Is Councilman Matheny for or against banning public officials from taking donations from real estate interests, between 12 months before and 12 months after applications are reviewed by the Zoning Commission or the City Council?

 Everybody sooner or later

sits down to a banquet of consequences

 

Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Municipal Ethics: Town Approves Rules to Fight ‘Pay to Play’

 

In an effort to end the influence-buying practice known as pay to play, the Greenburgh Town Council has approved new regulations governing campaign donations…

 

The regulations…make it illegal for public officials to accept campaign contributions from developers, contractors or their lawyers or agents for a year before and a year after an application is reviewed by a town board, said John McLaughlin, a member of the town’s Board of Ethics.

 

In addition to the campaign finance ban, the new ethics code provides for the establishment of a registry of prohibited contributors.

 

…William Eichengrun, a developer from Peekskill, said he supported the changes. “A political contribution from a developer who has a project before the town is tantamount to a bribe, and in my opinion, you shouldn’t have to bribe anyone to get a good project passed,” he said.

 

Elsa Brenner

New York Times