reform, Gov. Andrew Cuomo spoke briefly with the media on the question of whether or not a guy with $22.5 million in his campaign...
View ArticleObama offshoot joins CampFin push
Organizing for Action, the derivative group of President Barack Obama’s campaign organization, is joining the push for publicly financed elections in New York. (H/T Maggie Haberman) OFA has 744,000...
View ArticleCampFin advocates hit the airwaves
Budget: check. Time for other issues. Advocates of publicly financed elections announced in today’s New York Times that they will spend $800,000 on a television advertising campaign to push the...
View ArticleGoo-goos say Smith charges show CampFin need
Advocates of public campaign financing are using yesterday’s revelation of federal fraud charges against Queens Sen. Malcolm Smith to make their case. “You can’t legislate morality,” said League of...
View ArticleLivecast: Watch election reform forum
Slated to start at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday from Manhattan, a forum by Fair Elections for New York will include state Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and...
View ArticleKlein lost key elections case, didn’t suffer consequences
Senate Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeffrey Klein lost an elections law case that could have bankrupted his campaign committee. But the Republicans who brought the the case against Klein...
View ArticleIn ‘step one,’ Cuomo would stiffen anti-corruption laws
In response to recent arrests, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and several district attorneys from around the state announced they would tighten penalties for stealing from government, make it easier to prove...
View ArticleFundraising in the shadow of scandal
There’s talk of cleaning up Albany, and pictures of state lawmakers being hauled away in handcuffs. Not the best time to try and hold a campaign fundraiser. But alas, events are scheduled, and with...
View ArticleThe ‘People for Honest Government’ complaint
I reported this morning that the State Board of Elections has referred a complaint against a Westchester County PAC to the district attorney there. By some counts, this is the sixth time in the last...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CampFin billboard greets returning lawmakers
A reader sent along this photograph of the billboard near the old Central Warehouse, visible to both northbound and southbound lanes of I-787 just south of I-90. It’s an enlarged version of copy that...
View Article
