GREENBURGH CAMPAIGN FINANCE COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES -- MARCH 2, 2000
(approved March 17,2000)
Present:
Elizabeth Daniel, Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, Claire Lee, Harriet Leib, Susan Mancuso, Sally Schaadt, Charlotte Schienberg, Francis Sheehan, Lester Steinman, Mary Tobias
Civic association representatives:
Mark Baron (The Cotswold Association, Inc.)
Stephanie W. Bellino (Lower Manor Woods Neighborhood Association)
Lorrin Brown (North Elmsford Civic Association)
Danny Gold (East Irvington Civic Association; Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations, Chair)
Del and Dinah Hillgartner (Beaver Hill Civic Association)
Ella Preiser (Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations, Secretary)
Robert Reninger (Broadview Civic Association)
Carol A. Wielk (Secor Homes Civic Association, Inc.)
Irene Zuck (Fulton Park Civic Association)
Press:
David Gottlieb (The Scarsdale Inquirer)
Absent:
Andrew Goodman, Erin Malloy, Rev. Wilbert Preston, Mike Reynolds, Ervin Schliefer
The third meeting of the commission was called to order at 7:37pm in room 121, at Rochambeau School, 228 Fisher Avenue, White Plains. An agenda and various handouts were distributed.
Co-chair Harriet Leib welcomed the attendees and introduced the commissioners present for the first time-- County League of Women Voters (LWV) representative Charlotte Schienberg and Republican Party representative Sally Schaadt. Ms. Leib welcomed all of the civic association representatives present and said community participation is crucial so the commission can obtain the input needed to develop a proposal that is right for the Town of Greenburgh. She said three names are listed as speakers on the agenda. She asked Mary Tobias to introduce each civic association representative and decide who would speak to the commission.
Mary Tobias introduced each of the civic association representatives present, by name and civic association affiliation, and said anyone who wanted to speak would be given the opportunity.
Harriet Leib introduced David Gottlieb from the The Scarsdale Inquirer and then asked Mary Tobias to select the first speaker.
Mary Tobias asked Danny Gold to address the commission.
Danny Gold thanked the commission for inviting him. He said the commission could play an important role in helping improve the Town of Greenburgh. The Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations has not formed an opinion related to the commission. Two issues are of particular personal concern to him. The first major concern is that developers doing work in the town make campaign contributions to the incumbents. Near his home, for example, a proposal to build 800 units of housing is moving through the approval process. The developers and their consultants contribute to Supervisor Feiner’s campaigns, making the motives for those contributions suspicious. The developers are making contributions that can’t be matched by the residents. Even if there is no impropriety, the perception of impropriety is there. Developers and those doing business with the town, such as suppliers, should not be allowed to contribute to candidates, and the candidates shouldn’t be able to hide contributions by receiving them from a developer’s son-in-law, etc. Currently, most of the contributions are untraceable. The second major concern is the misuse of cable access television. The CGCA is non-partisan, despite what the incumbents say in an attempt to discredit the Council’s efforts. The CGCA has a cable access show that has a significant number of viewers, based on the number of residents who have commented about the show. The residents seems to be watching what is on the cable access stations. During the last election, Town of Greenburgh incumbents manipulated scheduling to favor their campaigns. Fairness is needed for all candidates. The CGCA sponsored a debate for the last primary election. Mr. Gold was the moderator and took extreme care to be fair to every candidate. The town unfairly scheduled the debate to be played on a holiday, Labor Day, and by the time the date/time was fixed it was too late to do advance publicity. There was no publicity. It was not fair to the candidates. The current cable access policy in Greenburgh is that incumbents, who are also candidates, decide who may appear on cable and when the shows will air. Decisions regarding cable access television should not be partisan. Mr. Gold concluded by thanking the commission for allowing him the opportunity to speak.
Mary Tobias introduced Ella Preiser.
Ella Preiser said that she seconds all the comments made by Mr. Gold. The CGCA-sponsored debate strictly adhered to all LWV debate guidelines to ensure fairness to all candidates. The debate was organized because the press does not adequately inform the public about candidates running for local office. Only the The Scarsdale Inquirer provided coverage. Mrs. Preiser objected to the commission’s meeting announcement in today’s (3/2/00) The Journal News, which she read. "CAMPAIGN FINANCE: The newly formed Greenburgh Finance Commission, set up by Town Supervisor Paul Feiner to deal with issues of campaign finance, will meet at 7:30p.m. today at the Rochambeau School, 228 Fisher Ave., White Plains. Call Harriet Leib at xxx-xxxx." (The phone number was deleted from the minutes by the Secretary.) Mrs. Preiser said the announcement supports a concern that Supervisor Feiner created the commission solely as a means of getting additional personal publicity.
Harriet Leib said that she was responsible for the press release but what was read is not what she submitted. She said addressing the press is a major problem.
Ella Preiser said that the announcement mentions Harriet Leib but doesn’t even mention the LWV, just Supervisor Feiner. There is a serious concern that the commission is being controlled and used by the Supervisor. Even the fairness of how the commission members were selected is questionable. Regarding cable, the incumbents didn’t follow their own rules. They adopted cable access restrictions on candidates and then ignored the rules when they impacted them. For example, immediately after the LWV-sponsored debate the incumbents played a special promotional video about town-provided services that contained a segment about the incumbents, including those seeking re-election. The incumbents even played the promotional video twice on the eve of the election, in specific violation of the rules they adopted and enforced against opponents. Even worse, they promised to replay the CGCA-sponsored debate on a certain date, and the community publicized the date/time. It was even advertised on the "Grassroots for Greenburgh" website, a website maintained by a citizen advocacy group, and e-mailed to interested community members. After the community made considerable effort to publicize the event, the town didn’t air the debate on the date promised. Regarding campaign donations, the Supervisor’s campaign filings are a "who’s who" of those doing business in the Town of Greenburgh.
Co-chair Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said she has the actual meeting announcement press release in her hand and asked Mrs. Preiser for the newspaper clipping that she read.
Ella Preiser forwarded the clipping and continued. She said she attended the 2/3/00 meeting sponsored by Assemblywoman Sandra Galef. Ms. Elizabeth Daniel was one of the speakers. Mrs. Preiser said a campaign finance board works in New York City but the budget of the Town of Greenburgh is much smaller than the New York City budget and independent auditors and attorneys are expensive. How a board in Greenburgh would be financed is a major concern. How members of the board would be selected is also a concern, as is the selection process of members on this commission. Mrs. Preiser asked how the commission was formed.
Harriet Leib said that Supervisor Paul Feiner contacted the LWV. He wanted a campaign finance reform referendum on the November ballot. The LWV said they would create a commission provided it was independent. The composition is similar to that of the Singer Commission. It includes LWV members in Greenburgh. Political parties in Greenburgh were asked to send representatives. Consultants, such as Lester Steinman, were asked to participate. The LWV tried to make the commission as diverse as possible.
Carol Wielk asked how many members are on the commission.
Harriet Leib said the commission has 15 members.
Carol Wielk asked if all 15 were picked by the LWV.
Harriet Leib said yes, with suggestions from Supervisor Feiner. They tried to be inclusive.
Harriet Leib read in its entirety the 2/25/2000 "Across Our Towns" press release she actually sent to the The Journal News: "1. The Greenburgh Campaign Finance Commission will meet on Thursday, March 2, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rochambeau School, 228 Fisher Avenue, White Plains, Room 121. 2. The Greenburgh Campaign Finance Commission will meet on Friday, March 17, 2000 at 8:30 a.m. at the Rochambeau School, 228 Fisher Avenue, White Plains, Room 121. Contact persons Harriet Leib (xxx-xxxx), Catherine Lederer-Plaskett (xxx-xxxx) Note: I understand this is late, but please try to include the information." (The phone numbers were deleted from the minutes by the Secretary.) Ms. Leib said that someone from the paper called her and asked how the commission was created and who created it. The announcement was changed from what was in the submitted press release.
Ella Preiser said the commission should see to it that this type of press announcement never gets published again.
Sally Schaadt said the The Journal News has someone who deals with ethical reporting. They claim to hold themselves to high standards of reporting. The person should be informed that the commission’s press release was changed without authorization.
Lester Steinman said the editor should be contacted. Why deal with someone at a lower level. We don’t want this to happen again.
David Gottlieb suggested the commission speak to the reporter who served as the contact. He said that should be sufficient remedy.
Lester Steinman said that the commission should not get bogged down on this issue. The commission has much to do. Cable has already been repeatedly mentioned. The commission needs to obtain and examine the rules governing cable.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said the problem is not the rules, the problem is the rules are not followed.
Lester Steinman said a copy of the rules is needed before the commission can make a determination regarding compliance.
Carol Wielk had a copy of the cable access rules as listed on the "Grassroots for Greenburgh" website. She gave the copy to the commission.
Mary Tobias asked Stephanie Bellino to offer any comments she may have.
Stephanie Bellino said she is the co-founder and President of the Lower Manor Woods Neighborhood Association, a resident of Hartsdale since 1971, and a local business owner for more than 15 years. She said she ran for office in the last election. She is the only person at the table, other than Francis Sheehan, who knows what it is like to run against an incumbent Town Board with unlimited resources. Supervisor Feiner starts his campaign for the next election the day after election day. As an example, she received four mailings from the Supervisor just last week on various topics. The postage costs are hidden in budget. Where? Supervisor Feiner uses the voter registration lists to send out his mailings from Town Hall, not the property tax rolls. He is concerned with targeting voters, not property owners. She and her husband each get a garbage pickup schedule. The names are written exactly as listed on their voter registration cards. There are 169 families in her neighborhood association and they also receive mailings based on voter registration data. Within 30 days the town should know who purchased a property. Supervisor Feiner’s mailings, about every subject imaginable, amount to campaign literature from "day one to election day". The number of mailings and the targeting of registered voters with town funds are both inappropriate.
Stephanie Bellino said cable access abuses are another problem. As a candidate in the last election she was told exactly when to tape her cable segment and informed of the firm taping deadline. She taped by the deadline, as did her Republican running mates. However, the Republicans could not obtain copies of their tapes from the town until after the incumbents taped their segments. Special arrangements were made for the incumbents to tape after the deadline. The Republicans were trying to get copies of their tapes to give them to MediaOne to get their message out in Tarrytown. Tarrytown has a different cable provider than the rest of Greenburgh. The tapes have to be hand-delivered. The town had not even thought about showing the tapes on Tarrytown’s system. The Republicans’ repeated requests to be allowed to obtain their tapes and transport them to Tarrytown were denied. After the incumbents taped their segments and they were edited, the Republicans were told by the Town Clerk, who was also a candidate, that she would deliver all the candidates’ tapes to MediaOne. They were notified the Wednesday before election day, which probably wasn’t enough time for MediaOne to schedule and play the tapes. Ms. Bellino said she is convinced the incumbents purposely missed the deadline so they could first watch the Republicans’ segments. She thinks the incumbents reviewed the Republicans’ tapes prior to taping their own segments because the incumbents had responses to campaign issues raised for the first time on the tapes made by the Republicans. The cable access abuses must stop. The incumbents imposed a taping deadline on the Republicans which the incumbents did not have to meet and then the incumbents delayed giving the Republicans their timely taped segments until after the incumbents watched and taped responses to the Republican’s tapes, by that time there was little time to air them.
Stephanie Bellino asked, if a matching funds reform measure is adopted, would contribution caps consider the money a candidate received prior to the reform being adopted. She questioned the fairness of only applying the limits to new contributions because first-time candidates cannot compete with an incumbent who has already accumulated a large bank account.
Stephanie Bellino said, "the Ethics Board is a joke." The Ethics Board brushes off charges when they are filed. The Town Board is immune from the board’s scrutiny because the Ethics Board will only consider charges if forwarded directly by the Town Board.
Stephanie Bellino questioned the fairness of how the commission was created. She objected to Mike Reynolds being listed as representing the Conservative and Independence parties when he is registered in the Right-to-Life party. The Conservative and Independence parties have higher registrations than the Right-to-Life party. Why weren’t the Conservative and Independence Parties asked to send representatives? How were those decisions made? She hopes the commission is a "real" commission but is skeptical because it seems to be manipulated by Supervisor Feiner. At the last Town Board meeting the Supervisor proposed looking at regulating campaign signs. She asked him to remove campaign signs from consideration until after the commission finishes its work. Supervisor Feiner was already trying to usurp the powers of the commission. She hopes the commission isn’t just for Supervisor Feiner to issue self-serving press releases or to add a bullet item on his campaign literature.
Susan Mancuso said the Town is considering sign legislation to ensure the signs are taken down. The commission can decide to include signs as part of its work, if desired, but all the Supervisor wants is for the signs to be taken down.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said she would like to think that all the Supervisor wants is to have signs removed. However, he generally makes signage an issue during a primary election. Removal should not be a major issue since candidates started taking down their signs within 24 hours of the elections and all were down within one week. If removing signs is all that is involved that could be easily accomplished.
Lester Steinman said that sign regulation is not simple. There are many thorny legal issues involving the first amendment.
Mary Tobias introduced Carol Wielk.
Carol Wielk thanked the commission for the opportunity to speak. She said she is President of the Secor Homes Civic Association (SHCA), a very active association representing more than 500 homes in the Town of Greenburgh. SHCA is a member of the Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations. Hopefully the committee will address the major problems that face our town relating to campaign financing and its pernicious effect on the character and integrity of Town government decisions. She said she may repeat what other civic association representatives have said, but in a different context.
Carol Wielk said the major concern is the "deleterious impact" caused by candidates and elected officials accepting campaign contributions from (1) developers and others doing business with the town and (2) from applicants seeking approval of projects before the town's boards. Although she was not a candidate, she saw firsthand during the last election the unfairness of the current process. The incumbents established laws supposedly to govern equal candidate access to our public cable channels. It was supposed to make the process fair. The last election highlighted the unfairness of the new procedures. First, the cable timeslots were not allocated based on some identifiable method. Instead, the incumbent candidates were always given the best time slots, while opponents were scheduled on holidays. Second, the town repeatedly replayed regular cable shows that included the incumbents as hosts or guests right up to election day. The town played the shows repeatedly, claiming they were exempt from the campaign appearance regulations, even though they promoted the incumbent candidates. For example, Supervisor Feiner hosts a cable show with Jim Winer. Mr. Winer repeatedly praises the Supervisor in one of their shows. That show was shown over and over until election day, exempt from the restrictions the incumbents imposed on candidates. The exemption even applied to a 30 minute interview of an incumbent which aired on election day. In contrast, the incumbents strictly enforced the cable restrictions against their opponents. To oversee cable access programming, particularly during campaigns, she recommends an independent commission be established. It should be comprised equally of Democrats and Republicans, include representatives from the other political parties in Greenburgh, and be moderated by an independent party. SHCA does not support legislation which gives undue influence to incumbents, such as restrictions on campaign posters.
Carol Wielk said she agreed with Stephanie Bellino’s comments regarding the Ethics Board. SHCA filed ethics charges with the Ethics Board and they were ignored because the Town Board did not support an inquiry. The current Ethics Law has been interpreted as requiring the Town Board’s approval.
Carol Wielk urged the commission to look further than simply suggesting that there be public financing of a question and answer campaign brochure, as reported in the newspaper. She characterized such a proposal as silly and demeaning to the real purpose and intent of advocates of campaign finance reform.
Del Hillgartner said he is the President of the Beaver Hill Civic Association. He confirmed all that the previous speakers said. He is also a member of Greenburgh’s Cable Advisory Board. The board is a farce. It met three times in three years. The board met once to discuss the resolution that was later adopted by the Town Board restricting candidate cable access. The cable board had no additional input. The board thought the recommendations were fair. After the Town Board adopted the resolution, it was put in a drawer and forgotten. The resolution doesn’t work. There are intrinsic problems with how the town has set up cable access. One part-time Cable Director has been placed in charge of all aspects of cable other than policy and scheduling decisions. He is expected to videotape and edit all Town Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings, and, as time permits, residents’ cable access shows. While it is difficult for him to do all the jobs the Town Board has assigned him, the job becomes impossible to do competently by a part-time person when there is an election. The town’s cable access system "begs for incompetence" and deprives residents of their right to be heard. Even if there is no bias by the incumbents, the cable director is paid by the Town Board. There is an inherent conflict. The cable director would be involved in blowing the whistle on cable if a whistle needed to be blown. It is not fair to expect all this from someone earning $21,000/yr. Additional funds are needed to hire more staff. Without additional staff, cable access and quality will remain poor.
Ella Preiser said that the town receives a franchise fee of more than $250,000/yr from Cablevision. The town also receives $50,000/yr from Cablevision specifically to buy cable equipment. Greenburgh’s poor cable access and quality is a deliberate decision of the Town Board to not properly fund cable.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett asked what the Town Board does with the cable money.
Ella Preiser said the franchise fees go into the general fund.
Del Hillgartner said the Town Board doesn’t even use all of the $50,000 for cable equipment as required.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett asked what is the Town Clerk’s role pertaining to cable.
Del Hillgartner said the Town Clerk is solely responsible for making all policy decisions. She decides when the shows are scheduled. She also interfaces with the cable company and serves as Chair of the Cable Access Board.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett asked who decides who gets a cable show.
Del Hillgartner responded that the selection process is mysterious, even to the Cable Access Board. Cable Board members are disgusted with the process and some of the shows. The position of the Town Clerk is that she can’t control what is shown unless there is a show more relevant to Greenburgh residents. It was the Cable Access Board that strongly advocated the CGCA having the cable show it now has.
David Gottlieb said that David Glenn, a former reporter for The Scarsdale Inquirer, had a show and he recruited his own guests.
Ella Preiser agreed, adding that David Glenn had a timeslot for some time. The issue isn’t who is a guest on an existing show, it is who is allowed to have a new show. Trying to get a timeslot is not easy.
Sally Schaadt said that attorneys need to look into the laws governing cable to determine if the town’s actions are legal.
Harriet Leib said that the commission plans to break into subcommittees to address specific issues, including cable access problems.
Carol Wielk asked if it would be appropriate for community members to provide input to the subcommittees.
Harriet Leib said that she was confident that any subcommittee needing input would request all the help necessary to do its work.
Lorrin Brown said he is the President of the North Elmsford Civic Association. He echoed all the comments previously made and added that an additional issue is that two Town Board members are more concerned about running for higher office than serving Greenburgh residents. The residents should come first but the incumbents are just using their office to campaign for the next election. There is a lot of development going on in Greenburgh by those making contributions to their campaigns. Elected officials should represent us but instead they get the contributions and the Greenburgh residents are left with an over-developed town.
David Gottlieb said the next election for Supervisor Feiner is a federal election. What impact will the commission’s reforms have on a candidate’s ability to take money for a federal campaign?
Francis Sheehan said that the Ethics Law would govern local and federal elections if it was amended to specifically prohibit incumbents from accepting contributions from developers or applicants seeking approvals from the town boards.
Sally Schaadt said that the current Ethics Law could be interpreted as already prohibiting such contributions.
Mark Baron asked if Supervisor Feiner can shift funds from his federal campaign to a local campaign if he loses the federal election.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said she understands campaign rules allow local campaign donations to be used for federal races, but contributions intended for a federal race cannot be used for a local race.
Harriet Leib thanked the civic association representatives. She said the commission heard all that was said. The representatives have given the commission many issues to address. The next part of meeting is the business session. She thanked the representatives for their attendance.
Ella Preiser asked if the business session was open to the public and, if so, may the civic association representatives stay.
Harriet Leib invited everyone to stay.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said that the commission previously decided that the public cannot speak during the business meeting, similar to how town work sessions are conducted.
Carol Wielk asked how meetings are scheduled because she would like to post the dates on the Grassroots for Greenburgh website.
Harriet Leib announced the dates of the next scheduled meetings: March 17th at 8:30 a.m. and March 30th at 8:30 a.m. Both meetings will be held at Rochambeau School, 228 Fisher Avenue, White Plains, room 121.
Ella Preiser suggested that more evening meetings be scheduled.
Harriet Leib said that some commissioners could not make this meeting because it was in the evening. There is no one good time.
Mary Tobias asked if any future meetings will be held at Town Hall.
Harriet Leib said that she prefers not using Town Hall to avoid the perception of conflict or interference by the town.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said it was time to begin the business session.
Carol Wielk asked if the commission’s minutes are available to the public and, if so, can she obtain copies.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said that approval of the minutes is the next item on the agenda.
Carol Wielk asked if the minutes will be available to the public because she would like to post them on the Grassroots for Greenburgh website.
Harriet Leib said the minutes will be available to the public after approval.
A general discussion about the minutes ensued and several minor amendments were proposed.
The February 3, 2000 meeting minutes were approved unanimously as amended.
The February 18, 2000 meeting minutes were approved unanimously as amended.
Harriet Leib said the next item on the agenda is the budget. Kathleen Rutherford cannot provide funds for the commission because she is directing her attention to the county level. The Town Board has offered financial support.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said the commission decided at the last meeting that it would create an appearance of conflict if the Town Board funded the commission’s independent study. The question is how do we fund the commission knowing now that Kathleen Rutherford cannot provide funding. Ms. Lederer-Plaskett read the draft letter which requested $1,500 to cover copy costs, refreshments, postage, etc. Because this issue was discussed at the last meeting the letter was not sent. The chairs decided to again present the issue of funding to the commission.
Mary Tobias suggested asking the Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations for some of the funds needed.
Lester Steinman said the commission should send a letter to both the LWV and the Greenburgh Town Board since they jointly created the commission. They should be responsible for working out the funding.
Harriet Leib said the County Executive’s office funded the Singer Commission. It wasn’t considered a conflict. The County Executive even assigned a full-time person to work for the Singer Commission. There is no sense asking the LWV for money because it doesn’t have any to offer.
Lester Steinman said asking the Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations for funding doesn’t solve the conflict issue. The Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations has just as much interest in the outcome from this commission as the Town Board.
Elizabeth Daniel said that, by addressing the letter to both the LWV and the Town Board and letting them work out funding, the commission would adequately avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest that would result from the commission directly soliciting the funds from the Town Board. Even if the Town Board ultimately provides all the funds because the LWV cannot afford to contribute, the appearance of a conflict would be reduced.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said the Town Board has already agreed to provide the funds.
Francis Sheehan said the decision before the commission is very similar to what he went through as a candidate in the last election, what all candidates go through. He decided early on not to accept any contributions from developers or applicants doing business with the town because there could be an appearance of a conflict of interest. That decision limited his ability to get his message out. The commission is now faced with the same type of decision. The commission has a worthy cause but needs money to function. How do you fund what you believe to be an important cause worth funding? We are here because we want to ensure that candidates fund their campaigns in a proper manner. The commission must guard against falling into the same trap as many candidates. Any appearance of a conflict must be avoided. Asking the Town Board to pay for the commission’s refreshments would be inappropriate since the Town Board does not provide such funds to the Planning Board, Zoning Board, or themselves. In fact, the Supervisor recently wrote that "wining and dining" a consultant could influence the consultant’s opinion. The major expense for the commission is duplication costs. The commission could utilize the town’s copy policy which applies for all town-related documents. Since the commission would be using the standard copy policy that applies for other groups, any conflict of interest would be minimized. The documents would have to be submitted to the town’s copy center for duplication.
Susan Mancuso said that the commission doesn’t want to hold meetings in Town Hall to avoid the appearance of being influenced by the Town Board. Asking the Town Board to pay the commission’s expenses is no different. Anything that could cause a perception of a conflict needs to be avoided.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett asked what commission members thought of Francis Sheehan’s suggestion. There was a general consensus that the commission should not ask the Town Board for funding.
Claire Lee said she could bring coffee.
Harriet Leib suggested the commission "lumber along" without external funding.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett asked if the commission should use the town’s copy privileges. There was no consensus.
Francis Sheehan said he would take care of distributing the meeting minutes.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett suggested the commission continue with the agenda.
Sally Schaadt said the scheduling of the meetings is a problem for her. She can’t make morning meetings. She asked if she could send a substitute for each of the morning meetings.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said Ms. Schaadt could send a substitute to morning meetings.
Harriet Leib said she prefers having Ms. Schaadt present. Many of the commissioners have a problem making the meetings. We have several absences today. They don’t have substitutes. It would be very cumbersome trying to do the commission’s work with substitutes. It’s better to not allow substitutes. The public hearings, which we must set, will be in the evening.
Mary Tobias said that, at the last meeting, Andrew Goodman suggested holding public hearings in April.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said we need more time.
Elizabeth Daniel asked if the commission expects to have a specific proposal in place by the time the public hearings are held.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said that we should have a clearer idea of the direction the commission should pursue before the hearings commence.
Lester Steinman said the commission should have something proposed in advance so the public has something to comment on at the public hearing.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett suggested setting two meetings in April to give everyone adequate notice. Tuesday, April 11th, at 7:30 p. m. was selected.
Francis Sheehan said the public hearings should be in Town Hall. It may be a good idea to keep the commission’s work sessions out of Town Hall but it would be inappropriate to ask Greenburgh residents to travel to White Plains to comment about a Town of Greenburgh initiative. Having the meetings at Town Hall would also increase the likelihood of getting a good turnout.
Harriet Leib agreed. Susan Mancuso was asked to explore the availability of Town Hall for the public hearings. Selection of a second public hearing date was postponed pending that determination.
Harriet Leib read the following list of documents available to the commission to date:
1. Local Campaign Finance Reform: Case Studies, Innovations and Model Legislation, a report by the National Civic League
2. Fact Sheet: National Civic League booklet …
3. Singer Commission: Outline for Campaign Financing
4. Letter from Francis Sheehan re Campaign Finance Reform and Greenburgh’s Code of Ethics
5. League of Woman Voters of Westchester Fact Sheet: Campaign Finance Reform as proposed by the Singer Commission, with an attachment of act (85-1998) authorizing computerization of campaign finance records
6. Town of Yorktown proposal for cable access (defeated)
7. Subsidizing Political Campaigns: The Varieties & Values of Public Financing, by Elizabeth Daniel, Brennan Center for Justice
Harriet Leib said she spoke to Yorktown Councilman Nicholas Bianco. He will come to the next meeting of the commission if desired. She also spoke to Westchester County Legislator George Latimer. He has agreed to speak at the next meeting about what happened to the Singer Commission and its recommendations. He is very knowledgeable and can help explain the pitfalls they faced.
Elizabeth Daniel distributed copies of her publication, Subsidizing Political Campaigns, to attendees who did not already have a copy.
Harriet Leib referred to agenda items III, Review of Goals, and IV, Goals/Subcommittees. She said one of the subcommittees will deal with cable television. Another subcommittee will examine newspapers and advertising during campaign season. The County Legislators recently banned legislators seeking re-election from distributing taxpayer-financed newsletters during the campaign session. If the vote wasn’t unanimous, it was close to unanimous.
Charlotte Schienberg said the vote was unanimous.
Lester Steinman asked what legal authority the legislators have to enforce the mailing restriction.
Harriet Leib said they simply voted on it.
Lester Steinman said the commission needs to invite the Town Clerk and a representative of Gannett newspapers to a meeting.
Harriet Leib asked if the Town Clerk and Gannett representative should meet with the entire group or a subcommittee.
Lester Steinman said everyone should hear what they have to say.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett asked who from Gannett should be invited.
Lester Steinman suggested getting someone high up the chain.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett agreed, adding that reporters change constantly.
Elizabeth Daniel said that the cable committee should be familiar with cable rules before the Town Clerk comes so meaningful questions may be asked.
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett said the committee members need to be familiar with all the articles that have appeared in the The Journal News before a representative from Gannett attends a meeting.
Harriet Leib asked if there was consensus that cable access should be the subject of a separate subcommittee. There was.
Harriet Leib said the next subcommittee involves the newspapers. She mentioned that the commission was cited on a paid subscription political website, www.NYCapitolFAX.com. David Gottlieb, the reporter from The Scarsdale Inquirer who has been covering the commission, has a daughter, Jane Gottlieb, who is a reporter in Albany. Ms. Leib read a portion of a recent edition of "News Digest", which is part of the website offering: "Westchester’s Town of Greenburgh, pop. 85,000, where a new exploratory committee will take till June to study an array of options. The county League of Women Voters says that the last County Exec’s race cost $4 million; that county legislative races can cost $150,000; and that Greenburgh town races might exceed $10,000. It’s unclear whether Greenburgh’s committee will recommend spending limits, public funding to put candidates on local television, or nothing at all. Regardless, the system’s [sic] likely to be voluntary rather than legal, since state election law supercedes local laws. Also, anything they come up with, just like in Alta [, Utah], Crested Butte [, Colorado] and NYC, affects only the local races. So far, meanwhile, state and fed leaders talk about finance reform and leave it to that."
Harriet Leib asked if the next subcommittee listed on the agenda is acceptable: "Newspapers and advertising during campaign season".
Francis Sheehan said the Newspapers Subcommittee doesn’t require the same level of work that the others require.
Lester Steinman asked what the term "lobbyists" means in the proposed subcommittee "Public financing/ Contribution and Spending Limits/ Disclosure".
Harriet Leib said the term could apply to the developers who have been mentioned so frequently as contributing to campaigns.
Lester Steinman said developers are not lobbyists as the term is generally used.
Harriet Leib suggested rearranging the subcommittee topics to better group them.
Harriet Leib, after commission members offered their opinions, announced the subcommittees created by consensus:
1. Cable Access and Newspapers
2. Ethics
3. Public Financing, Contribution and Spending Limits, Disclosure
4. Legal Issues, including model legislation and oversight board
Lester Steinman said he had a good idea which committee he would be on.
Harriet Leib asked the four attorneys on the commission-- Elizabeth Daniel, Susan Mancuso and Lester Steinman, as well as Andrew Goodman in absentia-- to serve on the Legal Issues Subcommittee. All present agreed.
Harriet Leib asked for volunteers to serve on the Cable Access and Newspapers Subcommittee. Claire Lee, Susan Mancuso, Francis Sheehan, and Mary Tobias volunteered.
Harriet Leib asked for volunteers for the Ethics Subcommittee.
Francis Sheehan asked if members could serve on more than one subcommittee. He expressed concern about being on more than one subcommittee if the plan is to break into subcommittees during commission meetings.
Harriet Leib said the subcommittees would likely meet at times other than regular commission meetings. Members are not limited in the number of subcommittees they may join.
Harriet Leib, Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, Charlotte Schienberg, Francis Sheehan, and Lester Steinman volunteered to serve on the Ethics Subcommittee.
Harriet Leib asked for volunteers to serve on the Public Financing, Contribution and Spending Limits, and Disclosure. She noted that there are several members absent. In absentia she asked Andrew Goodman and Erin Malloy to serve. Lester Steinman volunteered.
Harriet Leib said that Sally Schaadt had not volunteered for any subcommittee.
Sally Schaadt said she was not sure how many meetings she would be able to attend since she cannot attend morning meetings. She said she would try the Cable Access and Newspaper Subcommittee.
Harriet Leib asked Elizabeth Daniel to discuss issues involved in funding an oversight board.
Elizabeth Daniel said commission members need to be careful not to create an elaborate system for local campaigns, a system too large to fund. Without an oversight board, reforms won’t work. However, Greenburgh taxpayers may not be willing to fund the oversight board that is needed. Serious consideration should be given to creating an oversight board consortium with other towns and villages. By spreading the costs over several municipalities, creating the needed oversight board might be more acceptable to the taxpayers. It is an option to explore.
Harriet Leib said that she tried to get representatives from the NYC Campaign Finance Board to attend a commission meeting, but hasn’t been able to do so. She read the list of members who volunteered at the last commission meeting to visit the NYC Campaign Finance Board: Andrew Goodman, Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, Claire Lee, Harriet Leib, Erin Malloy, Rev. Wilbert Preston, Francis Sheehan and Mary Tobias, schedules permitting. Ms. Leib said the address is 40 Rector street, 7th floor. She asked Catherine Lederer-Plaskett to write a memo to the NYC Campaign Finance Board to set up the visit. She said the NYC board’s phone number is 212-306-7150. Nicole Gordon is the person to whom the group should speak.
Need to notify public of meeting dates, including hearings.
Harriet Leib asked Lester Steinman to chair the Legal Issues Subcommittee, Claire Lee to chair the Cable Access and Newspapers Subcommittee, Charlotte Schienberg to chair the Ethics Subcommittee, and Catherine Lederer-Plaskett to chair the Public Financing, Contribution and Spending Limits and Disclosure Subcommittee. All agreed.
Mary Tobias handed out articles that contained Supervisor Feiner’s goals for the commission.
Charlotte Schienberg said she needs a copy of Francis Sheehan’s Ethics Law proposal.
Harriet Leib asked if there was any other business. There was no response.
Harriet Leib was asked to repeat the subcommittee members which she did.
Cable Access and Newspapers Subcommittee:
-- Claire Lee, chair; Susan Mancuso, Sally Schaadt, Francis Sheehan, and Mary Tobias
Ethics Subcommittee:
-- Charlotte Schienberg, chair; Harriet Leib, Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, Francis Sheehan, and Lester Steinman
Legal Issues Subcommittee, including model legislation and oversight board:
-- Lester Steinman, chair; Elizabeth Daniel, Andrew Goodman, and Susan Mancuso
Public Financing, Contribution and Spending Limits, and Disclosure Subcommittee:
-- Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, chair; Andrew Goodman, Erin Malloy and Lester Steinman
The meeting was adjourned at 9:28 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Francis Sheehan, Commission Secretary