| New York State legislators have something called a "franking privilege." That means that they can send out mailers, constituent newsletters and similar literature to those in their district at taxpayer's expense. However, the Assembly puts a moratorium on these mailings within two months of the election. The Senate though, still allows these mailings to be sent out right up until Election Day.
Today, David Nachbar took Republican Sen. Jim Alesi to task because Alesi has been sending out taxpayer-funded mailings. According to Nachbar's campaign, Alesi has sent out four taxpayer-funded mailings over the last month. The campaign says that the mailings have cost well over $100,000 to send out.
This is now the fourth glossy campaign-style mailing that Alesi has sent out on the taxpayer's dime in the past month. Ironically, this most recent abuse of taxpayer money touted Alesi's record of "real reform." The mailings have cost New York's taxpayers well over $100,000 this campaign season.
"Times are tough, and yet Jim Alesi has no problem spending our tax dollars to promote his image. This misleads voters about his record of reform. Senator Alesi recently reported that he has over $700,000 cash on hand in his campaign account. Using taxpayer dollars for his campaign is shameful, especially given our current fiscal challenges in New York State. I strongly urge he reimburse the taxpayers immediately."
From October 2006 to March 2008, Alesi spent $336,299 on mailings from his Senate office. While the State Assembly places a moratorium on constituent mailings 2 months prior to an election, the State Senate, which is notorious for crafting the house rules to favor the majority party, does not.
Nachbar said that if elected he would push for a similar moratorium, and a limit of two constituent newsletters per year for all members of the Senate.
Nachbar's campaign is one of several challenger races in the State, including two in the Rochester area, that could flip control of the Senate from Republican to Democratic. "This election is a major opportunity for change," Nachbar said. "I believe that there's hope, and that we can rightly expect much more from our government than what we've been getting."
I know I have received at least two mailings from my senator, Sen. George Maziarz. I have heard other stories from across the state about these mailings being sent out in the heat of election season. This should not be allowed and we need to make sure that when we take back the Senate, we impose our own moratorium. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent paying for campaign mailers, especially when those mailers are intended on informing the public about what you're doing as a state senator.
ON THE WEB:
David Nachbar's ActBlue Page |
