Conservatives Lay Out Real Reform Changes

Ft. Hamilton Station, NY - Conservative Party State Chairman, Michael R. Long, encouraged Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer to use his bully pulpit to enact real reform in Albany, as promised in his campaign.Civil

Chairman Long called for an end to “member items” as well as enactment of Initiative, Referendum and Recall and for term limits for all elected officials. Long sent copies to each member of the Legislature. The text of the letter follows:

Dear Governor-Elect Spitzer: New Yorkers around the state are eagerly looking forward to your keeping the promises you made to them when you ran for the office of Governor of New York.

Your message was one of change and that change would begin on day one. We agree that change is necessary and we strongly suggest that one of the first things that should change in New York State is the common practice of doling out “member items.” For far too long, New Yorkers have paid the price of this corrupted way of doing business in New York.

As hard working taxpayers, we have been opposed to “member items” since its inception. The recent court decision requiring disclosure of how “member items” are allotted has reinforced our position. Many of the organizations receiving the largess of elected officials are well intentioned and are positive community minded organizations, but that does not entitle them to money collected in the form of taxes. We support the good work of the organizations, but we do not support the format that they receive tax dollars.

There is an innate corruption in a system that allows legislative leaders to dole out taxpayer funds to their pet projects or to legislative districts where an incumbent is considered weak. The positive merits of the reciprocal organization are lost and the public becomes more cynical by the use of “member items.”

We know that you will receive resistance if you seek to change the Legislature ability to bestow “member items” but we urge you to lead by example. The Governor’s office should end its practice of doling out “member items.”

Governor Spitzer, you based your campaign on the fact that change begins on day one, you promised New Yorkers that things would be different in your administration. We firmly agree that change is necessary and we strongly urge you to support the end of “member items.” For far too long, corruption has been the downfall of the once hallowed halls in Albany; the practice of “member items” has been a leading cause of corruption and increased taxes on all New Yorkers to pay for legislative handouts.

The Conservative Party hopes that the year 2007 finally sees the enactment of Initiative, Referendum and Recall. If we enact all three items, legislators would certainly become more attuned to the needs of the electorate. We are a society that believes that the people should have a strong say in what Government does. The system we have allowed to prevail is not one that gives ordinary people a say. Each house allows one man to control what bills come to the floor, we firmly believe that this is not what our founding fathers envisioned. While our every day lives have changed dramatically since we became a Nation and State, the ideals that we were founded on, have not. We would be best served if we concentrated on the fact that our elected officials should be part time legislators. This system served New York best; elected officials in the business world subjected to the laws they wrote. Unfortunately, we have evolved into a full time Legislature that has lost touch with those who are subject to the preponderance of do-good laws created by nanny-state mentalities.

Initiative, Referendum and Recall would be real reform.

The last major component of reform would be to enact term limits for all elected officials. If each elected official knew, when elected, they only had a certain amount of time to fulfill their campaign promises, they would far more inclined to do so. With an unlimited amount of years to accomplish what a candidate has promised, there is no real incentive to do so. While many say, we already have term limits…the ability to vote for their representative every two years or in the case of statewide candidates four years, we believe the power of the incumbency is extremely hard to overcome. Certainly “member items” and the lack of Initiative, Referendum and Recall, gives an incumbent the advantage along with constituent mailings, newsletters and public hearings.

Governor Spitzer, we urge you to keep your campaign promises and to use your bully pulpit to enact these reforms as the beginning of change for all New Yorkers. Real reform will not be easy, but its time has come, in fact, it is long overdue. -30-

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