Disclosure, yes. Publicly financed campaigns, no.

That was the message from the Conservative Party this morning, which sent out something of a pre-emptive strike against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal, to be unveiled this afternoon at 2 p.m.

From the legislative memorandum:

The Conservative Party believes that full disclosure is the only viable campaign finance reform. Full disclosure serves the people of New York in the best possible manner. Forcing taxpayers to fund campaigns they do not support is not a wise use of taxpayer’s dollars, especially when New York taxpayers are already paying some of the highest taxes in the Nation. How candidates spend campaign funds is especially disappointing; throughout the years there have been many published reports of how candidates spend campaign money, reviews of campaign-finance records shows how even lawmakers who lost continued to dip into their campaign accounts for meals, expenses and even $10,000 for a car. Others spent money on tires, books and lunches for their staffs. While each reported expense is within the law, over taxed New Yorkers should not have to subsidize campaigns with their hard-earned money while they struggle with paying their own bills.

This may all be a moot complaint, however.

The book that accompanied Cuomo’s State of the State outlines, albeit vaguely, that publicly financed campaigns could come “from sources beyond general revenues from taxpayers.”

Senate Republicans have resisted publicly financed campaigns in the past.

Though he’s pushing again for a public financing system, Cuomo placed a lot of emphasis in his State of the State address on a disclosure measure that would require political or lobbying donations above $500 revealed within 48 hours.

Share|