On November 2, the New York City electorate will turn once more to cast a vote on term limits. When last we looked, the Charter Commission staff had drafted a grandfather clause that left room for Council legislation to further … Continue reading →

On Monday, August 23, the New York City Charter Revision Commission is scheduled to hold its final public hearing and meeting and issue its ballot proposals for November’s elections.  The draft Charter amendments were issued yesterday.  We offer several observations. … Continue reading →

On July 9, 2010 the Charter Revision Commission released a preliminary staff report, which reflects the Commission’s work to-date and staff recommendations on a number of topics such as term limits, voter participation, public integrity and non-partisan elections.  The staff … Continue reading →

If one thinks of campaign finance and pay-to-play reforms as a tool chest, Connecticut seemed to have a wide-variety of intricately designed instruments adopted in response to corruption scandals that led to the resignation of Governor Rowland. On July 13, … Continue reading →

Yesterday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order reactivating the appeal in Ognibene v. Parkes, which challenges NYC’s  doing business contribution limits and the extension of the City’s corporate contributions ban to LLCs and partnerships.  We’ve previously described … Continue reading →

The expectation is that NYC Mayor Bloomberg will soon appoint a Charter Revision Commission. The Commission would conduct a review of the New York City Charter, ultimately proposing a new charter or amendments to be voted on by referendum. Theoretically, the … Continue reading →

Contribution and pay-to-play restrictions often allow for refunds to “correct” an over-the-limit contribution. The power of a refund varies by statute. Here are a few examples.

The holidays are upon us and so are the various gifts that companies send out annually during this time.   Whether it’s a small calendar or an expensive bottle of wine, it is important to be aware of the various gift … Continue reading →

After every citywide election, the New York City Campaign Finance Board is required by law to evaluate the success of the Campaign Finance Program.  The CFB has traditionally held a series of public hearings to comply with this mandate.  For … Continue reading →

Last week, we submitted a complaint on behalf of our client, New Yorkers for Bill Thompson, the authorized committee of mayoral candidate, Bill Thompson. The complaint alleges that Mr. Thompson’s opponent, incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg, violated the New York City … Continue reading →