Up for Sale?
Published: September 21, 2008
F.B.I. recordings of Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, a New York State assemblyman, should be required listening for all part-time politicians. On one tape, the Democrat from Queens bemoaned the fact that people he was doing favors for “were making thousands.” So he decided to become a “consultant” and get what he saw as his share of the loot.
Now a Manhattan federal prosecutor has accused Mr. Seminerio of putting his office “up for sale” and earning more than $500,000 since the year 2000. Prosecutors said that the assemblyman did little or no consulting and that businesses paid him for favorable legislative treatment. Mr. Seminerio has not publicly responded to the charges, but his case is further proof of why public officials need to declare openly how they earn their private income.
New York State’s current policy falls short on all counts. It requires politicians to disclose income within broad ranges and then does not allow the public to see most of the details. Mr. Seminerio’s recent state ethics form lists him as receiving more than $1,000 in consulting fees in recent years. And like all of the forms filed by members of the State Legislature, the names of clients are whited out.
New York City’s rules are better, although recently Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration has proposed scaling back its disclosure requirements for about 8,000 public servants. That is the wrong way to go. The state needs to open its files on outside income; the city needs to be careful not to close off its public data, especially for elected officials.
Reform advocates in Albany last week made an excellent pitch to state lawmakers about changing the law on disclosure. They argued that legislators should be required to declare all of their outside income and disclose details, including names of lobbyists — with the information to be posted on the Internet.
As soon as lawmakers reconvene, they should craft a new disclosure reform. They can call it the Seminerio bill. |
