42.4 F
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024

Cuomo’s Appointees Donated $890K to His Campaign

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

A recent analysis conducted by The New York Times revealed that 37 people donated to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign after he appointed to a state board or authority, including Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney.

According to the report, despite Cuomo signing an executive order seemingly prohibiting donations of this nature, his appointees directly contributed $890,000 to his campaign in addition to another $1.3 million that was donated by their companies and family members.

Syracuse.com reports, “Cuomo nominated Mahoney in 2015 to chair the New York Thruway Authority. Her appointment was confirmed by the state Senate. Mahoney’s campaign, Friends of Joanie Mahoney, has donated $10,000 to Cuomo since then. The executive order banning donations from appointees was promulgated by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Cuomo signed it when he took office in 2011.”

The ruler, which was signed by the governor, is defined on his campaign website as, “No state agency officer or employee who serves at the pleasure of the governor or their appointing authority or members of state public authority or other boards appointed by the governor may contribute to and/or fund-raise for Andrew Cuomo 2018.

The Times spoke with officials in Cuomo’s administration, who said that they thought that the order did not apply to appointees confirmed by a state Senate vote or serving set terms, but rather only applied to appointees that the governor has the power to fire at any time. Board members of the most powerful authorities of the state would be permitted to donate to the governor’s campaign under this interpretation.

Cuomo’s counsel Alphonso David told The Times, “The purpose of the order is to prohibit employees and board members who serve at the pleasure of the governor from making political contributions. It does not apply to every single person who serves in government, to individuals who volunteer for government, or to individuals who were appointed by the Senate and cannot be removed by the executive. A different reading simply divorces the purpose of the order from its language.”

Others disagree with this interpretation, including Spitzer, who created the order.

In an interview with The Times, Spitzer said, “The executive order was intended, and did, in fact, apply to all gubernatorial appointees, regardless of the need for Senate confirmation, or any term applicable to their service.”

The types of authority appointees are not differentiated in the order. It plainly states that “no member of a public authority appointed by the governor” can donate or solicit donations.

By Rebecca Gold

 

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -