Two freshman state senators and one recently elected Assemblywoman say they are incensed by a New York Times article documenting a recent fundraiser held by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that charged up to $25,000 per person.
Cuomo says he’s for a public campaign finance system, but Sen. Alessandra Biaggi says the governor is disingenuous to hold a major fundraiser just before the budget is due.
“It’s hypocritical,” Biaggi said. “It’s impossible to say that a $25,000 ticket is not influencing the decisions at arguably the most important time of our entire legislative session.”
Biaggi, who was joined by Sen. Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, stopped short of saying that Cuomo engaged in pay-to-play, which is illegal.
But they say public campaign financing needs to be part of the state budget. And they say there needs to be a ban on holding fundraisers during budget season.
Niou -- who holds the seat held by former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was convicted of corruption in a scheme that partly involved campaign contributions -- says opponents of public campaign finance might actually fear more diversity in the Legislature.
“People are afraid of people that look like us,” said Niou, who is Chinese-American. “They’re afraid of more women running, single moms, they’re worried about people of color.”
Cuomo has said he does not see a need to discontinue raising campaign money until the rules are changed. And he’s said the donations don’t influence his policies.
In response, a senior adviser to Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, harshly criticized the lawmakers.
"These hypocrites should practice what they preach and take a look in the mirror. They and their colleagues hold fundraisers daily, a hop, skip and jump from the Capitol," Azzopardi said in a statement.
Ramos says she held a fundraiser recently, and says she gave back a check to a participant who did not share her beliefs. Her account is also documented in the Times series.
The other two say they have not held any fundraisers.
