|
This belongs to you. Take it back...
|
Responsible New York 
Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 12:00:43 PM EDT
|
|
The Buffalo News reports that three complaints filed against Tom Golisano's PAC, "Responsible New York," have been referred by the state Board of Elections to the Albany County DA.
Apparently, in two campaigns where Golisano's PAC helped they may not have stayed fully independent of the campaigns, as they are required to under law. The article says that coordinating activities with a campaign is "a felony."
|
|
Discuss
:: (7
Comments)
|
|
Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 15:18:59 PM EDT
|
I just received this statement from Responsible New York on behalf of Tom Golisano:
Five years ago, the Brennan Center at NYU called New York's Legislature the "most dysfunctional" legislature in America. This report was widely reported throughout the state. Business leaders read it. Labor leaders read it. Voters and politicians read it and nothing changed. Statewide elections came and went. Candidates quoted the report and . . . nothing changed.
In fact things got worse. The 2009 budget process was the most secretive in history and resulted in huge, irresponsible tax increases on New Yorkers at a time when they already faced remarkable economic conditions.
Yesterday, in the New York State Senate for the first time since that report was passed, something happened. Something changed. Reform has come to the New York State Senate. I'm proud of the part that Responsible New York and I played in this change.
The reforms are both sweeping and meaningful. They range from term limits for the Majority Leader and Committee Chairs to an independent Budget Office to a true C-SPAN type network with access for independent groups to critique and criticize leadership as well as many more substantive changes. Overall, these reforms will make the Senate more democratic, encourage new and better ideas and actually involve all 62 senators in governing. Overdue.
These reforms languished for years when Republicans controlled the Senate and continued to be delayed after Democrats took control of the Senate. That these reforms passed after years of failure was remarkable. How they passed was truly revolutionary.
These reforms were passed by a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans who put the people above partisan politics. Amazing.
As with any true reform, not everyone is happy. When the process of changing the Senate began it was met by attempts to close down the motion, a failed attempt to adjourn, the shut down of lights, the cessation of the live video feed and finally an attempt to get State Troopers to clear the room. These were disappointing reactions to the will of 32 democratically elected senators finally doing the right thing. Any other subsequent legal action will be nothing but a distraction from doing the people's business.
It is truly ironic that the Governor would object to wealthy donors being involved in this process while at the same time raising money at $100,000 per table fundraisers.
Responsible New York was founded to fight for reform without regard to party. We did that by helping to bring together an historical coalition that passed remarkable reforms. Of course, this coalition is fragile and there are strong special interests pushing back to protect the status quo. Responsible New York will make sure that these reforms materialize and will continue our fight for fiscal restraint in Albany.
New York has the highest rate of migration out of state in the nation. In fact, people are leaving New York at a rate that is 50% higher than Massachusetts with the second highest rate. When more people are leaving than coming in, even politicians should recognize something is wrong. This is a first step-a small but important step-in changing that.
After the headlines and sensational reporting about control and legislative maneuvering there are to key things that happened:
· The New York State Senate now has a bi-partisan government unique in our history for putting ideas above partisanship.
· This coalition already delivered real reform that promotes democracy, encouraging new and smarter ideas and an opportunity to change New York.
Together, this has a real chance to break the political stranglehold that special interests have in Albany. These changes are revolutionary by Albany standards but only, in truth, a beginning but it is a beginning that may lead to a more responsive government.
One important concrete change is that with these rules reforms and coalition government all 62 senators will play a role in negotiating the next budget. That means in one fell swoop one of the infamous "three men in the room" is gone. Who's next? Hopefully there are some members of the State Assembly who are willing to put reform above party and the people above politics.
Yes, Golisano is trying to invade the Assembly now. And yes, he just used the putting "people above politics" line, even though the effort he backed yesterday was nothing more than politics at a time when we don't have time for politics. Elections are held every two years in November, not whenever we want and not when Golisano wants to overthrow someone who won't listen to him.
|
|
Discuss
:: (2
Comments)
|
|
Tue May 19, 2009 at 08:46:12 AM EDT
|
|
Tom Golisano announced yesterday that he is moving to Florida. For any common citizen without the media at his or her fingertips, getting a story in The Buffalo News or any newspaper about a move out-of-state wouldn't be an option.
But this is Tom Golisano. He is a billionaire. He is the founder of Responsible New York. So he gets the attention.
The attention shouldn't be put on Golisano. Golisano saying that he is moving to Florida shouldn't be a surprise. Golisano already had a home in Naples, Florida, where he has split time in the past. That home is estimated to be about $13 million.
Golisano says that becoming a resident of Florida will save him $5 million a year. Last year, he could have saved that money by not investing $5 million in Responsible New York, which was the first investment he made in his group. This is the same guy who has also spent millions on three runs for governor.
So why is Golisano getting media attention? Merely because he can get it. The real problem, which has now been overshadowed with Golisano's billionaire whining, is the impact of New York State's taxes on the lower and middle classes. Golisano doesn't fit in that group. He is far from a poster boy for the problems that we face as average New Yorkers.
When the Golisano-owned Buffalo Sabres played the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals, it was said that there were 1,200 former Western New York residents living in the Raleigh area, the home of the Hurricanes. Those weren't 1,200 billionaires. They were 1,200 middle class people who moved to North Carolina for better job opportunities and lower taxes. Golisano can afford his taxes. The thousands of residents who have left Buffalo, Rochester and upstate New York over the years cannot.
If you live in upstate New York, you probably know someone who has moved out of state. I know plenty. I know people who have moved because of a job opportunity. I know people who have moved because of taxes. I know people who have moved because of both.
Golisano's move is only something that will feed his ego. While he will be living in his mansion, average New Yorkers will still be struggling. Yet, they don't get the same media attention.
Hopefully, this move will mark Golisano's exit from New York politics. That might be wishful thinking since the only way he has really been involved in politics is through his wallet. Nothing will prevent him from spending his money on New York candidates if he wishes to do so. But not being a resident of New York will give him less credence going forward.
The only lesson learned from Golisano's exit is that we need to focus more on the middle class residents of this state, not the millionaires and billionaires. We have long been ignored. It is time that changes.
|
|
Discuss
:: (7
Comments)
|
|
Wed Dec 17, 2008 at 16:31:05 PM EST
|
|
After Governor David Paterson released his Executive Budget yesterday, many groups came forward to criticize the budget (see here, here, here, here and here) and the lack of "shared sacrifice" in Paterson's proposal.
However, Governor Paterson did gain some support today from Tom Golisano, founder of Responsible New York. In a press release, Golisano commended the governor for the budget, spending cuts and "making the hard choices" for New York's fiscal future.
"Responsible New York commends Governor David Paterson for making the hard choices that New York needs. These are difficult economic times, times that call for sacrifice and difficult choices.
These spending cuts are a key step toward balancing the budget but they are only a first step. The Executive Budget still increases spending $1.3 billion at a time when we desperately need spending to go down and while Governor Paterson is doing the right thing in not increasing income tax rates, his budget includes too many new taxes and increased fees. In total dollars the tax burden to live and do business in New York is simply too high-and we cannot afford to make it any higher.
Governor Paterson is on the right path with reasonable, targeted cuts but his budget illustrates the institutional challenges New York faces as we strive to reform and renew. After major cuts in school aid, school funding is still up 42 percent in 5 years; after major cuts in Medicaid and health care, health care spending is still up 3.8 percent and still the highest per capita in the nation; and after 521 difficult layoffs our state workforce is still up 8,927 in five years while the population has declined or stayed static.
In the next few weeks the Governor and the Legislature will be under enormous pressure not only to eliminate these cuts but to increase spending or to pass new burdens onto local governments and school districts. Responsible New York urges them to stay strong, follow Governor Paterson's lead and make the difficult but necessary decisions for New York's future.
This is notable. Golisano has not been shy about his support for spending cuts and I could see why Governor Paterson's budget would please him. This could also be good news for both Responsible New York and Governor Paterson. Responsible New York might have a partner in Paterson moving forward and Paterson certainly could use the help going forward, especially in 2010.
|
|
Discuss
:: (5
Comments)
|
|
Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 14:57:34 PM EDT
|
|
There has been a lot of discussion in the past and present about Responsible New York and what Responsible New York represents. The main points usually center around Responsible New York's founder, billionaire Tom Golisano. Some say he started this group just to influence elections. Others point to his adviser, Steve Pigeon, and the decision to back certain candidates that are known (or were known) as Pigeon-backed candidates (i.e. Joe Mesi and Barbra Kavanaugh).
I will say that I have my own questions about the intentions of this group. Did Golisano start this just to get in on the action during a key state election? Or does he have his own personal agenda that he wants to push on other candidates? Or is it something else?
If you count RNY's endorsement of Paloma Capanna, RNY has endorsed 26 Democrats and 22 Republicans. Of those 48 candidates that RNY has endorsed, 39 of them are incumbent senators. A common theme that is mentioned about RNY is their desire for reform. However, it is hard to argue for reform when you only back nine challengers and endorse 63 percent of the current New York State Senate. Nothing against some of the current senators who are pushing for change, but when you are a group that is calling for change, you might want to endorse more challengers than incumbents.
It should be noted that RNY endorsed seven Democratic challengers: Brian Foley (SD-3), B.K. Keramati (who lost the Democratic primary in SD-44), Paloma Capanna (SD-54), David Nachbar (SD-55), Rick Dollinger (SD-56), Kathy Konst (SD-59) and Joe Mesi (SD-61). Foley and Dollinger are in perhaps the most competitive seats in the state, while candidates like Mesi and Nachbar are in competitive seats in districts that lean Republican. If anything, Golisano has decided to back key upstate challengers in districts that could mean a larger majority for the Democrats in the New York State Senate come January.
There have been questions about what Golisano is doing with this group. It's hard to argue against his desire to influence an election by supporting candidates of his choice with his large pocketbook. But as RNY's campaign finance filings show, RNY has not given directly to any candidate. Expenditures show that RNY, aside from paying for consulting and staff expenses, has paid for TV and radio ads as well as spending money to send out mailers. These ads and mailers have helped candidates, but it's not as if RNY has directly invested with a contribution in these campaigns. And according to Golisano's own contributions, he has only given to one state level candidate: Kavanaugh, who lost the primary to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt. Other than that, no contribution has been given from RNY or Tom Golisano directly to any of the candidates that have been backed by RNY.
The point here is that if Golisano is trying to buy influence, he's not showing it. You could make the argument that he's still supporting campaigns with ads and mailers and that, in itself, is influence. Maybe so, but it's not as if he has cut massive checks for each of these candidates. All he is doing right now is taking care of a necessary expense for them. Campaigns, especially in a big media town like Rochester, need to spend money on radio and TV ads and send out direct mail. If Golisano isn't doing it, the campaign does it. But you don't see him writing $9,500 checks to these candidates and leaving it at that, which would probably make a better argument for Golisano wanting influence over these candidates than the current situation would
So what is Golisano doing? I have read speculation about another run for governor, only this time as a Republican. That's an interesting thought, although if that were the case I don't think he would be investing in Democratic challengers and Democratic incumbents. But I believe that it isn't about Golisano wanting influence. He already has that. As a billionaire he has given to many charities, including hospitals in the Rochester area, and has been a prominent figure in Western New York for years.
What I think is that this is about Golisano showing that he has the influence. As I stated above, he already has the influence. So why not show it by saying I am investing $5 million into state races this year. He already has the influence. This is a guy who many people in Buffalo consider the savior of the Buffalo Sabres. This is a guy who is well known in Rochester for his charitable giving and his big heart. He has a reputation statewide from three gubernatorial campaigns. People don't need to know who Tom Golisano is. They already know who he is.
This is about Golisano reinforcing that. This is about Tom Golisano showing that he has the money and that he can be a great asset to candidates who support his desire for reform. Maybe Golisano wants to become the face of reform in New York? It's possible.
Lastly, consider this: On the RNY questionnaire for candidates, it asks whether or not you support election and campaign finance reform. When you go deeper into the questionnaire (it has seven pages), there is a question about whether or not you support publicly financed elections. To me, this indicates that Golisano wants to see real campaign finance reform in New York (possibly PFEs) and is willing to spend his money to make sure that he has candidates that will support his whole agenda.
I don't think this is all about influence. I believe that Golisano is genuine about his desire for reform. If that means he supports publicly financed elections but is willing to spend some of his wealth to support candidates who also side with him on that issue, so be it. Right now, the New York political system is what it is. Right now, Golisano can reign supreme because he has one thing that others don't.
A lot of money.
|
|
Discuss
:: (5
Comments)
|
|
Tue Aug 26, 2008 at 02:09:37 AM EDT
|
|
Tom Golisano's PAC, Responsible New York, has announced its endorsements of 47 incumbents and challengers (39 incumbents and eight challengers) for New York State Senate this year. Some of the endorsements aren't surprising, given that Golisano and Responsible New York endorsed 13 candidates last week, most of whom were state senate candidates. Golisano also endorsed David Nachbar, who is a Democratic state senate candidate running against Republican Jim Alesi. Those endorsements that were announced last week included Rick Dollinger and Joe Mesi on the Democratic side and Barbara Donno and Sen. Jim Seward on the Republican side, among others.
Golisano PAC Puts Out Endorsement List
The group is backing eight challengers, including six Democrats and two Republicans-enough to certainly shake the power structure of Republicans' narrow 31-29 lead in the Senate.
Responsible New York is not endorsing candidates in 15 races.
So let's see, that's 47 candidates divided by Golisano's $5 million into the PAC. That's about $106,000 a race. (The $5M check is above.)
But Golisano and his co-chairs say not every race will be funded equally, and will depend on the competitiveness of the races. They said they haven't made any funding decisions yet.
The most notable candidates and incumbents that Golisano's PAC backed include:
- Democrat Brian Foley was backed in SD-3 over Sen. Caesar Trunzo. Out of all the downstate races, this is becoming the top pickup for the Democrats. Golisano backing Foley certainly means something.
- There is no endorsement in SD-15, where Democrat Joseph Addabbo will be challenging Republican Sen. Serph Maltese.
- Sen. Darrel Aubertine was endorsed by Golisano over Republican David Renzi. This seat (SD-48) is a target for Republicans, although they did not put up a strong candidate.
Responsible New York will be backing Assembly candidates and those will be announced soon.
|
|
Discuss
:: (16
Comments)
|
|
Fri Aug 22, 2008 at 19:51:16 PM EDT
|
|
There is one more endorsement to add to the 13 endorsements announced earlier today from Tom Golisano's Responsible New York PAC.
David Nachbar, who received another key endorsement from the UAW earlier today, is the 14th candidate to be endorsed by Golisano's PAC.
Golisano PAC Backs Nachbar In Upstate Senate Race
Nachbar has been added to the list of roughly 15 candidates running for the state Legislature that the committee, Responsible New York, has said it will endorse in the November elections.
Nachbar, a former executive at Bausch & Lomb in Rochester, is challenging Sen. James Alesi, R-Perinton, in the 55th District, which covers parts of Rochester and most of eastern Monroe County.
Nachbar's name was being floated as a possible Golisano-backed candidate when this PAC was first announced. Nachbar is taking on Sen. Jim Alesi for the privilege of representing the 55th Senate District.
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
Fri Aug 22, 2008 at 12:36:22 PM EDT
|
|
The first round of endorsements by Tom Golisano and Responsible New York were announced today and the list includes a bi-partisan group of candidates and incumbents.
The list of endorsed candidates:
DEMOCRATS
- SD-25: Sen. Martin Connor
- SD-56: Rick Dollinger
- SD-58: Sen. Bill Stachowski
- SD-59: Kathy Konst (Note: That is her congressional campaign website. I have yet to find a senate site for her.)
- SD-61: Joe Mesi
- AD-144: Barbra Kavanaugh
REPUBLICANS
- SD-7: Barbara Donno
- SD-43: Roy McDonald
- SD-51: Sen. Jim Seward
- SD-57: Sen. Catharine Young
- SD-62: Sen. George Maziarz
- AD-138: Paula Banks-Dahlke
- AD-142: Jane Corwin
So who are they going to be helping out more than the rest?
The organization said it would devote particular energy to helping four candidates in key races: Mr. Connor, who once did legal work for one of Mr. Golisano's campaigns; Mr. Dollinger; Mr. Mesi; and Barbra Kavanaugh, a former member of the Buffalo City Council who is running in the Democratic primary against Assemblyman Sam Hoyt.
The choice of Connor is interesting to me. But this is Tom Golisano and if you are extremely loyal to him, he will return the favor. Based on what I have heard, Golisano and Dollinger actually are friends. That explains that endorsement. The Mesi endorsement was expected, because of Golisano aide Steve Pigeon's connection to the Mesi campaign. Kavanaugh shouldn't be surprising either, not only because of the Pigeon connection but because Golisano has already given her $3,800.
No big surprises on the Republican side. Seward's name was being mentioned in the past as a possible Golisano endorsed candidate. The Donno endorsement is intriguing considering that race, at least to my knowledge, wasn't mentioned in any previous speculation about who Golisano/Responsible New York would endorse. Maziarz and Dahlke all have links to Pigeon (more on that later). Backing McDonald in SD-43 means that Golisano will be helping the GOP take back Joe Bruno's seat.
There is a much larger story for a few of these candidates. I will have more on that later. I am certain more endorsements will be coming. There has been speculation about David Nachbar being endorsed by Golisano and there have been other names mentioned in the past. We'll see what that turns into.
For now though, these are your first 13 Golisano-backed candidates.
|
|
Discuss
:: (3
Comments)
|
|
Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 15:05:49 PM EDT
|
|
Michele Iannello has filed a complaint against Joe Mesi for his connections with Responsible New York which include ties to Steve Pigeon, former Erie County Democratic Party chair and current co-chair for Responsible New York - the committee started by billionaire Tom Golisano to fund political campaigns. One of the campaigns reported to be a possible beneficiary of Golisano's giving was Mesi's, which was in line to receive $1 million from Golisano before Golisano declared that no decisions about giving had been made.
According to a press release sent out by Iannello's campaign, papers have been filed with the New York State Board of Elections, New York State Attorney General's office and the Albany County District Attorney's office.
Iannello laid out the extensive connections and coordination between Mesi and Responsible New York, focused mainly around Steve Pigeon.
Pigeon, who has been a major advisor to Mesi since his campaign began earlier this year and has been authorized to sign checks for the committee, is now the co-chair of Responsible New York. Responsible New York has indicated that it intends to spend up to $1 million dollars on Mesi's behalf. New York State Election Law prohibits the coordination by candidates and independent committees if they intend to spend more than the contribution limits. In the State Senate primary the contribution limit is $6,000.
"I'm not a lawyer, but the law is clear - you can't spend more than the $6,000 on behalf of a candidate if you are coordinating with them - period. It is clear that there has been extensive coordination between Mr. Mesi and a committee that wants to spend $1 million on his behalf," stated Iannello.
Iannello also called on Mesi to answer questions about his association with this group.
"Mr. Mesi needs to look the voters in the eye and tell them whether or not he is going to allow the law to be broken to help him try to win the election. We can't afford any more politics as usual in Albany. Politicians hiding behind "lawyer-speak" to try and justify shady actions is exactly what the voters are sick of," continued Iannello."
Iannello provided supporting documentation which shows the connection between Mesi and Pigeon. According to the committee designation form submitted to the state Board of Elections, "Friends of Mesi" authorized two people (other than the treasurer) to sign checks. One of those people is Steve Pigeon.
Here is a flow chart showing this relationship:
Iannello and her campaign have made a compelling (and strong) case against this. The evidence looks damning. Let's wait and see if this is investigated or not.
|
|
Discuss
:: (3
Comments)
|
|
Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 18:14:58 PM EDT
|
Michele Iannello spoke out today on the Responsible New York PAC that Tom Golisano is starting along with an "unauthorized multi-candidate political committee" and called on her SD-61 Democratic primary opponent Joe Mesi to "decide whether he wishes to serve the voters of Western New York or a Republican billionaire."
Michele M. Iannello, candidate for the 61st State Senate district, denounced the political committee formed by Tom Golisano, saying the contributions violate New York Election Law. Iannello called on the New York State Board of Elections and, the Office of the Attorney General to begin immediate investigations.
Golisano stated that he was depositing a check for $5 million dollars into his political committee, and press reports have said that Golisano would spend up to $1 million on behalf of candidate Joe Mesi. Iannello said that both would be in violation of campaign finance law.
"Just because Mr. Golisano and Mr. Mesi call it reform, doesn't make it so. In fact, it is just the opposite, it is nothing more than politics as usual and Mr. Mesi looks like just another politician with a with a price tag on him," said Iannello.
Golisano might be a Republican but he's not a traditional Republican. The only reason he turned Republican was for a possible gubernatorial run in 2006. That never happened.
That said, Iannello and her campaign have been outspoken on this issue and very critical of Golisano, especially when it comes to the questions of how legal this PAC is.
|
|
Discuss
:: (38
Comments)
|
|
Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 13:51:38 PM EDT
|
|
After watching video of Tom Golisano's press conference announcing his new PAC yesterday, I noticed on the second viewing that he had a banner behind him with a website: www.responsiblenewyork.com - appropriate, considering the name of his PAC is Responsible New York.
So I punch in "www.responsiblenewyork.com" and this is what I encountered:
Phillip has remarked in the past about some of our state senate candidates that are lacking a website. I guess a website address is better than no website at all, but why not put some sort of placeholder up there to tell people that they have landed at the right place?
A few tips for the candidates and other important people of New York as it relates to the Internet.
(1) One of the first things you should (or have your staff do) as a candidate is create a website. Don't wait until it gets closer to election season to do it. As a blogger, I can do my job better if I have a website to give people. That way, we can get to know the candidate better whether we live in the district or not.
(2) If you have a web address reserved, don't just leave the Go Daddy "This page is parked" up there for public consumption. At the very least, put up a placeholder indicating that, in the near future, you will have fully operational website and that this is indeed your official website.
(3) If you have a website, use it. Don't just have a very general website where you don't update anything and just use it to say that you have an online presence. Anyone can have a website, but using it is another story.
Those are my tips. I am accepting donations should you utilize these tips.
|
|
Discuss
:: (2
Comments)
|
|
Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 17:00:09 PM EDT
|
|
As of right now, two candidates who could be impacted by Tom Golisano's money have issued press releases regarding the announcement today about Golisano's PAC, Responsible New York.
First, SD-56 Democratic candidate Rick Dollinger had this to say about Golisano's possible involvement.
"My campaign is about fundamentally changing the way business is done in Albany. For too long, Republicans like Joe Robach have talked the talk but failed to deliver. Our property taxes go up each year, our young people are forced to leave the state to find work, and more and more people are forced to choose between paying the rent and healthcare. To the extent that Tom Golisano agrees with me on these issues, I enthusiastically welcome his support. I think that Tom, like a lot of people, has come to the conclusion that the system we have in Albany is just not working, and that we're overdue for a change."
Dollinger was being mentioned as a beneficiary of Golisano's money with the possibility of Golisano giving up to $1 million to Dollinger. Still, it seems Golisano will hold candidates to his eight-point platform and Dollinger seems to be agreeable to that platform.
Michele Iannello had a different take. Iannello is facing off in a primary with Joe Mesi in SD-61. Iannello released this statement on today's developments.
"This is just more politics as usual. Joe Mesi can't talk about changing Albany if he is going to allow special interests to buy his election. This blatant violation of campaign finance law is just another example of why we need someone in Albany who has fought for real reform. It also highlights the need to reform New York State's weak campaign finance laws, and I intend to announce a package of reforms to stop attempts like this to violate the law."
Iannello's campaign also issued a fact sheet defending their position, arguing that Golisano cannot contribute millions based on election law. Here are examples (from the fact sheet):
I. Tom Golisano Cannot Contribute More Than $150,000 to his "PAC":
The Election Law 14-116
8. Except as may otherwise be provided for a candidate and his family, no person may contribute, loan or guarantee in excess of one hundred fifty thousand dollars within the state in connection with the nomination or election of persons to state and local public offices and party positions within the state of New York in any one calendar year. For the purposes of this subdivision "loan" or "guarantee" shall mean a loan or guarantee which is not repaid or discharged in the calendar year in which it is made.
The full fact sheet is below the fold.
No doubt this will draw mixed reviews. For candidates that will benefit from this, it is huge. For candidates that will be competing against candidates benefiting from Golisano's giving, it is a disadvantage.
More reaction to come. Stay tuned.
|
|
There's More...
:: (2
Comments, 622 words in story)
|
|
Tue Jul 08, 2008 at 12:26:20 PM EDT
|
|
(Kudos to Irene Jay Liu over at CapCon for a great post on this announcement today.)
Irene reports over at CapCon that Tom Golisano will contribute $5 million to his Responsible New York PAC that will be given to candidates who are in line or close to in line with an eight-point platform. The platform is the following (from Irene's post):
The 8-point platform:
* Responsible budgets (budget increases limited to the rate of inflation)
* End to unfunded mandates
* Property tax reform
* Campaign and election reform (including redistricting reform)
* Government employee compensation commiserate with private sector
* Equitable distribution of economic development resources statewide
* Government transparency
* End back door borrowing
Very basic platform. The fourth point is an irony itself, considering the money that Golisano will be dishing out.
Golisano's PAC was announced last week by The Capitol. It has been said that he will give to Western New York candidates like Rick Dollinger (SD-56), Kathy Konst (SD-59) and Joe Mesi (SD-61). However, at today's press conference, he said that no endorsements have been made.
* Golisano didn't rule out another gubernatorial run: "I think about it every day. But not now."
* He's spoken with Kathy Konst, "Baby Joe" Mesi, and Rick Dollinger - all Democratic challengers to Republican incumbent senators - but he emphasized that no decisions have been made about endorsements. He wouldn't say that he wanted to see the Republican Senate majority overturned.
* He said he would be supporting Democrats, Republicans, independents, Independence candidates, anyone who would follow the platform."It depends on who they are and what their philosophy is."
* He hasn't spoken with either Sheldon Silver's primary challengers, Luke Henry and Paul Newell, but he was heavily critical about the power that leadership has over individual legislators.
* He maintains that his project is entirely legal, and his spokesman Steve Pigeon said he doesn't anticipate any legal challenges. However, there are nuances of his proposed PAC that don't coincide with the Board of Elections rules.
* Golisano maintains that the work that is being done by the PAC will be entirely independent of the campaigns. The PAC will be sending out questionnaires to all candidates and based on their responses, and possibly interviews, the PAC will decide whether to work to support them. Golisano said that all of these activities would jive with election law, but how exactly that reconciles with the election law against coordination isn't yet clear.
The aforementioned Pigeon will co-chair the PAC along with Laureen Oliver, the former state Independence Party chairwoman. Pigeon's involvement could be called into question if money is given to Mesi considering it is fairly well-known in local circles that Pigeon is behind Mesi's candidacy.
We'll see how this PAC plays out and who gets the big money. It will be interesting to see if Golisano adds more money to this fund.
|
|
Discuss
:: (1
Comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
