Want to go to a lawmakers’ reception? Bring a checkbook
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- March
- 10
Although not much legislation is getting done at the Capitol even though lawmakers have been in town for four days a week this month, it does provide plenty of opportunity to hold fund-raisers where lobbyists and others have a chance to show just how great a job they think incumbent lawmakers are doing.
There are four scheduled for tonight, which will send lobbyists scrambling to pay homage to Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (for $1,000), Assemblyman Greg Hayes of Erie County, ($250) Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington of Suffolk County, ($250) and Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun of Orange County ($300).
Those who want to come to Albany and pay their respects to LoHud lawmakers, take note: Assemblyman Greg Ball of Carmel is holding a fund-raiser here next Tuesday, for $250 a pop.
Here are the LoHud lawmakers who have already held fund-raisers near the Capitol this year, and how much they charged per ticket, according to a lobbyist who gets invited to all of these receptions:
Sens. Vincent Leibell, Ruth Hassell-Thompson and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, all $500; Sen. Suzi Openheimer, $750; Sen. Tom Morahan, $400. Assemblyman George Latimer, $250; Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, $500.
Overall, about 100 fund-raisers have either been held or are scheduled this year, according to the lobbyist’s list.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 at 10:01 am by Jay Gallagher.
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As Malcolm Smith says: “You gotta pay to play!” How’s that for truthful arrogance?
some politicians really don’t get it..they have sold
their offices for so long that they think the public
expects it of them and that it is ok…the attitude
displayed above is symptomatic of what is wrong
with albany…you would think at the very least that
a public admission that contributing money gets
you a seat at the table would not be something
any politician would be quick to acknowledge..
wonder how smart this guy is..and he is the majority
leader?
This behavior is at the heart of the dysfunction in Albany.
I honestly was surprised to hear that Greg Ball was holding one of these fundraisers given the fact that he paints himself as Mr. Reformer and would supposedly like to keep that image while pursuing a campaign for Congress.
Unfortunatley for Ball, by holding one of these sleazy Albany lobbyist events it just makes him another sleazy Albany politician.
my personal belief is that lobbyists in albany should not
be allowed to contribute any money to any legislative
member….fundraisers back home among constituents are
fine..so is direct mail..but it is ridiculous to suggest
at lobbyist is not giving money because he wants
access.and whether or not the elected official gives
that person access, there is an appearance of impropriety
What you say is so obvious that it’s unworthy of debate. Let these pols do their fundraising on the up and up, or let the “lobbyists” do it the old fashioned way with direct bribes and envelopes filled with cash so that, at the very least, those who insist still on being bribe recipients gamble with ignominy and jail. As it stands, they’ve created quite a nice little loophole for themselves.
If there is no money, no fundraisers, no politicians, then everybody will say hooray because the love of money is the root of all evil. Learn to make it with nothing, the best of us do!