Albany - After US District Attorney Preet Bharara's indictments of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's confidants Joseph Percoco and President Alain Kaloyeros of SUNY Poly, the Green Party of New York called on the Governor to bring the legislature back into session to pass strict ethics reform laws. These reforms include: closing the LLC loophole, a ban on all campaign donations from state contractors (like Congress), disclosure of all outside income (like Congress), a cap on all outside income to a maximum of 15% of the highest sitting legislator salary (like Congress), eliminating leadership stipends except majority and minority (like Congress), capping the maximum allowable donation level to state candidates at the Congressional level, and instituting a system of full public campaign financing like Maine and Arizona.

"We need comprehensive ethics reform in New York, and the recent indictments of Percoco, Kaloyeros, Ciminelli, and Howe are only the latest in a revolving door of corruption that reaches to the highest levels. The reforms that would reduce the obscene levels of corruption in Albany have been outlined consistently by good government groups. Gov. Cuomo could call the legislature into special session this month and demand legislators put a bill on his desk with real teeth before election day. It seems telling that he prefers to offer apologies for his associates and to stand by the toothless bill passed at the end of session in June," said state co-chair Peter LaVenia.

"We can reduce role money plays in New York State politics if the Governor and legislature were even to adopt federal-level rules on donations and outside income. Then they could eliminate the LLC loophole, and pass comprehensive, full public campaign financing like Maine and Arizona have. The question is: do Cuomo and the legislature really care about ethics reform after this latest in a series of high-level scandals, or are they content to mouth platitudes until they, too, are under threat of indictment?," concluded state co-chair Gloria Mattera.

Green Party of New York
http://www.gpny.org

Contact:
Gloria Mattera, [email protected], 917-886-4538
Peter LaVenia, [email protected], 518-495-8001