Capitol Confidential ? Dems marking line on campaign finance bill

Newly-elected Democrats held twin rallies in New York City and Albany to push for publicly financed elections.

They emphasized that taxpayer matching funds are a key to changing the system, and that they would sniff at a reform bill that simply tightened enforcement or lowered contribution limits.

?We?ve got have a robust and comprehensive reform, and any partial reform is not going to change the way Albany operates,? said Karen Scharff, executive director of Citizen Action and the Capital Region leader of the Working Families Party.

Mainstream Democrats have raised the specter of a half-loaf approach since members of the Independent Democratic Conference, who have mostly supported public financing, allied with Republicans who have rebuffed the measure.

Sen. Diane Savino, an IDC member from Staten Island, said last week that ?there can be baby steps? on the issue. Scharff as well as Sen. Neil Breslin, D-Bethlehem, said they were ?hopeful? that the group would remain supportive of a strong package.

?They?ve all supported publicly supported funding of elections in the past ? we look forward to the IDC fulfilling their promise to the people of the State of New York,? Scharff said.

?I would be surprised in the independent group didn?t support full, total, campaign finance reform ? not a watered down version that gives the appearance of doing something when, in fact, it doesn?t,? said Breslin.

He said it was ?very difficult to say at this time? if he would vote for a half-loaf measure. ?I have every expectation that we will have the full one,? he added.

Other public officials at the noon press conference included Sen.-elect Terry Gipson, Assemblyman-elect John McDonald and Assemblywoman-elect Pat Fahy.

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/171971/dems-marking-line-on-campaign-finance-bill/

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