Overdue reforms in Albany

We join with good-government groups in calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature to enact three specific reforms to help reduce the ethical violations and criminal behavior that have for too long been a stain on the state’s institutions and sullied those elected officials in Albany who are honest.

Lawmakers and the governor should limit legislators’ outside income, close the limited liability company loophole in the campaign finance system and make it mandatory that they identify the purpose and recipients of all public money that is spent at their discretion.

Citizens Union, an organization promoting these reforms, wants Mr. Cuomo and all state senators and members of the Assembly to sign its Clean Conscience Pledge, committing themselves to passing those three measures in this term. We urge readers to write to the governor and each of their legislators and ask them to make that pledge.

One kind of corrupt practice — a prime example is the convicted former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — is a legislator’s use of his position to steer clients or customers to firms that employ him, and to receive kickbacks through the process. It is reasonable to try to reduce the use of their political influence for personal gain. 

In his State of the State address last month, Mr. Cuomo proposed limiting legislators’ outside income to 15 percent of their base salary. We agree.

In the area of campaign finance, there are limits on what corporations and individuals can donate to help elect their favored candidates. But there is a loophole in the laws that set those limits. Companies and individuals can create new companies, limited liability companies, or LLCs, that can make contributions, in order to avoid and exceed the legal limits and keep secret the source of campaign funds. Bronx state Sen. Jeff Klein is one of New York’s most adept exploiters of the loophole, and has used it to take tens of thousands of dollars from a real estate firm that had close ties to Mr. Silver.