If Greenburgh, New York can pass “Pay to Play” Ethics Rules, so can Greensboro, North Carolina

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…

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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.

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

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…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.

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Elsa Brenner

New York Times