Campaign Finance Board Executive Director Amy Loprest issued the following statement welcoming the City Council’s passage of campaign finance legislation today:
“The CFB congratulates the Council for showing that, once again, New York City leads the way in the effort to strengthen disclosure and empower voters. This legislation will give voters a more complete view of who is paying for the campaign ads that fill their mailboxes and airwaves.
The Board believes that Int. 148-A will strengthen the City’s disclosure requirements for independent spenders. This legislation will give voters important information about who is paying for an ad the first time that they see it by requiring spenders to list top contributors on the communication itself. Int. 148-A also requires independent spenders to disclose more details about the contributors to their campaigns, making it more difficult for the ultimate funders to shield their identity from public view. The Board would like to thank the Council for working closely with CFB staff on this proposal.
The Board applauds the Council for adopting Int. 6 requiring “paid for by” notices on all communications from a candidate’s campaign. Together with the City’s disclosure regulations for independent spenders, this legislation will ban anonymous communications from City elections.
Lastly, the Board welcomes the Council’s effort to provide greater certainty about when the CFB will produce a printed voter guide. This common-sense legislation will help conserve city resources in rare instances where a citywide referendum may be certified for the ballot at the last minute. In such cases, the CFB will continue to make comprehensive, nonpartisan information available to voters online. The CFB will redouble its efforts to partner with libraries and community groups to ensure the guide is available to New Yorkers who do not use, or do not have access to, a computer.”