Good Government groups say the reticence of lawmakers to pass meaningful reform reminds them of the awkwardness of an eighth grade dance.
"Everybody is waiting for somebody else to be the first to ask the opposite sex to come onto the floor, and someone will put a foot forward and pull it back. And that's not the way in which things get done," Susan Learner said.
But government watchdogs say it's way more serious than a do-si-do. From rank-and-file up to the governor, they say lawmakers have failed to produce the change they've promised.
"It's June and what do we have to show for it? We have bills that don't match, rhetoric that doesn't match. The status quo remains," Barbara Bartoletti said.
It has been without a doubt an eventful year at the Capital so far. We've seen Former Governor Eliot Spitzer's sex scandal and Governor David Paterson's rise to office, but when all is said and done this legislative session, what has actually gotten done? Well, some good government groups in Albany say not enough. They feel the elected pair of Spitzer and Paterson promised reform and since Paterson is the last man standing, he has a responsibility to follow through. Capital Tonight's Erin Billups has the details.
Just as they blasted Paterson for his lack of leadership on the issue, the governor announced what he calls landmark campaign finance reform legislation that, in part, drastically lowers contribution limits, closes the loophole allowing companies to give large campaign contributions, restricts contributions from lobbyists, steps up enforcement of campaign fund abuse and improves transparency and accountability. Just the sort of changes watch dogs want, but they say it may not have come soon enough.
“Our concern now is, at this late date, that they haven't had the leaders actually engaging on this issues to see what they could get done," Blair Horner said.
One could argue, Paterson came into office on the heels of the state's most devastating scandal, mid-way through the budget process and legislative session. Not to mention all of which happened during a dismal economic storm, his staff says he's trying to tackle the foreclosure crisis, sky-rocketing energy prices and the burden of property taxes, all issues crippling New Yorkers.
In response, the watchdogs say real reform would help make passing effective legislation easier.
"The reason why Albany doesn't address any of these substantive issues is that the process is so completely broken," Learner said.
A spokesperson from the Governor's office tells us if you look at Paterson's record, he has historically been a leader in laws aimed at reforming Albany. He says Paterson has not turned his back on these issues, but the governor is being more careful about his priorities and passing reform legislation during this session would be a heavy lift given the current economic and fiscal crisis looming.