The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court ruled late Thursday that a lower court erred in deciding that Powers, Kryzan's former rival for the Democratic nomination for the seat, must stay on the Working Families line even though he had moved to Washington, D.C., to take a job there.
"In the absence of evidence to the contrary, Powers's letters to the Board and his concomitant submission of an out-of-state driver's license and lease agreement conclusively establish his intention to establish residency outside of this state," the appeals court said.
That disqualifies Powers from the ballot -- giving the Working Families Party the right to name Kryzan its candidate, the court said.
"Given that a vacancy was created by Powers's disqualification, the Board [of Elections] was obliged to accept the WFP's certificate of nomination and authorization naming Kryzan" as its candidate, the court said.
This is the right decision. I know people expressed concern about military ballots and absentee ballots, but in reality the most votes come via voters on Election Day who go to the polls. I believe the appellate court made the right call here.
UPDATE: The Kryzan campaign issued a press release on this decision today. Anne Wadsworth, a Kryzan campaign spokesperson, had this to say about the decision:
"Alice is proud to have the support of the Working Families Party, of Jon Powers, and of voters across this district who want a new direction for Western New York's economy," said spokesperson Anne Wadsworth. "Despite Chris Lee and the Republican machine's attempts to block Alice's name from appearing on the Working Families Party ballot line, today's ruling will allow voters to have a clear choice when they vote on Tuesday."
I agree. It is only right (and fair) that Kryzan gets the WFP line since Lee was handed the Independence Party line in a shady deal.
"We're ecstatic. Alice Kryzan is the candidate who'll stand up for the issues that matter to working families in Washington, so it's only appropriate that she should be on the Working Families Party ballot line. Now, Western New Yorkers can cast a vote for real progressive change by pulling the Working Families lever for Alice."
Democrats are on the ascent, nationally and in states like ours, where the decades-old Republican stranglehold on Albany may finally be broken in less than one week.
If the Democrats are victorious, then the real battle will begin: how do we hold them accountable to progressive values against the enormous pressure they will face to play it safe?
As you may well know, they've led many of the big battles over the last ten years, from raising the minimum wage to putting paid family leave on the map, to fighting for affordable healthcare for all, public transportation, and most recently taking on Mayor Bloomberg's extremely undemocratic plan to extend term limits without a public vote.
In late September, Anthony Fumerelle, who was then running for Congress in the 26th congressional district on the Independence Party line, was nominated for a judgeship - in Queens. Of course, no one saw anything wrong with that. That freed up the Independence Party line. The Independence Party didn't contact Alice Kryzan, who was riding high after an upset victory in the Democratic primary. Instead, the Independence Party gave their line to Republican Chris Lee.
At the time, I saw a lot wrong with how easy it was for Fumerelle to get nominated and within moments, it seemed, Lee was able to get on the line.
Compare that with today's announcement that Jon Powers will remain on the Working Families Party line, robbing Kryzan of a minor party line of her own. By all accounts, Lee's awarding of the IP line went without incident. However, when the WFP line was going to be awarded to Kryzan, the Republicans decided to create a scene and challenge that.
Here are the facts:
(A) Jon Powers no longer lives in New York. The judge in this case admits that, but also contends that Powers living in Washington only means that he will not be in New York on Election Day. What? If a person no longer has a residency in New York, how can you make such a contention? It's not as if he had dual residencies. He's in D.C. now. That's where he is living.
(B) The judge also made this argument: "However, upon his nomination, he accepted the nomination. He did not decline the nomination, nor were there any challenges to his nomination." I believe the same could be said for Fumerelle, am I correct? Upon his nomination, he accepted the nomination. He did not decline it. The deal to get him off the ballot didn't take place until 16 days after Primary Day. So why doesn't the court review that as well?
(C) Bob McCarthy of the News says that this is a blow to Kryzan. I don't think it is. Late last month, Powers was only polling at five percent. I can't imagine he's polling any better now. In fact, I'm sure his numbers have dropped. Even with his name on the ballot, I can't see too many people voting for him. Unless, of course, they want to waste their vote.
(D) Lastly, this is what the Republicans wanted. Yes, Powers isn't polling well and will be a non-factor. But they know that people will vote for Powers. If the race is close, that could mean Powers serves as a spoiler, helping Lee. This decision only helps the GOP and Chris Lee. This decision does rob voters of the 26th district from having another line to support Alice Kryzan on.
This is an absurd decision and the rationale given by the judge for her decision boggles my mind. Nevertheless, we will push forward and I urge fellow citizens of the 26th district to vote for Alice Kryzan on the Democratic line. This is the kind of politics Tom Reynolds and Chris Lee adhere to. Let's keep Chris Lee away from Washington D.C. We don't need another Tom Reynolds. We need new, responsible leadership from a true progressive. That candidate is Alice Kryzan.
UPDATE: Here is the story from The Buffalo News on the decision to keep Jon Powers on the WFP line and keep Alice Kryzan off the WFP line:
A judge ruled today that Jon Powers must remain on the ballot as the candidate of the Working Families Party in next week's 26th District congressional election, dealing a major blow to Democrat Alice J. Kryzan's hope of securing an additional line.
Acting State Supreme Court Justice Kimberly A. O'Connor in Albany ruled that Working Families' attempt to substitute Kryzan for Powers after Powers moved out of state to Washington did not meet election law requirements.
"Powers has placed the Working Families Party in the position of having an absentee candidate on the ballot for the election that is to occur in just a few days," O'Connor wrote. "However, upon his nomination, he accepted the nomination. He did not decline the nomination, nor were there any challenges to his nomination.
"The time for such challenges has long passed," she added. "While Powers has chosen employment that currently has him working outside the State of New York, the law does not provide for a mechanism to have his name taken off the ballot at this late date."
This is the initial response from the campaign on this decision:
"This is nothing more than the Republican machine's attempt to make a mockery of the Democratic process. Jon Powers is not a candidate for Congress, he does not live in the state of New York and therefore by state law is ineligible to appear on the ballot. Clearly Republicans are struggling to come up with a winning message and are therefore playing Karl Rove-like antics in an attempt to steal the election. Alice got into this campaign because she believes that with new leadership we can bring jobs and prosperity back to Western New York. Republicans can play all the political games and use all the smear tactics they want, but we are confident that come November 4th Western New York will see through the mud and elect Alice Kryzan because she represents the positive change we need with integrity and independence."
The good folks at the Working Families Party are launching a mail campaign in support of endorsed challengers Eric Massa and Dan Maffei. The campaign is also part of their effort to urge people to vote for progressive candidates, from the top of the ticket on down, on Row E, the WFP line and to "Vote Change Like You Mean It." It's a campaign you'll surely be hearing more about in the next two weeks.
On November 4th, New Yorkers have a chance to do more than just vote for change. By voting for Obama on the Working Families ballot line - "Row E" - they can send a powerful message for universal healthcare, an end to war in Iraq, and for an economy that works for all us. It's a way to "Vote Change Like You Mean It."
As Katrina Vanden Heuvel put it recently in The Nation:
Some of us support Obama with unalloyed enthusiasm, while others regard his victory as essential simply to avoid the catastrophe of another four years of Republican rule. But all of us know that the real work doesn't end with a new administration in Washington. It will be more urgent than ever to organize locally and build a clear alternative to the neoliberal consensus that has dominated both parties. By supporting Obama and the Congressional Democrats on the Working Families Party line, New Yorkers can begin that work now. We urge our New York readers, and other readers with friends in the state, to spread the word on the value of voting Working Families - Row E - once again this November.
It's a message with particular resonance in Western New York, a place where working families have been besieged for decades and a real battleground for a number of really hot races up and down the ticket. Voting for progressive candidates on Row E says to the pols that you had better be putting working people first.
Today the Working Families Party launched a new site, It's Our Decision and came out strongly against the plan of the Mayor and the City Council to use the Mayor's popularity and the anxiety of the economic crisis to subvert the oft expressed will of the very voters they were elected to represent. from the site:
In 1993, New Yorkers overwhelmingly voted for terms limits - two four-year terms for elected officials in New York City. In 1996, New Yorkers voted again to keep keep term limits, and keep them at just two terms.
No matter how you feel about term limits, one thing is clear: it's our decision, not the politicians. If they want to change term limits, it should be done the fair way, by asking the voters' permission.
But a new bill introduced in the City Council would do just the opposite. The bill would ignore the voters and give politicians a third term (the same politicians who will vote on it).
WFP head Dan Cantor does not mince words in this just released statement:
"This is a power grab, plain and simple and the members of the New York City Council should reject it" said Dan Cantor, the WFP's Executive Director. "If New Yorkers want to extend term limits, Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council should allow voters to make that choice."
"According to our city's media elites- three men in a room is unacceptable in Albany. But apparently three publishers in a room superimposing their will over the will of the people is just dandy."
"This is not about where you stand on term limits or even whether or not you think Mike Bloomberg has been a good Mayor. This is about the rules of the game and the fact that in our democracy you don't get to change them at the end of the fourth quarter just because your team wants to keep playing," said Cantor.
"Itsourdecision.org is an effort to let the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are appalled by this power grab log on and make their voices heard. The media and business elite in this town want to shut out the voices of regular voters. The rooms might not be smoke filled anymore, but Murdoch, Zuckerman, Sulzberger and Bloomberg are trying to create the twenty first century's Tammany Hall. Today we are saying no and encouraging all New Yorkers who believe their democracy belongs to them to log on, stand up and be counted."
The union backed party's Executive Committee recently voted to reject the legislation expected to be introduced by the City Council to override two previous voter referendums and allow the Mayor Bloomberg and sitting Council people to run for third terms. In the coming days and weeks the WFP will be working aggressively with its members to make sure the voices of regular New Yorkers are heard in this debate.
"The Working Families Party has always been about 'small d' democracy-and there's no reason a democratic vote was good enough before, but suddenly isn't. We know the grassroots power of ordinary people, and we will be unleashing that voice to tell these leaders that New Yorkers will not be steamrolled," added Cantor.
There are many reasons to like the WFP. The fact that they seem to be finally embracing web based organizing in addition to their excellent on the ground efforts, especially in the service of this particular cause, is yet another. Well done.
Efforts are under way to make Democrat Alice J. Kryzan the new candidate of the Working Families Party in the 26th Congressional District, giving her another line on the ballot in her campaign against Republican Christopher J. Lee.
James A. Duncan, chairman of the Erie County Working Families Party, said today he expects Kryzan to take over the line because previous candidate Jon Powers has moved out of state. While the State Board of Elections in Albany has not yet received notification from Powers, Duncan said he expects it to arrive soon.
"This certainly is an additional plus for Alice," he said. "We hope to have this wrapped up by the end of the day."
One of, if not the, biggest winner in last week's primary was the Working Families Party, the little party that can. I believe that with the exception of Jon Powers, all their candidates won, including the biggest upset of the night, Dan Squadron. Back in the spring, WFP leader Dan Cantor told me that they saw the Squadron/Connor race as the most important in the state, at least as far as the primaries went. WFP worked that race hard and the results show that when they mean business, they get results. Add to that their efforts in the special election wins in SD-7 and SD-48. They have been able to really mobilize folks on the ground in such races and have earned a whole hell of a lot of respect. They've come a long, long way in 10 short years and they have every reason to celebrate. They have real influence and real juice. Should be a great night.
The speakers will include Speaker Sheldon Silver, Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, Comptrollers Bill Thompson and Tom DiNapoli, and Speaker Christine Quinn.
The details:
Thursday, September 18, 2008 - Cocktails: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm
The Sheraton New York - 811 7th Avenue (between 51st & 52nd)
Honorees:
Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org Political Action
Andrea Batista Schlesinger, Drum Major Institute
Roger Toussaint, TWU Local 100
Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers
Tonight there were more than a few surprises at the ballot box. The Senate's longest-serving incumbent, Martin Connor was beaten by progressive newcomer, Dan Squadron. Alice Kyrzan took atvantage of the Davis-Powers mudfight to pull a Kerry in Iowa. Incubents Ed Towns and Sheldon Silver won their re-election bids by roughly 2-1. And happily, Bronx Senator Efrain Gonzalez, who is facing federal corruption charges, was defeated by fomer Councilman Pedro Espada Jr.
As I have been covering the AD-64 race with the most interest, here are a few observations. First off, Shelly does have a Republican opponent, and let me say that I wholehartedly endorse him against his Republican opponent. While we Democrats have the privilege of being picky in our primaries, even the worst Democrats are better than even the best Republicans any day. Vote Sheldon Silver in November.
Secondly, I am hoping Shelly can learn from this primary fight. Shelly had a roughly 30-1 cash advantage against his opponents, and more importantly, he had the backing of the WFP and every union that decided to endorse in that race. He also had almost every member of the Assembly and their staffs pounding the payment, taxpayer-funded constituent mailers, and $7 million worth of pork to slather his district with. Newell had 40 volunteers, zero endorsements by any elected officials, and an office rented in a dance studio. Shelly also had the downtown Democratic clubs and there were people handing out pro-Shelly literature on virtually every corner of that district today. And still 1/3 of the Democrats in his district cast votes against him. Shelly did about 10 points better than Martin Connor did in 2006 (who was facing a much better financed opponent), and we know what happened to Connor tonight.
To his credit, after Shelly's leadership was challenged from within his caucus in 2002, he got the message and changed his behavior afterwards. Let's hope he draws the same lessons from today. If he actually starts passing rules reform in his house and works with out soon-to-be Democratic Senate to pass campaign finance reform and redistricting reform, it will be because of this courageous primary challenge by Paul Newell. And let me say also, that if Shelly does these things, I will stop railing against him on a daily basis on this blog. But he has to do those things first.
On another note, the real winner tonight was the WFP. I don't think they lost a single race where they endorsed. Very impressive.
And finally, I am looking forward to having a real reformer going to Albany in January by the name of Dan Squadron. For a challenger to beat the former minority leader by almost 10 points is almost hard to describe in its impressiveness. With a victory like this, Albany will have to take notice of Squadron's 11-point plan for reform, which includes Clean Money Clean Elections, redistricting reform, and rules reform. I'm looking forward to Squadron taking this plan forward with the same force as did in his enormously successful campaign.
So celebrate tonight everyone, because we live in a democracy where we can have these discussions in public without fear of government retribiution. Even if your candidate lost, you can't argue with the voters having their say.
This was one of the top targeted races for the WFP this year and they busted their asses on it. They are pretty happy with the results of their efforts. Via email:
Working Families Party Celebrates Squadron's Upset Victory in Senate Primary
Party Plays Major Roll as Progressive Newcomer Defeats 30-year Incumbent
New York - The Working Families Party (WFP) today cheered the victory of Daniel Squadron's insurgent campaign for State Senate, hailing the upset over incumbent Sen. Martin Connor as a huge boost for progressive causes in Albany.
Daniel Squadron is a true progressive who has got the energy and the leadership we need to shake up Albany," said Dan Cantor, the WFP's Executive Director. "We poured our hearts into this race. We knocked on tens of thousands of doors and energized hundreds of volunteers. This was exciting grassroots politics at its best."
"Together, we were able to join with Daniel to excite thousands of New Yorkers with the bold notion that politicians need to do more than talk. They need to find real solutions to problems facing working families trying to make ends meet as the economy sours and cost of living goes up and up," Cantor added.
The Working Families Party lent 5 full-time staff to work for Squadron's election, played a leadership role in the campaign's field operation, and helped devise campaign strategy. Over the course of the campaign, WFP canvassers, members, and volunteers, knocked on over 40,000 doors, identifying more than 4,000 Squadron supporters. Hundreds more WFP staff, members, and volunteers, helped turnout the vote this past weekend and on Election Day.
The Working Families Party's renowned field operation has helped push insurgent State Senate candidates over the top before, playing big roles in Sen. Darrel Aubertine's shocking upset in a heavily Republican district (SD 48) in the North Country this past February and in Craig Johnson's successful campaign to become the only Senate Democrat on Long Island (SD 7) in 2007.
The WFP will deploy its field staff and activate its base of supporters in key State Senate races across New York from now until November as it helps Democrats take back control of the body for the first time in a generation.
Yesterday we reported on the minor party ballot line shenanigans in SD-7, where two parties, the Working Families Party and the local Independence Party both wanted Freshman Senator Craig Jonson on their lines only to end up with Johnson off the WFP line and with challenger Barbara Donno taking the Indy line at the insistence of the state Indys. WFP chief Dan Cantor released this statement late yesterday afternoon:
"Senate Republicans used the courts to circumvent the democratic process and the will of Working Families Party members in the 7th Senate District."
"Senator Johnson has been a champion of middle and working class values, and has worked tirelessly to make sure that their issues and concerns are heard in Albany. No matter what line his name will be on in November, he will continue to have the support of the Working Families Party, and more importantly, the support of the hard-working men and women in his district."
"We have no doubt that Craig Johnson will be re elected to the State Senate."
More fun with minor party ballot lines in the 7th. Liz is reporting that the Appellate Division 2nd Judicial Department has ruled unanimously that freshman Senator Craig Johnson will be kept off the Working Families line. This is ironic in that the WFP is a big reason why Johnson is a Senator today and they endorsed him again 2008. The court also ruled that his challenger, Barbara Donno, will keep the Independence Party line even though the local IP has endorsed Johnson as well.
The beginning of the letter can be found below with the rest of the letter appearing over the fold.
Tax Cap Proponents Underestimate Risk to Schools, Overestimate New York's Similarities to Massachusetts
By Karen Scharff
Massachusetts' Tax Cap Has Hurt Public Schools, and Increased Disparities in Education
Averages alone don't tell the whole story. When state aid in Massachusetts has faltered, communities across the state have had to make cutbacks to schools and other local services in order to keep their spending below the cap. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report "Hidden Consequences: Lessons from Massachusetts for States Considering a Property Tax Cap" gives dozens of recent examples.
That's because a tax cap doesn't help schools lower their costs, or pay for them when they increase beyond the rate of inflation. If state aid doesn't make up the difference, a cap makes cutback's inevitable.
Equally troubling, wealthy communities in Massachusetts have had far more success than middle class communities in overriding their tax caps to pay for crucial public services. That's meant a widening gap in the size of local budgets and spending on public goods. The commission's fact sheet ignores this trend, saying communities in Massachusetts have vaguely "found efficiencies."
Averages also hide the reality of school funding differences in NY and Massachusetts. While New York has the largest spending gap between rich and poor districts of any state in the country, Massachusetts has the second fairest distribution of funding in the country, and actually spends more per pupil in districts with higher poverty. A tax cap will widen that gap if the state doesn't make up the funds lost due to the cap.
The rest of the letter is over the fold.
The Commission on Property Tax Relief has a fact sheet that tries to make a positive argument for the property tax cap.
This is a big debate here in New York. Some of the most prominent Democrats support the property tax cap, including Governor David Paterson. And yet, the Senate Republicans - the group most vulnerable in this year's elections - are also behind the property tax cap. So there is bi-partisan support for a property tax cap.
That said, most Senate Democrats opposed the property tax cap and the Working Families Party has been vehemently opposed to a property tax cap.
You can see an example of the direct mail piece here.
From the WFP:
Yesterday, the WFP and the Alliance for Quality Education announced a joint $1.5 million TV ad campaign against the Paterson proposal. The TV ad can also be viewed at www.realtaxsolutions.org. It is on the air in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse.
The mailers carry a simple message: "Governor Paterson's tax cap scheme will hurt our schools" - written five times on a classroom blackboard on the front, and "Tell Albany to VOTE NO on Governor Paterson's tax scheme" on the back.
As the mailer goes on to explain, "Property taxes are a very serious problem, but hurting schools is the wrong answer."
Dan Cantor, WFP executive director said, "We're asking 200,000 families to tell their legislators that their children's schools are more important than a gimmick that won't even reduce their property taxes."
The rest of the mailer says: "They tried this scheme in California, Massachusetts and Illinois and the consequences were devastating. The gimmick led to billions of dollars in education cuts, overcrowded classrooms and fired teachers. And here in New York, Paterson's scheme won't even cut our property taxes."
The mailers to each of the ten targeted districts urge voters to call their State Assemblymember - phone number provided - and tell their legislator to "Vote NO on Paterson's Tax Cap Scheme."
I am perplexed by the labeling of this property tax cap as "Paterson's Tax Cap Scheme." It is not Paterson who is using this for his own political gain in an election year. That distinction goes to the Republicans who have used your tax dollars to push the property tax cap to constituents. I agree with the WFP that the property tax cap is bad and that we should be going against this. But I believe it is counterproductive to pin this all on Paterson.
Everyone knows times are tough. If you could a little extra this month, the Working Families Party is hiring for the upcoming primary on September 9th.
Are you interested in working on interesting and exciting electoral campaigns this month? Help us regain control of the NYS Senate and elect more progressive democrats to the Assembly.
Who: You
What: NYS Primaries
When: starting Thursday August, 14 to Tuesday September 9
Where: Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan
Why: we need a more progressive and responsible government in Albany
Election Day is fast approaching, and if you have time to join the fight, the WFP has paid positions available.
We have the chance to send real progressive leaders to Albany, but we need your help!
If you or anybody you know is interested, please contact me ASAP!
I can assure you that they'll work you hard. That's just the way they roll, if you know what i mean. But, you'll also probably learn plenty from an organization that has a really, really good ground operation and they'll pay you better than you might expect.
You remember the "North Shore Committee for Truth", don't you? It's the Republican Senate Campaign Committee funded astroturf entity that I wrote about last summer that sprang up shortly after Craig Johnson won the SD-7 special election. The website for the "committee" now seems to be defunct (what did they spend the $5K Bruno gave them on anyway?), but the woman who is at least nominally behind that effort, one Christine A. Nagy (or Christine A. Imrie, depending on what documents you are looking at) is also the woman behind the apparently successful (for now, anyway) effort to keep Johnson off the WFP line this November. Spin Cycle has the goods:
The court case that has knocked Sen. Craig Johnson off the Working Families Party ballot line was brought by a Republican resident of Westbury whose address is also that of a now-you-see-it-now-you-don't civic "committee" -- which sent out letters attacking Johnson shortly after he was elected last year.
Senate GOP Majority Leader Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre has made no secret of his special desire to unseat Johnson, the only Democrat in Long Island's 9-member Senate delegation. The Senate Republican Campaign Committee donated $5,000 last year to the North Shore Committee for Truth, whose treasurer was listed as Christine A. Nagy.
Records show Nagy, 35, is registered to vote under that name, and did so in 2007, but on other records is Christine A. Imrie, who made the successful application to challenge Johnson's petitions. Meanwhile the "truth" committee's Web site, active a year ago, seems to have gone off-line, though you can see some of the content by clicking this Google-cached item. Phone numbers that are listed under both of the petitioner's names seem to be disconnected.
Just in case this tactic didn't work, Nassau Republicans also sent out one Patrick Lilavois to collect petition signatures for a WFP candidacy that only ever existed as a means for denying Johnson the ballot line.
Meanwhile, the earlier gambit by which Patrick Lilavois, also of Westbury, gathered 44 signatures for the WFP line -- with help from North Hempstead Republicans -- seems to have paid off for the GOP as a tactical move. If a party member signs two candidate petitions, only the first one counts. In some cases, Lilavois got to the doors of party members first, helping Johnson's foes' efforts to winnow down his number of valid signatures and thus aid the prospects of keeping him off the WFP line. Some earlier partisan analysis from the Johnson side is here.
The two groups issued a joint press release announcing the ad campaign:
It will air starting today on a mix of broadcast and cable stations in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse, and run through August 19th, the day the State Assembly returns for a special session. The cost of the ad buy is approximately $1.5 million.
"Governor Paterson's tax cap will hurt school kids all around New York state," said Billy Easton, AQE executive director. "This kind of gimmick has devastated public education in other states. Similar schemes in California, Illinois and Massachusetts led to overcrowded classrooms, teacher lay-offs and severe cuts in education funding. We spent 15 years debating the need for a statewide solution to the school funding crisis for school districts large and small, we can't risk undoing the promise of quality education with a tax cap policy that has failed in other states."
"Governor Paterson's proposal doesn't even actually reduce property taxes," said Bertha Lewis, WFP co-chair. "A tax cap only limits the rate at which property rates can go up. Another proposal - the called a 'circuit breaker' - that is supported by many members of the State Assembly would cut taxes for most working and retired families."
"We need to keep our schools strong to ensure that we can produce more skilled workers and keep those that are already here from moving to other states. In a highly competitive economy our education system must be top notch in order to attract and keep good jobs here. An economic downturn is not the time to cut investments in education," said Glynda Carr, executive director of Education Voters of New York, an advocacy group that also opposes the Governor's plan.
It is interesting to note, as Liz mentioned earlier, that the WFP and AQE do not target the 38 senators that voted for a tax cap, including Democrats that have enjoyed WFP support in the past.
"New York is in an economic crisis and clearly we need to tighten our belt. But there's no way on God's green earth that we can cut our way out of the budget gap. We cannot balance the budget, bail out the MTA, provide property tax relief to the middle class and protect critical priorities like smaller class size and prescription drugs for seniors only by trimming the fat. Period.
The Governor needs to educate New Yorkers about how we got in this mess. The economic downturn is real, but it's equally true that for the past 25 years, New York State has cut the tax rate on the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers by more than 50%. Our top marginal tax rate is now lower than in California, New Jersey and ten other states. If we had merely kept in place the high income tax surcharge from 2003 we'd be well on our way to solving the state's budget problems. You can't give away the store without ending up in a hole in hard times.
Finally the Governor needs to be honest about spending. It's high because we - all of us -- decided that we wanted to have smaller schools and lower class size. We instituted universal Pre-K, so New Yorkers everywhere would be able to give their children the head start they need. And we expanded healthcare coverage for thousands of New York's children. That's why spending is up. And that's what we're going to have to put on the chopping block if the Governor plans to balance this budget through cuts alone."
One of the key points is the tax cuts for the wealthiest New Yorkers. Why should we be cutting taxes for one percent of the population when the middle class citizens of New York have to pick up the tab and are struggling to get by in this state.
A chapter in David Sirota's new book highlights something New York needs to catch on to. The chapter focuses on Montana and the tax fight in that state's Legislature. One of the big things that Democrats were able to take the lead on was the tax breaks given to out-of-state corporations. We need to do the same thing here by reforming the Empire Zone program. Also, Democrats need to take the lead in calling for tax cuts on the middle class and increasing the taxes affecting millionaires. They can afford to pay more. We can't.
(Note: I got a little overzealous with the term "publicly financed elections" and so on. What I intended was the term "campaign finance reform." If Golisano does indeed support publicly financed elections, I will acknowledge that. All I know is that he supports campaign finance reform. His support for publicly funded elections will be determined.)
Politics makes strange bedfellows, and the strangest pairing to come down the pike in a while is probably that of Tom Golisano and the Working Families Party. I'm not sure they even know it, but these two have one thing in common, and together they are poised to make a huge impact on New York State politics.
I'm talking about campaign finance reform, or better yet - "public financing of elections. (PFE)" If there's one reform that could change the way the public views and participates in politics, it's PFE.
In June, the Assembly passed a bill sponsored by Speaker Sheldon Silver called 2010 Campaign Finance Reform Act. It was pushed very, very hard by the WFP. It would establish a PFE system for the entire state similar to the "matching system" in place in New York City. It also has some aspects of the "clean money" grants system in place in Connecticut. All in all, it's a terrific piece of legislation and Silver deserves credit for investing time and effort in getting it passed. It still needs a little renovation before becoming law (in part because of the Supreme Court ruling on the "Millionaire's Amendment"), but it's an exceedingly strong foundation upon which to build.
What does this have to do with Tom Golisano? The big news this week was the announcement of his plan to put $5 million of his personal fortune behind candidates of his liking, potentially including several key Democratic challengers from upstate like Rick Dollinger (SD-56), Kathy Konst (SD-59), and Joe Mesi (SD-61). Other candidates will be considered if they align themselves with a platform supported by Golisano.
That platform Golisano is pushing an eight-point program under the banner of "Responsible New York." These points include property tax reform and government transparency. But the most important aspect of the Golisano proposal is his support for campaign finance and election reform.
The irony there is that Golisano is a billionaire who has his own corporation (PayChex) and owns the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. Money, one would argue, is his most powerful tool. Yet, he supports campaign finance reform. His support, considering his stature, could be just what the public financing movement needs to boost their cause.
It isn't clear yet which of Golisano's eight issues he'll decide to focus on if his investment pays off and the Democrats do take back the Senate. But if the Democrats do take power, it would mean that two important aspects of their victory -- the grassroots, on-the-ground campaign work (of the WFP) and the money (from Golisano) - would carry a strong PFE message. Combined, it will encourage the Senate Democrats to join the Assembly and pass a groundbreaking public financing bill.
We need public financing of elections in this state. The Working Families Party sees it. Tom Golisano hopefully sees it. Both sides can come together. Maybe Golisano and the WFP could come together on other issues like a circuit breaker for property tax reform. But in the mean time, Golisano and the WFP could make a formidable team and make public financing of elections a reality in New York.
Yesterday, the Working Families Party sent out an e-mail entitled, "End of an Era." In that e-mail, the WFP talked about the possibilities that await New York in November. In New York, we could go from six Republican congressmen down to two. Also, we could see a Democratic majority in the New York State Senate.
So how does this relate to the WFP? In their e-mail, the WFP talked about how, when they were first founded in 1998, there was a Republican governor, ten of New York's congressional representatives were Republicans and Republicans had a 10 seat majority in the State Senate.
Calling the State Senate "an obstacle to reforms," the WFP said that the Republican Senate "stood against" them on issues that are important to the Working Families Party: Fair taxes, paid family leave, public financing of elections, etc.
Towards the end of the e-mail, the WFP asks for a contribution while also adding this sentence: That's why the Working Families Party exists. We've helped whittle the ranks of Republican State Senators and Congressmen to get to exactly this point - where we can pull, push, prod, and yank Democrats to make sure they keep the promises they've made to working people.
I had the opportunity to ask WFP Executive Director Dan Cantor a few questions and he had about their goals and endorsements this year. He had Dan Levitan, the communications guru at WFP, answer the questions for him. Here is that (short) question-and-answer session.
QUESTION: The WFP endorsed candidates for Assembly and Senate seats. How does the WFP see these candidates furthering the WFP agenda in Albany and creating a state government that does stand for the middle and working class citizens of New York?
ANSWER: Some of the candidates the WFP has endorsed are truly great on the issues that matter to working people - they're leaders, they push issues, they wouldn't back down when push comes to shove. Others of course are simply the best candidate for working people in that particular race. But both the thousands of voters who choose to "vote their values" on the WFP ballot line and the field and organizing work the WFP does in priority elections has given us a modest, but real amount of power to advocate for progressive legislation in Albany. Over the years, that's meant a two-dollar an hour raise in the minimum wage (affecting over one million New Yorkers), the defeat of budget cuts in healthcare and education on multiple occasions, and collective bargaining rights for 50,000 home-based childcare workers, to name a few.
I'm talking about campaign finance reform, or better yet - "public financing of elections. (PFE)" If there's one reform that could change the way the public views and participates in politics, it's PFE.
In June, the Assembly 
