Written on Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 at 7:24pm by Alan Bedenko | 6 Comments

Oopsy


Corporations are only allowed to contribute $5000 per calendar year. Not per candidate – as an aggregate to all candidates. By perusing Joe Bruno’s financial disclosures, Rochester Turning has uncovered several corporations that have exceeded that limit this year.

Conclusion?

As we all know, Mr. Bruno has been on a rampage against Governor Spitzer over the so-called Trooper-gate fiasco. Unfortunately, while Bruno portrays himself to be on a noble crusade, these donations beautifully illustrate the underhanded, hypocritical methods with which the State Senate pursues its agenda.

Ironically, Mr. Bruno, in a July 20, 2007, press release said “The Senate will continue to hold roundtable discussions across the State to look into the abuses that have resulted in the calls for campaign finance reform.”

This kind of stuff is what really matters in Albany. Not helicopter rides or their improper outing.

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6 Comments

  1. steve says:
    August 3, 2007 at 8:28 am

    I agree that campaign finance reform is in the “must” category if Albany is to begin a transition from dysfunctional to something even slightly better. But this bumps up against horsesh*t.

    From the blog posting you referenced…”In January 2007, Physicians Reciprocal Insurers donated $2,000 to Bruno. About a week later Physicians Reciprocal Insurers donated another $5,000 to a NYS Senate candidate, bringing their aggregate 2007 total donations to $7,000.”

    So, Bruno is somehow responsible for a company that exceeds its campaign contribution limit, even though they exceeded it not with the donation to him, but with a subsequent donation to a different candidate?

    Hard-hitting investigative journalism, that.

    There is ample opportunity to hammer away at Albany and its long-standing ugly ways. Both sides of the aisle are equally deserving of scorn. We would be better off if both Bruno and Silver skipped off, arm-in-arm, into retirement. But why this is more important that a governor’s staff misusing state resources is beyond me. It’s just different.

    There are tons of web sites and blogs that practice “Dems good, GOP bad, all the time” or the opposite. Until folks get a grip that Albany dysfunction is completely bi-partisan, the dysfunction will continue.

  2. Paul Jonson says:
    August 3, 2007 at 10:25 am

    Maybe the State Police can be used to follow where the money comes from.

  3. Mr. Pink says:
    August 3, 2007 at 12:27 pm

    From the little I know of election law, Steve makes a great point. Bruno is not in any violation, the donor is. But that wouldn’t make very good copy I guess.

    Aren’t there enough real problems in Albany that we can stop with these games of gotcha?

  4. Jrviper says:
    August 3, 2007 at 7:09 pm

    Steve & Mr. Pink:

    Your deeply rooted concerns are put to rest in my follow-up post.

    http://rochesterturning.com/2007/08/03/bruno-campaign-cash-redux/

  5. steve says:
    August 3, 2007 at 9:32 pm

    Jviper — Well, almost. It would appear that the contribution that put Phyiscians Recipricol Insurers over the limit was $5k to the Democratic Assembly Committee. Don’t know if they gave it back, because the BOE website was having issues (or maybe it was my computer), but I doubt this is entirely a GOP thing.

    Agreed, though, that campaign finance reform is long overdue, and should not be held up by any issue large or small.

  6. chesucks says:
    August 4, 2007 at 9:44 am

    Is this a diversion by Eliot Stalin and his secret police.

 

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