In response to news that former Governor Andrew Cuomo is suing the newly created Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government because it is so independent from the Governor that it is unconstitutional, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY, John Kaehny, Executive Director of Reinvent Albany, Blair Horner, Executive Director of NYPIRG and Laura Ladd Bierman, Executive Director of League of Women Voters of NYS put out the following statement:

“We have fought for years to establish an independent ethics commission, one that is not under the thumb of the governor or any of the state’s elected leaders. Sadly, we have seen what happens when an ethics watchdog is on the leash of the governor. The former governor’s lawsuit to gut the new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) is nothing more than a disingenuous move for attention while he faces an impending ruling over his book deal. We hope that the court, like us, sees the wisdom in having an ethics agency that is less controlled by the governor, not more. We urge COELIG to act quickly – and independently – and rule on the former governor’s potential misuse of taxpayer money.”