Advocates: Little ethics talk as ‘Watergate moment’ ticks away

ALBANY -- Just 27 of more than 210 state lawmakers have so far signed a “conscience pledge” in which they commit to voting for specific ethics changes following the conviction of two former top legislative leaders in December.

The limited support for the January pledge is part of what has prompted good-government groups to warn that the “Watergate moment” to change how Albany operates is ticking away. Legislative leaders and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo are expected to begin closed-door negotiations over the next two weeks for a 2016-17 state budget, which includes some ethics proposals.

On Tuesday, the New York Public Research Institute, Common Cause, Citizens Union, and the League of Women Voters called for an end to the private sessions. The groups instead called for negotiations on ethics to be done in public to end what they called a string of watered-down ethics measures.

“We are at a pivotal moment in our state history,” said Dick Dadey of Citizens Union. He said 33 officials have been forced from office in the last decade, 16 of them including former leaders of the Senate and Assembly in the last five years. “It’s not getting better in Albany, it’s getting worse.”

Neither Cuomo, who holds the closed-door sessions in his office; nor legislative majority leaders agreed to hold public negotiations when contacted Tuesday. While a Siena Research Institute poll last week found 89 percent of voters felt corruption was a serious problem in Albany, little has been said about new ethics proposals so far this session.

“We are more than two months into 2016 and nothing has changed,” said Assembly Republican leader Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua). “Ethics reform is an overdue conversation that many seem reluctant to have. A public discussion may be exactly what we need.

Cuomo’s budget proposal includes closing the loophole that allows larger corporate campaign donations, limiting outside income of lawmakers to 15 percent of their public salary. The budget is due by April 1.

Cuomo has been on a statewide tour to build public support for two of his top priorities in the budget -- a $15 minimum wage and paid family leave -- but has not mounted a similar effort for his ethics proposals.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-East Northport), who opposes limiting outside income; and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx), who backed out of a deal last year to rescind the state pensions of officials convicted of corruption; have said even less.

“It’s silly to pit one against the other,” Cuomo recently told reporters who asked why he wasn’t pushing his latest ethics proposals in his tour. “Obviously I’ve done this every year: you have a number of initiatives and you support each initiative and you push each initiative. Because you push one doesn’t mean you haven’t pushed the others. I’m going to be pushing it all.”

Those who signed Common Cause’s conscience pledge promise to “support, vote for, and work zealously” to enact a law that limits outside income of lawmakers now making a base salary of $79,500; closing a loophole that allows companies to exceed corporate limits for campaign donations; and to disclose details of discretionary spending.

Seventeen senators in the 63-seat house and 10 of 150-member Assembly members have so far signed the pledge announced in January. Cuomo also hasn’t signed. None of the senators are part of the Republican majority that controls legislation and just seven members of the Democratic majority in the Assembly have so far signed. All five members of the Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference signed the pledge.

In December, former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) were convicted on corruption charges.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.