Gov. Cuomo is declaring war on the corruption-scarred Legislature, demanding that lawmakers enact a sweeping package of ethics reforms and threatening to hold the state budget hostage if they don’t.
“I will not sign a budget that does not have an ethics plan as outlined in my proposal,” Cuomo vowed on Monday, using the biggest weapon at his disposal.
“This, in all probability, means we will not have a fifth, on-time, amicable budget.”
The dramatic proposal — made during a speech at NYU Law School — came 11 months after he abruptly shut down the corruption-probing Moreland Commission panel and 11 days after federal agents busted Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on corruption charges.
Bronx Assemblyman Carl Heastie, who could be sworn in as Silver’s replacement as early as Tuesday, tried to get in front of the ethics issue Monday by recommending reforms of his own, including restrictions on outside income and, possibly, making the job of lawmakers full-time.
Heastie also suggested tighter controls on per-diem payments — even though he had the third-highest per-diem expenses in the Assembly.
Cuomo, saying it was time to “clean Albany,” proposed a five-point reform plan that included provisions — especially public campaign financing — certain to meet fierce opposition.
“Number one . . . officials will have to disclose to the public all the outside income they receive from whom, for what, and whether there is any connection to the state government or the office that they hold,” he said.
Silver has been charged by US Attorney Preet Bharara, in part, for failing to report some outside income and for doing no work for millions of dollars that he received from the Weitz & Luxenberg law firm.
Cuomo also demanded that officials convicted of corruption forfeit their pensions; that per diems for travel expenses be more tightly controlled; that campaign funds be used only for campaigning under beefed-up financial disclosure rules; and that campaigns be publicly financed.
“We must be able to see the contributions and be able to follow the money,” said Cuomo, who himself has received millions from limited liability corporations linked to big business and developers.
Good government advocates were quick to praise the governor’s plan.
“We have every confidence that in the current climate these reforms will be enacted into law,” said Susan Lerner of Common Cause.
Staten Island GOP Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis applauded taking pensions away from convicted pols — but said it was “disgraceful” that Cuomo wants to spend taxpayer dollars on campaigns.
Additional reporting by Aaron Short