NY: Greens Call Ethics Reform Too Little, Too Late

In other Green Party news, the New York chapter of the party sharply criticized the new ethics reform bill in the New York State legislature:

The Green Party of New York State stated today that it opposed the ethics reform deal announced earlier this week as being too late, too late, an attempt at damage control rather than the real reform New York taxpayers deserve. The Greens said that it agreed with Gov. Paterson that this bill is “election-year window dressing.” . . .
The compromise ethics bill proposed by the Legislature on Tuesday does not go nearly far enough in addressing what is already a crisis in New York State politics. Real ethics reform would include an ethics commission independent of legislative control as well as a requirement that all clients of legislators be made public. Allowing legislators to appoint members to the proposed Legislative Office of Ethics Investigation is akin to letting the inmates continue running the asylum. The reform package should include public financing of campaigns, certainly a total ban on contributions from those doing business with the state (e.g., a ban on pay to play).

“Ethics reform whereby the Legislature is allowed to police itself is absolutely a joke. The Citizens Union of New York has shown that in the past decade, ‘one out of every fifteen legislative seats turned over because of ethical or criminal misconduct or related issues. This does not even count those who are still in office and under investigation or whose fates are currently being decided.’ What kind of real change can occur when these legislators are allowed to be on an ethics commission? New Yorkers should reject these proposed changes as another slap in the face from the Legislature,” said Gloria Mattera, Secretary of the GPNYS.