Common Cause/New York Requests Conflicts of Interest Board and the Campaign Finance Board Review of Mayor de Blasio’s Fundraising

Raises questions about the Campaign for One New York and United for Affordable NYC.

NEW YORK, NY — Today Common Cause/New York sent a letter addressed to the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) and the Campaign Finance Board (CFB) calling for a review of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s use of 501(c)(4) entities to raise money: the Campaign for One New York and United for Affordable NYC.

Unlike individual candidate accounts, 501(c)(4) entities are not subject to the same contribution limits or disclosure requirements under the law. Instead, they can accept unlimited amounts of “dark money” without reporting specifically how the money is spent. It also blurs the line between campaign activity and the Mayor’s function as the head of New York City government.

“Common Cause/New York does not accept that dark money is a necessary function of the modern mayoralty. The Mayor’s unprecedented use of 501(c)(4) fundraising has spawned a shadow government that raises serious questions about who has influence and access to the policymaking process. It has created a perpetual campaign, confusing the role of government and politics, to the detriment of the public interest.”

See Appendix A for press reports documenting the questionable relationship between public affairs consultants, their clients, and the Campaign for One New York.