Source: Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr
Yesterday Bay Ridge Odyssey received a press release from the Brooklyn Chapter of the Working Families Party.
The statement detailed their plans to put pressure on Republican State Senator Marty Golden for his failure to support a measure that would expand public campaign financing and lower donor contribution limits in an attempt to level the state election playing field.
According to the release, the Working Families Party, along with the Bay Ridge Democrats, Citizen Action of NY, and the Bay Ridge council of Move On.org, will be delivering close to 500 hand-written letters from constituents to Golden’s office on Thursday, May 31, at 12 p.m. The letters reportedly request that Senator Golden come out to support the proposal – known as the 2012 Fair Elections Act – which the Republican-controlled NY State senate has refused to vote on.
Under Governor Cuomo’s plan, which is based on New York City’s campaign finance system, the public financing program would reportedly be backed by “complementary reforms”:
- Lowering contribution limits.
- Eliminating loopholes to reduce the influence of a small handful of wealthy donors.
- Enacting pay-to-play rules to further restore the public trust.
- Provide fair and effective enforcement to ensure accountability.
Proponents of the bill also point to a recent Sienna College Poll, which shows 74% of New Yorkers favor the Governor’s campaign finance reforms.