ALBANY — The Ruben Wills indictment comes at a bad time for Gov. Cuomo, the Working Families Party and other advocates of taxpayer funding for political campaigns.
These supporters of publicly financed races would like to see the state follow the system New York City implemented in the late 1980s in which taxpayer dollars match private donations for legislative and executive races. The intent of the system is to reduce the influence of big donors.
But the Wills indictment shows no system is safe from crooks.
With the help of his cousin, Wills is accused of stealing $11,500 in matching funds from the Campaign Finance Board by submitting a phony invoice for his failed 2009 race for the City Council.
“A bad guy will figure out how to steal public dollars. Wills is a case in point,” said state Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn), who opposes public financing of campaigns.
“Taxpayer dollars should not go toward political campaigns. The money would be better spent on education, public safety, hospitals and nursing homes,” he said.
On Tuesday, Cuomo wrote an opinion piece on the Huffington Post Web site calling public financing of campaigns a top priority as the legislative session winds down in Albany.