Letter to Congressman Sweeney: - Times Union



Letter to Congressman Sweeney:

 

July 18, 2006

 

Representative John Sweeney

939 Route 146

Clifton Park, NY 12065

 

Dear Representative Sweeney,

 

With fresh questions being raised in the press about the relationship between your campaign fundraising and lobbyists, we are writing to ask you to return questionable campaign contributions and commit to putting voters before campaign contributors and lobbyists by signing the Voters First pledge.

 

Today, the Times Union reports that you received $30,100 in campaign contributions from lobbyists and other who attended the Winter Challenge. As you know, the President of the Olympic Regional Development Authority has testified before a New York s State Assembly Committee that your office generated a list of names to invite to the Winter Challenge, in violation of Ethics Rules. It now appears that some of the names on the guest list are campaign contributors to your campaign for reelection. This is a clear violation of the public trust, an erasing of the line between the public's business and your personal political interest. We believe a good start in restoring public trust would be to return the $30,100 in campaign contributions from those who attended the Winter Challenge.

 

Individual actions to remove conflicts of interest is a first step, but it is not enough. It's important that Congress enact systemic changes to end the corrupt climate in Washington that favors campaign contributor and lobbyists over constituents. We urge you to sign the enclosed Voters First Pledge. The pledge asks members of Congress and candidates to support three reforms: 1) enforce campaign-spending limits by providing a set amount of public funding for all candidates who agree to take no private contributions; 2) pass and enforce meaningful new restrictions on gifts and travel from lobbyists and other powerful interests for members of Congress; and 3) require full disclosure on the internet of all lobbyists' contributions and any fundraising help members of Congress get from lobbyists. Please return the signed pledge to our office in Albany.

Thank your for your consideration.

Sincerely,

 

Richard Kirsch

Executive Director

 

 

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