As part of their budget negotiations, state lawmakers earlier this year created the Public Campaign Finance Commission with the mandate to create a voluntary system for statewide and state legislative candidates to receive public matching funds in exchange for meeting certain fundraising and spending criteria.
The commission is responsible for issuing a report with recommendations by December 1 and holding a public hearing on its findings. The recommendations become binding if lawmakers, who will be out of session, don’t act to modify them within 20 days of their release.
With that in mind, KCP asked incumbent State Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope) his Democrat District Leader Challenger Josue Pierre in next year’s 21st District State Senate primary the following two-pronged questions:
Do you think matching funds should only be given to in-district or in-city donations and why?
Keven Parker: Currently, I am reviewing the pros and cons of the various options that New York can employ to fund a statewide campaign finance program. As such, I have not finalized my opinion of what is best for New Yorkers.
Josue Pierre: The real issue is that politicians take too much money from lobbyists and major landlords, and ignore the voices of regular people. New York City’s matching funds has already galvanized a groundswell of grassroots support for progressive candidates — we need to unlock that same power at the state level by matching in-district donations. If we start matching funds from real estate and energy executives who don’t live in the 21st Senate District, we will just dilute the transformative power of matching funds.
What differences do you see between corporate donations, union PAC donations and individual donations from non-profit executives?
Josue Pierre: Robust union support is crucial for real progressive candidates. Whenever my union, Organization of Staff Analysts, supported a candidate, I know that they had the best interests of 5,000 hardworking employees and our families in mind. But, when corporations like energy companies donate to a candidate for office, they are buying their votes and silence on critical issues like the recent string of blackouts in Flatbush. The difference is clear: union PACs support families and our community, corporate PACs harm them.
Keven Parker: People from all walks of life support me for a whole host of reasons. But what is consistent in each of my supporter’s is their belief in my vision and the work I commit myself to on behalf of the working families across New York State. My supporters understand that I judge every issue on its own merits, and that I make informed decisions that reflect the values of my constituents that have repeatedly and resoundingly, sent me to Albany. So for me, there has never been a distinction between the donations I receive from any of my supporters.
