Asking for His Support on Publicly Financed Elections
(Syracuse, NY – April 2013) Central New York residents and community leaders seeking real campaign finance reform delivered over 800 letters to the district office of State Senator David Valesky asking him to support publicly financed elections. Alongside Fair Elections for New York advocates, residents and community leaders said that public financing is the only reform that will transform Albany’s culture of corruption and put the people in charge of campaign finance.
Along with hundreds of letters in favor of public financing, attendees also delivered a “thank you” to Senator Valesky for his ongoing dialogue with them about how to fix New York’s broken campaign finance system. They also asked the Senator to stand with them and “don’t back down” from the fight for publicly financed elections.
Publicly financed elections is principal reform proposed by Fair Elections for New York. By creating a small donor matching system for statewide elections, public financing will elevate the voices of ordinary New Yorkers and prevent CEO campaign contributors from drowning them out in the State Capitol.
“The delivery of these letters shows that Syracuse voters want publicly financed elections,” said Marilyn Charles, Syracuse resident and Fair Elections Volunteer. “We know that Senator Valesky will hear our voices and restore our faith in democracy by supporting Fair Elections reforms.”
“Fair Elections will restore justice to our campaign finance system and ensure that the will of the people triumphs over greed and the desire for power,” said Reverend Roosevelt Baums, Pastor of United Methodist Church of James Street. “I believe that Senator Valesky shares our values and will do the right thing by supporting publicly financed elections.”
“Publicly financed elections will ensure that working- and middle-class New Yorkers will always be heard in the halls of Albany,” said Mark Spadafore, Political Coordinator for 1199SEIU. “Senator Valesky can show these voters that he has heard their call to transform our campaign finance system by publicly supporting this reform.”
For more information, please visit www.fairelectionsny.org.