Quote of the Day
<b>“Unless
you out-and-out stick it in your pocket and walk away, everything’s
legal.”</b><br>
--Spokesman for the New York State Board of Elections<br>
<br>
Ethics programs are worthless if the laws are worthless, and if the
enforcement bodies are politicized and toothless. Yesterday the
New York <i>Times</i> ran a full-length <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/opinion/19mon1.html">editorial</a>
about the need for a culture change in New York's state government. The
editorial refers to an "inbred system [that] allows so many lawmakers to abuse
the public trust," something familiar to those who follow local
governments. This editorial pulls together a number of familiar
problems and offers equally familiar solutions.<br>
<br>
The first section is entitled "Albany Needs Adult Supervision." In 2007
the commission on lobbying was merged with the ethics commission,
apparently to get rid of the lobbying commission executive director,
who was doing his job too well. Then a gubernatorially appointed ethics
commission director was caught passing information to the governor. The
<i>Times</i> calls for independent monitoring.<br>
<br>
Tighter campaign finance laws need to be paired with tighter
enforcement. "One assemblywoman has been fined 63 times for not filing
any campaign contribution data for over a decade." The <i>Times</i> calls for
public campaign financing.<br>
<br>
Budget details are state secrets. The <i>Times</i> calls for a completely
transparent budget.<br>
<br>
The editorial goes on to deal with other issues, such as gerrymandering.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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