FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 7, 2014

Speaker Silver Statement on Campaign Finance Reform


Having championed campaign finance reform for nearly three decades, I am hopeful that this is the year we finally enact a law that will make a real difference in how elections are conducted in New York. As I have said many times, common sense dictates that the time and effort elected officeholders must spend raising money is time and effort not being invested in what really matters: the education of our children, public health and safety, affordable housing, job creation, immigration reform, and a myriad of other issues important to the people of New York.

I am encouraged that Governor Cuomo is continuing to seriously pursue the issue - it is one of the most important reforms we can enact. We need a strong campaign finance law that lessens the influence of big money on our elections and levels the playing field for all New Yorkers who want to compete for public office, and we need to enact such a law to take effect sooner rather than later - 2020 would be too late.

As he has shown in the past with other difficult issues, Governor Cuomo can help achieve real results by bringing stakeholders together and forging a consensus. His willingness to lead on campaign finance reform is just as important, and I believe we are closer than ever to finally enacting a law that could be a model for the rest of the country.