Rochester Democrat & Chronicle Guest Essay: New York Assembly minority will work to enact tough ethics laws
Brian M. Kolb • Guest essayist
“New York state must have the strongest ethics laws in our nation.”
This is what I said was our ultimate goal during a press conference in Albany several weeks ago, announcing a new, bipartisan ethics package the Assembly and Senate would pass and did pass.
I also said the issue of ethics reform had to be above politics. The fact that I appeared with Democrats in support of the ethics package was a surprise to some. It should not have been.
The day my colleagues elected me leader, I said that when we could, wherever we could, our Assembly Republican Conference would work with anyone committed to advancing public policies that improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.
That is exactly what we have done because taxpayers deserve real solutions, not partisan finger pointing or Albany’s blame game.
While the bill we passed was not perfect, it was a significant improvement over the current ethics rules and thus a good step in the right direction.
It expanded disclosure of outside income for state officials, strengthened oversight of ethics and campaign finance laws, addressed the reporting of independent expenditures in political campaigns and established an independent oversight body for each branch of state government.
Never was this legislation said to be the “end” of ethics reform.
Our conference and I will work with anyone and support any bill — whether it takes small or large steps — that improves what is currently in place and brings us closer to our state government having the country’s toughest ethics laws.
Now, due to the governor’s veto, ethics reform is stuck in legislative limbo.
Instead of having an improved ethics reform initiative, we now have nothing. The governor, Assembly and Senate should commit to immediate, public negotiations on ethics reform.
Bring the debate and discussion out from behind closed doors, open it to the media and broadcast it on television and the Internet so every New Yorker knows where their representative stands regarding ethics reform.
All the posturing and partisanship that has derailed ethics reform is another reason why people are so fed up with Albany and why I am advocating for a “People’s Convention to Reform New York.”
A People’s Convention is a non-partisan, grassroots effort to empower taxpayers to take their state government back.
I introduced non-partisan legislation (Assembly Bill A9157) that would let New Yorkers decide this fall whether we should convene such a convention and finally move forward with the real reform state government clearly needs.
Go to www.reformny.org to learn more.
Kolb, of Canandaigua, is Assembly minority leader.
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