This was originally published by The Daily News on June 21, 2010.
Democratic Attorney General Candidates (Sort Of) Face Off For First Time
As I said, we’re here in Manhattan at City Hall’s candidate forum—that’s FORUM, not debate—for the Democratic AG candidates… stick with this post for a bit and I’ll update it as we go along…
(Commenter Mary Alice is correct—I should have noted that this is the first time the candidates have all been together SINCE NYDEMCON.)
After some introductory talk, we’re at the bit where everyone (in rotating alphabetical order) is talking about how they would or wouldn’t treat the pension fund issue differently from current AG Andrew Cuomo…
Kathleen Rice (who, through four rounds of questioning, was the first to mention Cuomo by name) - said Cuomo’s gotten a good start, and noted her county (Nassau) had to dump millions into the system to because of the economic collapse, and has learned lessons
Eric Schneiderman says we need to reorganize the pension system, and although he likes current state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, it’s generally dangerous to have one person with that much power.
Richard Brodsky says Rice is wrong that the pension fund can’t pay its obligations… “There is a transformational moment in front of us. We’re going to have to change this office” to encompass roles not traditionally covered by the AG.
We’re at around the 9 a.m. mark, and it seems to be dump on Eliot Spitzer time.
Whoa: Schneiderman just quoted (jokingly) Eliot Spitzer: “I can’t do everything, but I can do anything.”
... Brodsky is talking about receiving some tough calls from Spitzer in the past…
Sean Coffey says “Do you want an AG who understands a good case from a bad case?... But there is a blind spot in the AG’s arsenal, and that is public corruption… We need to get rid of that.” Says we should use the Martin Act. “I’m a lawyer who believes in public serivce… I’m a damn good lawyer (corporate, government. etc.)
We’re at the 9:06 mark: The question is what is the legality of the way the budget’s being handled:
Brodsky: The furloughs were illegal; the extenders have a bad public policy impact… “The way out of this was essentially to adopt the Ravitch Plan.”
Coffey: The machinery of this government is broken… “I’m running because of reform… Incumbents are too comfortable here… We need our part-time legislators to tell us what they make in their other jobs and who their clients are.”
Eric Dinallo: “I think we should have a full-time legislature and I would propose it as attorney general.” Corruption cases often come from lawmakers’ outside businesses. “You find out who wants to be the true public servants… You would drop 95% of the corruption issues out of the system.”
NON PARTISAN ELECTIONS: 9:13 AM
Schneiderman: Non-partisan redistricting, yes; non-partisan elections, no. “I’m sort of a poster child for the abuses of reapportionment.”
Rice: “I don’t believe in non-partisan elections,” but gerrymandering insures “super-incumbency.” Says an independent commission is needed. New Yorkers “don’t feel like they’re part of the system anymore.” Says she supports the reforms pushed by ex-Mayor Ed Koch and Andrew Cuomo (in his agenda for governor.)
Dinallo: Agrees there should be apolitical redistricting. On non-partisan elections, initially I was in favor of it, but now he wants to think about it and study it some more. “I don’t want to just shoot an answer out.” Says again NY needs a full-time Legislature.
helmo2.jpg
Coffey: Doesn’t support non-partisan elections; supports non-partisan redistricting. “The amount of money that be raised for statewide office is just obscene.” Also, “the use of campaign funds should be limited to campaigns.”
(Hold up: Isn’t he dumping a huge amount of his own money into his AG campaign???)
Brodsky: If you really want to do non-partisan reapportionment, you have to do it constitutionally.
WRAPPING UP: PRIORITIES
WHAT BUREAU WOULD YOU ELIMINATE; ADD
Rice: Praises Cuomo for having focused on issues that have mattered to people’s everyday lives… The single biggest issue: “Businesses look to cut corners, you have more people looking to rip vulnerable people off… Being there for the little guy, being there for the consumer” on issues like student loan scandals.
Dinallo: Would remerge the Real Estate Financing Bureau into the (investor protection) and Securities Bureau. “It’s all under the Martin Act.” Also, thinks there needs to be a consumer financial products agency at the AG’s office “so that it’s not just about Wall Street” but about protecting average New Yorkers (because Washington isn’t doing it.)
Coffey: Can’t identify any bureau he’d shut down, but he’d add an intellectual property protection unit. “I’m the only one here on the table who’s been a full-time practicing lawyer for over two decades,” he said, noting a Google/YouTube case he worked on.
Brodsky: Focused on changes in the mission, rather than the bureaucracy, he says.
Schneiderman: Decentralize the office; beef up the public integrity section… “We have to be harsher critics of corruption, fraud and waste than the Republicans.”
And that’s the end at 9:31 a.m.
