By Tom Allon
The British historian and moralist “Lord Acton” wisely said in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
We are now witnessing the “Year of the Indictment” in Albany. Two of the three most powerful men in New York state politics, Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos, have been felled by the new sheriff in town, United States Attorney Preet Bharara.
Bharara has put together very compelling evidence that both of these legislative leaders used their power to illegally enrich themselves and their families. Even sadder, both leaders have grown children who were also indicted by Bharara. In a separate case, Silver’s daughter and son-in-law have been accused of a mini-Bernard-Madoff-like Ponzi scheme. And Skelos’s son was indicted as a co-conspirator with his father, with both accused of exploiting the father’s power to get commissions and no-bid contracts that led to ill-gotten gains.
Both of these one-time power brokers insist they are not guilty, and they will have their day in court. But even if neither is convicted, the wiretapped and document evidence released by Bharara indicate that some of their dealings were, at best, unethical.
Skelos, the leader of the state’s top legislative body, is the fifth Senate leader in a row to get into legal trouble. One of his predecessors, Pedro Espada, is in jail for financial corruption. Another, Malcolm Smith, was convicted of bribery and extortion.
Absolute power leads to feelings of invincibility. And when legislators are allowed to stay in office for more than 15 years (both Skelos and Silver have served more than two decades) then the combination of a powerful office and low pay can lead to some dubious arrangements.
Here are a few somewhat bold ideas that I think could solve many of these ethics problems:
• Make being a legislator a full-time job: Why do we think that the important work of legislation can be completed in just half a year of compressed decision making? State government should serve the people all year round.
Pay legislators a full-time competitive salary: State legislators make less than $80,000 a year and haven’t gotten a raise in many years. This relatively low wage isn’t the wisest way to attract the best and the brightest. It also forces these part-time officials to seek other work, which quite frequently leads to conflicts of interest and temptation to unfairly use the powers of office for personal enrichment.
Have annual ethics training at the beginning of each legislative session: Former Gov. David Paterson is right that we need to teach civics and ethics more in high school and college. But with the changing landscape of technology, governing, fund-raising, lobbying and campaigning, it would be wise to have an annual continuing-education week in the state capital.
Move the state capital for at least half the year to New York City: The best antidote to corruption is “sunlight,” which in this case means rigorous oversight, media coverage and citizen involvement. There’s no place with more sunlight than New York City. This would end the “What happens in Albany stays in Albany” mentality that has been so corrosive.
Develop a robust campaign finance reform: Putting limits on donations, offering matching funds and having a powerful campaign finance board with oversight has worked in New York City. This would level the playing field and limit the influence of big donors on campaigns – and subsequently on “crony legislation.”
Institute 12-year term limits for legislators: The president of the United States, the mayor of New York City and Council members can only serve for eight years. So why do we think it is wise to allow our legislators to work for as long as they want in Albany? Make all terms four years (right now New York legislators run for re-election every two years) and limit legislators to no more than three terms. This will assure constant new ideas and fresh views on what is best for the citizens of our state.
Corruption in government is as old as democracy, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept it and not do everything we can to at least limit it. Write to the governor or your local legislator and demand they champion these six reforms.
If enough voters like you say: “I’m mad as heck and I’m not going to take this anymore,” we can finally have meaningful reform.
Tom Allon, president of City & State NY, was a Republican and Liberal Party-backed mayoral candidate in 2013 before he left to return to the private sector. Reach him at tallo
