JAMES T. MADORE, Newsday
Good-government groups accused Gov. David A. Paterson and his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, yesterday of breaking a campaign promise to overhaul state government - even as Paterson unveiled a plan to curb the influence of money in politics.
“This governor ran in 2006 saying he was going to change Albany - we expect those promises will be fulfilled,” said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group. “We are very disappointed with the lack of action.”
Horner and officials from the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and Citizens Union gave Paterson and Spitzer an “F” while acknowledging changes in government ethics and budget-making had occurred last year.
As his once-ardent supporters blasted him at a news conference, Paterson’s office announced legislation to reduce limits on campaign contributions and boost enforcement of campaign finance rules such as the prohibition against using donations for personal expenses. His bill would curb the use of limited liability companies to circumvent contribution limits and end partisan gridlock at the state Board of Elections.
