The Peru Gazette

Capitol Confidential » Common Cause’s ‘Moreland Monday’ brings an update.

Speaking of the influence of “Soft Money” in NY politics Common Cause concludes:

“It’s obvious to Common Cause/NY that housekeeping accounts are a back door for big dollar special interests to give unlimited sums of cash for campaign purposes: a direct violation of the campaign finance law. Armed with only their constitutional right to vote and a change purse by comparison, New Yorkers deserve to know what $98 million buys for Bloomberg, Verizon, SEIU 1199, Wal-Mart and others. The Moreland Commission should take a hard look at the expenditures from housekeeping accounts at both the state and county levels,” said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY.

“New York State’s campaign finance laws are full of holes, and this report shows the incredible amount of money pouring through,” said Jesse Laymon of Citizen Action of New York, speaking on behalf of the Fair Elections campaign. “The Moreland Commission can only address these failures with a complete overhaul of the system, and a shift to publicly financed elections.”