Albany, NY—In recognition of the start of the 2019 legislative session, Jessica Wisneski, Co-Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York, has issued the following statement:
“After a historic election season, we are excited to welcome in a new wave of leaders who were elected by the people, not handpicked by powerful donors.
“Andrea Stewart-Cousins has taken her rightful place as the Senate Majority Leader, and now we have the opportunity to work side-by-side with the New York Legislature to push for a bold progressive agenda that will move our communities forward.
“But to tackle the key issues facing our communities—like mass incarceration and the underfunding of our public schools—we first need to pass a Fair Elections package that overhauls our broken campaign finance and voting laws. This must include a small donor matching program, so the voices of everyday New Yorkers aren’t drowned out by big money interests. Governor Cuomo, Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie have all stood in support of small donor public financing. Now is the time to finally get it done.
“We can turn over a new leaf in Albany by passing a robust Fair Elections package that ends the reign of big money and creates a democracy that works for all of us.”
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