(HAMBURG) - Brad Rybczynski, the Labor-endorsed candidate for the 146th Assembly District seat, has pledged – if elected - to champion lobbying and ethics reform in Albany.

“As someone who has worked in this arena, I see a need for reform,” said Rybczynski, who has been endorsed by a number of Western New York Labor Organizations, as well as the Western New York Chapter of the Working Families Party.  “The average citizen is at a disadvantage and needs the playing field leveled.  The halls of government should not be a playground for the wealthy and well connected.”

Rybczynski pledged to introduce legislation to increase transparency and accountability in the lobbying community, which would require any donations, cash or in-kind services - made by a lobbyist or lobbying firm - be reported to the New York State Commission on Public Integrity.

Currently, all donations of more than $99 to a candidate must be reported to the New York State Board of Elections.  In order to determine who is attempting to influence lawmakers, one would now need to first know each lobbyist that is registered within the state and have a handle on all firms registered to lobby, as well.  It would then be necessary to cross-reference each of these individuals or entities with individual elected officials’ or candidates’ financial records.

It is highly unlikely that the average citizen would have the time or resources to conduct these types of searches, Rybczynski said. 

“While the taxpayers of New York State are busy trying to make a living, raising a family or working hard on balancing their home budgets, so many of our elected officials in Albany are being influenced on how government runs and operates by contributions from big lobbying organizations.  We, the public, do not have time to dig through reams of documents to find this type of information.  This legislation will make it openly available to the public,” he said.

Additionally, Rybczynski said he will call for increased penalties and fines for those caught intentionally trying to end-run the current system. 

“Our elected leadership and those who are trying to persuade the decision makers in government need to know that they are held to a higher standard.  When they fail to uphold that standard they should not be allowed to get off with a slap on the wrist,” he said.

Furthermore, Rybczynski also pledged to call for an increase in scrutiny of all donations received by campaigns.  This will include strict guidelines and fines for those who file financial reports late or not at all, he said.  Most importantly, the candidate will be held responsible for any dereliction along with their campaign treasurers.  “The way the system works now a candidate has a degree of separation and does not feel the full sting when financials are late or missing information.  They should be held personally responsible,” Rybczynski said.

“My campaign for the 146th Assembly District is based on the premise that we, as taxpayers, have been ignored for too long and have been left out of the loop on many decisions that affect our daily lives and how we provide for our family.  It’s time to send a clear message to career politicians in the legislature that they work for us and that taxpayers are the only special interest group they should be concerned with,” he said.