"Rarely does one man (Sheldon Silver) have a chance to do so much harm to so many."
- NY Times Editorial, 4/8/2008
For decades, Sheldon Silver's Culture of Failure in Albany has failed New Yorkers and failed Lower Manhattanites. It is time for a change.
Albany is broken, corrupt and unaccountable. As one of the three-men-in-a-room, Sheldon Silver is directly responsible. The dysfunction of Silver's Albany cabal denies democracy to New Yorkers and costs us billions in funds spent unaccountably. Behind closed doors, Silver and Bruno are listening to the concerns of campaign donors and party bosses instead of New Yorkers.
Outside of that room, New Yorkers are looking for real change.
Sheldon Silver and Joe Bruno's backroom dealings have prevented New York from being the leader on affordable housing, quality schools and livable streets that we can and should be. Albany's secrecy breeds failure and corruption. Only in secret could our housing policy be written by developers - keeping New Yorkers out of the process and affordable housing out of our neighborhoods.
For years people across New York State have been calling for meaningful reform in Albany. The press, academics, advocates and citizens have demanded an end to the three-men-in-a-room system. There is little doubt that the majority of New Yorkers support reform. So why has it never succeeded? Because all of the previous proposals have required the assent of Sheldon Silver and Joe Bruno, the functionaries of dysfunction themselves. With the possible exception of the big real estate developers who support him, no one has more to lose from a return to democracy in New York State than Sheldon Silver.
Only by defeating Sheldon Silver at the ballot box can New Yorkers regain control of their government from the special interests and party machines. The effect of Lower Manhattanites rejecting Silver will send a chill down the spines of the Albany power brokers. When their $90,000 part-time jobs and lobbyist perks are on the line - when New Yorkers remind their legislators whom they work for - change will begin in earnest.
As your Assembly member, Paul Newell will fight for
- Clean money, Clean elections. The single biggest obstacle to good government in New York is the cozy relationship of money and power in Albany. The answer to this seemingly intractable problem is Already law in seven states (including New Jersey and Connecticut), this voluntary public financing system cuts the corrupting ties between special interest money and public policy by allowing candidates to run for office without seeking large contributions from an elite and wealthy few. Sheldon Silver's power is propped up by huge donations from Bruce Ratner, Jim Dolan and other large landowners. So long as that relationship is intact, we can be sure the developers interests will get heard before Lower Manhattanites.
Paul Newell will work to enact a Clean Money Clean Elections campaign finance bill that encourages our legislature to listen to voters, not special interests.
- Term Limits. Since 1970, twice as many NY legislators have died in office than been defeated by challengers. Serving the people has become a lifetime appointment. Sheldon Silver has been in Albany for 32 years, and not even faced a Democratic opponent in decades. Why should Assemblymen and Senators listen to constituents when they can't remember the last time they asked for their vote?
Paul Newell supports 12-year term limits phased in for the entire New York State Legislature. To prove his commitment to responsive government, Paul has committed to serve no more than 12 years in the Assembly.
- Disclosure of all outside income for Legislators: Sheldon Silver earns over $120,000 for a 63 day session in Albany. But serving the people of Lower Manhattan is probably not the Speaker's main source of income. The law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, LLP pays Silver an undisclosed amount of money for undisclosed work on behalf on undisclosed clients every year. What does Silver do to earn these payments? He won't say. We do know that he appointed Arthur Luxenberg, a partner at the firm, to a powerful panel that oversees the judiciary which he argues before. Is this a conflict of interest? The New York Post recently wrote that "Silver's arrogance is exceeded only by his contempt for the rule of law". Disclosure of all outside income is a basic rule of honesty in government. As long as companies with interests before the state can secretly pay our legislators undisclosed sums of money - our legislators will never respond to our needs.
Paul Newell supports strict disclosure legislation for all outside income. He has already released his own tax returns, and will continue to do so every year he is in public service. He has also pledged to be a full time legislator.
- Legislative Rules Reform. New York's legislature is widely regarded as the most dysfunctional in the country. All major legislative decisions are made behind closed doors by three-men-in-a-room. While the damage this has done to New Yorkers in terms of corruption, unaccountable government, higher taxes, inefficient legislation and undemocratic processes has been well documented, Sheldon Silver continues to defend his role in this secretive club. In 2004 the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU outlined a set of rules reforms that would begin to address the crisis in Albany, including public hearings, requiring on-the-record votes for major legislation, and empowering non-leadership legislators. Three-men-in-a-room disenfranchises the 19 million people of New York State and must end. Yet Sheldon Silver and Joe Bruno have no reason to give up their own power.
Paul Newell will fight to elect a legislative leadership and rules structure that empowers New Yorkers to take back our government, including full implementation of the Brennan Center rules reforms.
- Control Rampant Authority Borrowing. In 2006, as the legislature passed a $120 billion budget, Authorities issued $250 billion in bonds on the "moral authority" of New York's taxpayers. This end-run around the NY State Constitution will (and has in the past) bankrupt both the State and the City of New York. No one even knows how many authorities exist in NY State (the best list has 733). The people of New York must regain control of this runaway debt machine. Authorities should be consolidated, refinanced, and placed under the direct supervision of legislative oversight committees. All major bond issues must be subject to on-the-record legislative approval or voter referenda. In 1975, Authority debt threatened to shut down New York City. We are still paying the exorbitant, above-market interest on the debt from that collapse. The next year, Sheldon Silver ran for NY Assembly promising to reform the State's corrupt finances. After 30 years, it's time to call his bluff.
Paul Newell will push for consolidation and elimination of expensive, unnecessary Public Authorities - and ensure that the remaining entities are full overseen by the legislature and the Comptroller's office.
- Require On-time Budgets. Sheldon Silver has failed to pass a budget on time in 22 of the last 24 years. Many years they have been as much as six months late. In order to avoid government shutdown during these stalemates, we are forced to resort to short-term borrowing on capital markets at high rates nearly every year. NY legislators should be docked 2 days pay and benefits for every day after April 1st without a signed, final, budget. It won't cover the interest payments, but it might just wake them up.
Paul Newell will advocate for sound fiscal planning and on-time budgets every year.
- Non-partisan Redistricting. An integral part of the political bosses tight grip on our government is gerrymandering their districts. This way, legislators choose their voters instead of the other way around. These districts carve up communities and serve the interests of elected officials at the expense of voters. Non-partisan redistricting works in five states today - bringing legislators in touch with the voters they work for.
Paul Newell will work to set up a non-partisan panel to choose districts that make sense for New York's communities - not the party bosses.
Sheldon Silver's broken three men in a room system is nothing short of a denial of democracy to the voters of New York State. On September 9th, Lower Manhattanites have a unique opportunity to end it.
