Governor Again Calls for Ethics, Elections Reforms in State of the State Speech

In yesterday’s State of the State speech, said that he again plans to pursue the ethics and campaign reforms that he has previously proposed.  These include new anti-bribery and corruption laws, public financing of elections, independent enforcement and oversight at the Board of Elections, and disclosure of outside clients with business before the State.

(Read my prior posts about what Gov. Cuomo proposed in 2013 here.)

In the speech he delivered, he took a somewhat more conciliatory tone on these issues than he has taken in the past (not surprising, as this was a speech to the Legislature).  He characterized the public’s trust as “rocket fuel” which enables the Legislature to accomplish things.

Read news coverage from Capital NY here.

In an editorial titled “Reform Elections in 2014,” the Times Union’s editorial board says that “…it now will be Mr. Cuomo’s actions, not his words, that will show whether he is committed to cleaning up the corrupt systems that permeate New York politics, or whether it just made for a nice rhetorical climax.”