Local Representatives Respond To Deck Stacking At Commission Meeting
Earlier today (09/18/2019), Politico reporting revealed that State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs has been caught red-handed stacking the deck against fusion voting on the Public Finance Reform Commission on which he serves.
Jason J. McGuire, Chairman of the Livingston County Conservative Party, issued this statement regarding the revelation, “Politicians sometimes wonder why people think the government is stacked against the citizens it’s supposed to represent. This is exactly why. It’s a shameful abuse of power by the State Democratic Chair whom Governor Andrew Cuomo picked to serve on this commission. It’s also why on other commissions the legislative language specifically prohibits party leaders from serving on such commissions, but not this one. This one was loaded out of the gate.”
McGuire isn’t the only local calling into question the tactics being employed in this situation either. Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes (R-C, Caledonia) offered this reaction, “We’ve seen a huge influx of new commissions throughout New York stacked with Cuomo allies and yes-men. After losing the Working Families Party line in his last gubernatorial campaign, Cuomo twisted arms and got his way back onto their line—but now he’s out for blood. This personal grudge against third parties is dangerous, violates the rights of minor parties and would restrict them from being part of the democratic process.”
“Fusion voting has been used in New York for over a century and I support it. It provides our diverse population with clear choices in electing representatives. To do away with the current system is to limit democracy,” said Senator Patrick Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma).