Senate Transcript - March 24, 1999

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SMITH & MOSESNew York State Legislation Tracker

Those of us who know Ed Cleary well know him not only as a labor leader of remarkable power and persuasion, but as a rare gentlemen and a coalition builder. I think it behooves us to take a brief stroll back through history to consider what Ed Cleary had to contend with during the time he was at the helm of the AFL-CIO. These were some of the bleakest days for organized labor in the United States as well as in the State of New York. And New York, known as a big labor state was constantly under attack by people who were anti-labor. And there were and still are people who would blame any of the economic woes of this State on unions. It became a convenient catchall, an easy scapegoat for anything that was wrong. And like any other type of stereotypical attack, it was wrong but it presented a problem for the very individuals who were trying to build and maintain a strong labor movement and the reasons that they wanted to build it, maintain it and to help it grow has as much to do with the future of this state and the well being of the rest of the citizens as with the members of the unions in the AFL-CIO because it was Ed Cleary and his other leadership team who understood that there is much more than hourly wage at issue here, that it includes significant concepts like apprenticeships, training programs, retraining programs in the face of job loss, retooling to meet new needs and the pension and the health benefits, making workers feel whole, making them feel vibrant, and in fact making them the best work force in this country. And it is the best work force in this country. Under Ed Cleary we have seen the AFL-CIO grow to unbelievable stature in this State and on a national level. And as a smart man Ed Cleary knew that he had to work with everyone. That included people in business. That included people in government who did not always understand or even respect his goals and his responsibility. It also included working with people on all sides of the political aisle from the very conservative to the most liberal spectrum. And he was able to that do with grace. He was able to do that with humor. He was able to do that with style.

It is exceedingly frustrating for those of us who are participating in a legitimate discourse and a legitimate political debate not to have the accountability imposed on anyone else who wishes to participate in that political discourse and that political debate. And all too often there are fliers and palm cards and literature circulated on behalf of candidates that list from one entity that support one candidate for this district and oppose the same candidate in a different district. And generally speaking the knowledge that the public has about this threatens the entire process. The public gets disgusted with this. They don't understand. It clouds the issues. It is another problem that we have encountered. It is another problem that, as Senator Hoffmann has repeatedly pointed out, has a very simple and specific remedy. The remedy, my colleagues, is before us today. Please enact this legislation, Senate 3190, which would require anybody who puts out any piece of literature in support of a candidate to have to file that piece of literature with the Board of Elections and therefore it is on record, on file, there available for anyone who wishes to scrutinize this process, to clean up this process, to go into the Board of Elections, take a look, and see what we were saying to the public and who was saying what we were saying and who was paying for what was being said. And in the end, my sense is, and I -- my sense is also that it would be difficult to disagree with this. That accountability will lead to a much more clean, much more open, much more honest electoral process that in the end will have a cumulative effect with these three bills, with Senator Dollinger's bill, with Senator Connor's bill, of cleaning up the process and of having the electorate turn around and say, You know what, we have a renewed faith, we have a restored confidence in what goes on in the political process and we're going to participate. And because this is not a shot at us Legislators, but when the electorate doesn't participate some may say, well, what's wrong with that, Legislators like when people don't participate. It is easier for us to control the process. The problem is that by definition in this system that we are a part of we then don't become accountable to the different interests that have to be represented in our society. We can't only represent the interest of the people who come to the ballot box. We have to represent everybody's interest, irrespective of whether they vote or not. And the reality is that when they don't vote all too often we don't represent their interests so it is in all of our interest to make sure that we are doing the things, and we can do them right here today, absolute tangible legitimate action today. Do these things to increase that electoral participation, increase the participation in this process, and as a result we will have restored the confidence in the public and reaffirmed what we are doing and give legitimacy to the actions that we take on the floor of this body.

Wednesday, March 24, 1999

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