Bill would limit how elections are funded

A Glen Cove assemblyman plans to introduce legislation prohibiting the use of private funding to pay for elections or ballot referendums.

The bill, sponsored by Democrat Charles Lavine, comes two weeks after a failed referendum to build a publicly funded Nassau Coliseum and minor league baseball park.

Islanders owner Charles Wang said he would have paid for the cost of the $2-million referendum if it had passed and was approved by the county legislature and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a state board that controls Nassau's finances.

While the Coliseum proposal appears to be a unique circumstance, Lavine said his bill would prevent other municipalities from following suit in the future.

"If a government puts forth a ballot initiative or referendum, then that government should be responsible for paying for it," Lavine said. "This legislation will prevent a potentially dangerous practice that would enable special interests to attempt to dominate our communities."

Nassau County spokesman Brian Nevin declined to comment on the bill. The Islanders did not respond to a request for comment.

The legislation would prohibit New York State or local municipalities from utilizing any outside funding for the administration or implementation of an election.

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The measure also would prevent local governments from forcing developers to pay for referendums that are designed to gauge support for their business proposals. The bill could be introduced if the state legislature returns to session in the coming months to ratify union contracts, said Steven Friedman, Lavine's legislative director. There has been no decision, however, on whether the legislature will reconvene this year. The bill would not come up for a vote until the legislature reconvenes in January, Friedman said.

Spokesmen for state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) said they were not familiar with the proposal.