Correcting Oliver’s wrongs

One of the core Democratic issues that I have long fought for is real, comprehensive campaign finance reform. But recently, in the pages of this paper, outgoing Councilman Oliver Koppell publicly questioned my commitment to the issue. I was surprised to read this, since apparently, Mr. Koppell has not been keeping up with the news. 

If he had, he surely would have learned that less than two months ago, as leader of the New York State Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference, I introduced the most sweeping campaign finance reform plan in the state of New York. The New York Times called my plan “bolder” than Mr. Silver’s, while good government groups across New York uniformly described my legislation as the most comprehensive plan to reform our state’s campaign finance system.   

Since introducing my comprehensive reform plan, my IDC colleagues and I have held public hearings across New York in order to build support among advocates, voters and my legislative colleagues. Nevertheless, despite my best efforts to enlist my colleagues in support of real reform, nearly every other Democrat has chosen to support the Assembly’s watered-down version instead. That’s because both Democrats and Republicans are afraid of what real reforms — such as lowering contribution limits and eliminating party campaign slush funds — may mean to their reelection chances. 

My plan would not only implement public financing for state campaigns, it would correct the loopholes in the law that Mr. Koppell did nothing meaningful to change during his 23 years in the Assembly. In fact, Mr. Koppell helped pass legislation creating some of the campaign finance system’s biggest loopholes. That’s right: in 1974 then-Assemblyman Koppell shepherded legislation through the Assembly that created large party slush funds known as “housekeeping accounts” which can receive unlimited contributions from wealthy donors and are not required to abide by any meaningful disclosure requirements.  

Almost 40 years after voting to create these loopholes, Mr. Koppell is failing to own up past failures and is also attempting to hold others responsible for correcting them. That’s some real moxie. In fact, it is the type of ham-handed posturing that distracts from the issue and fosters skepticism in the minds of voters.

We should keep in mind that Mr. Koppell has a history of only supporting reforms that benefit him. In 2009, while myself and others backed Democrat Bill Thompson for Mayor, Councilman Koppell not only endorsed Mayor Michael Bloomberg but he authored legislation extending term limits so that he and Mr. Bloomberg could run for a previously prohibited third term. 

Mr. Koppell shepherded the bill through the City Council, usurping the will of the voters who had voted in a referendum to actually limit council members and the mayor to only two terms. But it’s no wonder Mr. Koppell wanted to get rid of term limits: had they remained in place, he would have been out of a job four years ago. 

In his op-ed last week, Mr. Koppell asked me to “force a vote” on public campaign financing, even if the votes are not there to pass a serious bill. That’s an interesting argument for Mr. Koppell to make, since he has been famously reluctant to do so in the City Council, even when it comes to core Democratic issues like civil rights. Earlier this year, Mr. Koppell announced with great fanfare that he would force a vote on legislation requiring all taxicabs to become wheelchair accessible. It was a bold statement at the time since forcing a vote on the legislation would have required Mr. Koppell to stand up to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who opposed the measure. Nevertheless, Mr. Koppell claimed that he would stand-up for civil rights and not back down.

But a few short weeks later, Mr. Koppell showed his true colors when, after Speaker Quinn stepped up the pressure, he folded and introduced a watered-down version instead.  As the Daily News editorial board put it last month, Mr. Koppell “buckled under pressure” and “wasted everyone’s time” by bailing on his promise to force a vote. As for his new, watered-down legislation, advocacy groups said that it “put a price tag on civil rights, which no one should accept.”

The fact of the matter is, building support for bold reforms is never easy. But in order to get them done, you need to have the courage to stand by your convictions. You also need to be willing to negotiate with your colleagues and find common ground wherever possible. These are lessons that I have learned well while serving in a closely divided Senate over the past nine years. I’ve applied these lessons over the past year to pass important progressive priorities, such as tougher gun control laws, increased funding for our schools and a higher minimum wage for working families. I will do the same with campaign finance reform and will correct some of the major mistakes made by others like Mr. Koppell in 1974. 

State Sen. Jeff Klein is the leader of the Independent Democratic Conference and represents Riverdale and much of Kingbsridge in the the state Senate.