Several New York City Council members are drafting Legislation that would close the legal loopholes that allowed Mayor de Blasio to collect huge donations from people who are doing business before the city.
Speaking a day after the Campaign Finance Board (CFB) urged the Council to ban the practice, several members said they have begun the process.
City Councilman Rory Lancman, a staunch de Blasio critic, said he has begun drafting a bill that would forbid pols from taking cash above the limits set by the CFB for their issue advocacy groups. The CFB, which sets limits for political campaigns, only allows donations of up to $4,950 for Citywide office from individuals, and just $400 if the person has business before the City.
The Campaign for One New York, a now-disbanded nonprofit that de Blasio set up to push his agenda on issues like universal pre-kindergarten, routinely accepted six-figure donations, including from groups with business before the city.
“It’s something the Council has to address,” said Lancman (D-Queens).
City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Queens) has also drafted a bill that would curb fund-raising for political nonprofits, possibly by denying public funds to candidates who take money outside the strict Campaign Finance system. Her spokeswoman said that she is in talks with Good-Government groups to find the best remedy to “to root out any political activity that runs contrary to campaign finance and conflict-of-interest laws.”
City Councilman Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn) is also interested in addressing the issue, saying restrictions should be added to fund-raising for “even the best of causes” to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
It’s unclear how much traction any of the bills would get.
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, whose support is necessary for any bills to advance, was noncommittal. “The City Council is proud to have established the strongest public campaign finance system, as well as some of the strictest conflicts-of-interest laws in the nation,” her rep said in a statement. “We look forward to reviewing the (Campaign Finance Board’s) opinion.”
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