NY Governor Caves on Political Reform

Governor Paterson’s Forgotten Agenda

It is heartbreaking when those who know better and have worked their entire lives for change fade in the clutch. It shows the almost insurmountable power of self interest to veto what everyone knows in their heart is reasonable, fair and necessary. This saga also illustrates why even though I am in sympathy with much of the liberal agenda I can’t bring my self to commit to the Democratic Party. It is just as likely to lose site of the reason for power as the GOP. (promoting excessive farm subsidies, resisting redistricting reform in states they have an advantage, giving Hedge funds a pass on taxes…)

Before he suddenly became New York’s governor, David Paterson was a committed reformer. In his years as a state senator (and leader of the Democratic minority), he called for limiting special-interest money, public financing of elections, and sweeping out as much muck as possible from the State Legislature.

Now that Mr. Paterson finally has the power he has lost his zeal. He has not charted any real plan to push a resistant Legislature toward reform. He has said his focus is on steadying the state in hard economic times.

A steady hand is important. But voters also want reform, Albany desperately needs it, and it is very, very cheap. The only thing that could cost money — public financing for campaigns — would save over the long run. All those lobbyists would have more trouble skewing state money to special interests.

The No. 1 reform should be an end to the system that allows legislators to draw their own districts so that they are re-elected pretty much for life. Mr. Paterson needs to begin pushing now for a constitutional amendment creating a nonpartisan commission on redistricting like those in Iowa and Maine.

Most of Mr. Paterson’s friends in the Legislature will not want to give up this self-serving operation. Senator Malcolm Smith, who leads the Democratic minority, has backed away from this reform, especially if Democrats win full control of the Legislature this year. Mr. Paterson has the power to shame, if he has the will. He needs to start publicly pressing the redistricting reform and threatening vetoes — of money for the current redistricting system and of any future proposal that is not done fairly.

New York has one of the worst systems in the country when it comes to letting special interests buy candidates with campaign contributions. That commission and genuine campaign finance reform offer the best chance for cleaning up the system. Instead, Mr. Paterson is supporting a very modest reform package that would limit some contributions and require better reporting of campaign funds. It lacks any real enforcement and even increases the amount of contributions allowed in some cases. Only Albany could act like that’s real reform.

As a 20-year veteran, Mr. Paterson knows Albany’s every secret, every scam. Now that he is in charge, he should start cleaning up the scandals that so appalled him before he became governor.