Business Council Leaders Contribute $1.9 Million to Senate Campaigns

May 19, 2012 · by Charlie Albanetti

Volunteers hit the streets on Saturday as part of a statewide door-to-door canvass called “Knock for the 99%” to build support for Fair Elections campaign finance reform. At 8 events across the State, volunteers collected support pledges from small business and residents, and encouraged calls into Senator McDonald to ask him to fight for a publicly financed elections system.

In the wake of years of budget cuts to schools, services, and the social safety net, volunteers talked to their neighbors about the need to reduce the influence of CEO campaign contributions in elections. With public financing of elections, candidates could run competitive campaigns without needing to accept big checks from corporate interests. Our elected officials would be free to respond to the needs of their constituents, rather than their campaign donors.

At the canvass kickoffs, participants released new data showing that members of the Board of Directors of the Business Council of New York State and the corporations they work for donated over $1.9 million since January 1, 2010 to campaign accounts for State Senators and the major political parties. The Business Council is a staunch advocate for budget cuts to education and cuts to other programs that working families across New York rely on every day.

“Our communities, our children, our families, and our economy can no longer withstand the overwhelming weight of influence that CEO campaign contributions have over our electoral process,” said Ivette Alfonso, President of Citizen Action of New York. “When corporations and their big money lobbyists pay for election campaigns, they’re effectively buying public policy. The integrity of our democracy requires that we, as constituents, have an audience with the officials we elect. Until New York has public financing of elections, we can’t be sure we’re truly being represented in our government.”

Of the $1,908,721 contributed to state Senators and their campaign committees by Business Council affiliated individuals and businesses, 69% was donated to Republican Party affiliated candidates and committees, $906,157 alone to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. Democratic Senators and their campaign committees received $595,654 in contributions.

This data reflects contributions made between January 1, 2010 through the most recent data available.