TESTIMONY
Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, on Rebalancing Public Integrity and the Right to Petition Government Through Lobbying Reforms
2:25:57
·
3 min
Lerner voices support for proposed measures to limit the influence of lobbyists and the 'revolving door' in New York City government.
- She highlights the murky constitutional status of lobbying and lack of understanding around how influence is wielded through lobbying.
- Lerner advocates rebalancing between public integrity and the right to petition government through paid lobbying.
- She supports restrictions like post-employment communication bans for certain public officials to maintain public trust.
- Lerner specifically backs regulating the confluence of campaign consultants and lobbying firms.
Susan Lerner
2:25:57
I'm Susan Leerink.
2:25:58
Executive Director of Common College, New York.
2:26:00
I wanna thank you for a very lively and informative hearing this morning.
2:26:06
From our point of view, and as really explored in Zephratichow's excellent book regarding the history of lobbying and anti corruption measures in our country for many decades, if not centuries.
2:26:22
Lobbying was considered illegal.
2:26:25
And actually, the constitutional status of lobbying is is quite murky as she explores.
2:26:31
I think what we heard this morning and what we've seen in the 2013 charter revision is a a lack of understanding of the real way in which influence is wielded in city government and the fact that lobbyists and those who are part of the revolving door have a real interest in ensuring that any restrictions are very, very limited.
2:26:59
We need to rebalance, and we believe that these 3 measures help to rebalance between the public interest and being sure that our government makes good decisions based on all information with integrity and the right of those to petition the government perhaps as a paid employment.
2:27:21
So we very much approve the impetus kind of these measures.
2:27:26
We have no problem responding to some of the concerns this morning.
2:27:32
I think that The measures 7677 could certainly be crafted to exempt some of the commissioners some of the executive directors, but when we're dealing with elected officials, and particularly in a revolving door situation, We are dealing with a position of unusual trust, as well as those who are appointed to high administrative positions.
2:27:57
And I believe that people who have the privilege of serving as public citizens of public servants and being paid as such need to keep in mind that they have a position of unusual trust in the public both while they're on the payroll and after they go off the payroll.
2:28:13
So we support the impetus.
2:28:16
We are certainly open to seeing the 7677, intro of 7677 restrictions nuanced a bit more.
2:28:27
But the idea that there should be 1, 2 year ban, bringing us in line with the state ban, and that there are individuals who should have a ban on any communications with any city agency is a good one.
2:28:41
I personally am very excited to see the introduction of 742 because the way in which campaign consultants and lobbying firms have kind of merged and have a confluence is an issue that I've been talking and writing about for the last 10 years.
2:29:00
So we very much support that effort.
2:29:03
Thank you.