The Independent View: Putnam County, NY GOP Files Complaint Over Democrats’ Campaigns

There is a saying "You do not have to be a Democrat or Republican to collect the garbage."

In New York, there is another saying, "You do not have to be a Democrat or Republican to find the loop-holes in the campaign finance laws."

The Putnam County, New York GOP has filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections, contending that Democrats may have skirted campaign finance laws by using county committees to pump big bucks into key Senate races.

Democratic donors pumped $452,300 into the Putnam County Democratic Committee in recent weeks, and the money went to fund the campaigns of two Senate Democratic candidates: Justin Wagner and Sen. Terry Gipson, D-Rhinebeck, Dutchess County.

This is a clear attempt to hide the true identity of the contributor by funneling excessive contributions through a county committee,” county GOP chairman Anthony Scannapieco wrote. Some of the details included:

It appears to be engaging in a pattern of soliciting or receiving donations well in excess of the $10,300 limit for the express purpose of assisting Friends of Justin Wagner, a state Senate Candidate and Friends of Terry Gipson, also a state Senate candidate.

In addition, the Putnam County Democratic Committee, in violation of N.Y. Election Law Section 14-126 appears to have orchestrated with others a contribution to these committees for $60,000 from the NYS Nurses Association PAC in an effort to subvert the statutory contribution limit. The NYS Nurses Association PAC had already given essentially the statutory maximum to the NYS Senate Democratic Campaign Committee on October 14,2014.

Thus this contribution, since it would have far exceeded the $10,300 that the PAC could contribute directly to the candidates was funneled instead to the local county committee within which these competitive Senate races are being held.

These purposely obstructive and fraudulent tactics are willful violations of the Election Law. See, Election Law Section 14-120. The Putnam County Democratic Committee in violation of N.Y. Election Law Section 14-126 appears to have orchestrated a contribution to the Friends of Justin Wagner for $94,000 and for $155,000. The Putnam Democratic Committee received contributions from NYSNA PAC, which contributed $60,000, District Council NYC UBC which contributed $25,000, and Kingsland 359 LLC which contributed $10,000 in an effort to subvert the statutory contribution limit.

Similar use of campaign accounts by both parties has gone on for years, and the state Board of Elections has already said they see no illegality there—largely because of New York’s porous campaign-finance laws.

For example, two years ago, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee and its housekeeping committee spent nearly $6.6 million through various committees.

“This is hypocritical flailing from a candidate funded lock, stock, and barrel by NYC millionaires,” Steve Napier, campaign manager for Wagner, said in a statement. “If Terrence Murphy is looking for a candidate whose campaign has been bought and paid for by outside special interests, and who will be a disaster for Hudson Valley taxpayers, all he needs to do is look in the mirror.”