[EL] NYC system a model?

[Mark Schmitt]

 For all the "multitudes," Liu seems to be the only case that's mainly
about fraud or corruption in the public financing system itself. The others
are perhaps waste (use of campaign funds, from both public and private
sources, after the election), or corrupt pols like Larry Seabrook who had
been stealing money from every pot available (mainly putting council money
through nonprofits he controlled, which is the classic NYC model) for three
decades, and who also happened to participate in the public funding system.
Seabrook, Pedro Espada, etc were crooks long before there was public
financing.

The Center for Competitive Politics "case studies" of Arizona, NY and Maine
are mostly similar -- How is the Fiesta Bowl scandal a public-financing
scandal? A bunch of politicians received reimbursed contributions that were
illegal under state and federal law. The recipients included state
officials who participated in the system, some who hadn't, and some who
were federal electeds who weren't even eligible.

Most of these incidents, especially those in New York, were caught and
prosecuted because good public financing systems have, or should have,
really capable, tough enforcement agencies. The New York City Campaign
Finance Board has won all kinds of awards from the Council on Government
Ethics Laws, and candidates consider the board merciless. If the FEC were
one-third as independent and competent as the NYC CFB, we'd probably see a
lot more identifiable corruption in federal politics, because they'd be
acting on many more complaints.

The alternative hypothesis that better fits the NYC and other "case
studies" would be that, in states and cities that have public financing,
there's more public support for strong and independent enforcement
agencies, because they are safeguarding public dollars. And therefore, much
more misuse of funds and corruption is caught and known.

/Mark Schmitt

(I think this is my first post to this list, but I'm a longtime reader, and
sometimes write on campaign finance at TNR and elsewhere.)


Mark Schmitt
Senior Fellow, The Roosevelt Institute <http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/>
202/246-2350
gchat or Skype: schmitt.mark
twitter: mschmitt9




On 3/8/2012 12:57 PM, Bill Maurer wrote:

 Good point.  I guess like Walt Whitman, the NYC model for corruption,
fraud, waste and abuse is large.  It contains multitudes.  They can’t all
fit in 650 words.****

** **

*From:* Smith, Brad [mailto:BSmith at law.capital.edu <BSmith at law.capital.edu>]

*Sent:* Thursday, March 08, 2012 9:54 AM
*To:* Bill Maurer; law-election at UCI.edu
*Subject:* RE: NYC system a model?****

** **

Hey, I'm sure they gave Allison 650 words or so. There are limits.****

** **

*Bradley A. Smith*****

*Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault*****

*   Professor of Law*****

*Capital University Law School*****

*303 E. Broad St.*****

*Columbus, OH 43215*****

*614.236.6317*****

*http://law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.aspx*****
  ------------------------------

*From:* Bill Maurer [wmaurer at ij.org]
*Sent:* Thursday, March 08, 2012 12:44 PM
*To:* Smith, Brad; law-election at UCI.edu
*Subject:* RE: NYC system a model?****

Brad,****

 ****

You’re selling the New York system short.  It has so many more avenues for
waste and abuse than just those.  ****

 ****

http://www.makenolaw.org/blog/8-government/187-fighting-corruption-by-getting-the-taxpayer-to-pay-your-parking-tickets
****

 ****

Bill ****

 ****

*From:* law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu
[mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] *On Behalf Of *Smith,
Brad
*Sent:* Thursday, March 08, 2012 8:05 AM
*To:* law-election at UCI.edu
*Subject:* Re: [EL] NYC system a model?****

 ****

Ironic that the CFI report should coincide with recent news about more
corruption in New York City's tax financed system for campaigns. See
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/unclean_elections_xC5dUPJXIhx5tStDvjARnN#ixzz1oUzlTHh4.
 ****

 ****

"The arrest of Hou — accused of using straw donors to trigger more matching
funds from taxpayers — is merely the latest shoe to drop.****

Yet Liu is far from unique. The numerous abuses include everything from
City Council candidates collecting public funds for “races” that weren’t
seriously contested, to labor unions being accused of illegally
coordinating efforts with candidates."****



Read more:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/unclean_elections_xC5dUPJXIhx5tStDvjARnN#ixzz1oXeyAINm
****

 ****

*Bradley A. Smith*****

*Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault*****

*   Professor of Law*****

*Capital University Law School*****

*303 E. Broad St.*****

*Columbus, OH 43215*****

*614.236.6317*****

*http://law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.aspx*****
  ------------------------------

*From:* law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [
law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] on behalf of Rick Hasen [
rhasen at law.uci.edu]
*Sent:* Thursday, March 08, 2012 11:00 AM
*To:* law-election at UCI.edu
*Subject:* [EL] ELB News and Commentary 3/8/12****
    ****
 “‘Small Donors, Big Democracy: New York City’s Matching Funds as a Model
for the Nation and States’ published in Election Law
Journal”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=31225>
****

Posted on March 8, 2012 7:53 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=31225> by Rick
Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****

See this press release<http://www.cfinst.org/Press/PReleases/12-03-08/%E2%80%9CSmall_Donors_Big_Democracy_New_York_City%E2%80%99s_Matching_Funds_as_a_Model_for_the_Nation_and_States%E2%80%9D_published_in_Election_Law_Journal.aspx>
.****

[image: Share]****

Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments
Off ****
   ****


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