New York State Assembly

Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua) today joined his fellow members of the Minority Conference to call for an amendment of the State Constitution that would give New Yorkers the right to hold recall elections. The proposed bill (A.6161/Tedisco) would allow voters the ability to remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has expired.

In the wake of recent arrests and indictments of elected officials, several anti-corruption proposals have been put forth. However, none have enabled the voting public an opportunity to play a direct and timely role in rooting out corruption. Nineteen other states currently allow recall elections.

"Restoring public trust needs to be more than just a sound bite. The most important and effective way to regain the confidence of New Yorkers is to reinforce the power they have as an electorate," Leader Kolb said. "Recall elections demonstrate the will of the people and provide for a swift, decisive remedy when corruption rears its ugly head. There are a number of anti-corruption ideas on the table right now and more on the way - many of which are important and necessary. But any serious conversation about ridding Albany of corruption needs to include a mechanism that strengthens the public's voice and their presence in the process."

Under the proposed legislation, the recall process would be initiated by a specific number of voters signing a petition to remove an elected official and presenting that petition to the Secretary of State. Once signatures are certified, the Governor would set a date for a recall election. A recall election would then be conducted to determine whether or not the official is removed from office.

Without the power to conduct recall elections, elected officials charged with public corruption crimes are able to retain their respective government seats during lengthy and tedious legal processes, all while receiving their taxpayer-funded salaries.

"Today, we join the taxpayers of New York State in calling for a recall revolution to return power to the people and empower them to police their elected officials. We believe that the most powerful voices in our representative democracy are the voters and they should be able to call for a redress of grievances by petitioning for the firing of elected officials who are derelict in their duties and just don't do their jobs. If you don't do your job or are irresponsible in your job, you lose your job. Why shouldn't we hold our elected representatives to the same standard? We've tried the approach of having the legislature police itself and we've gotten the keystone cops. Let's trust the people to help partner with us to clean up government," said Assemblyman Jim Tedisco (R,C,I-Glenville).

"Recall elections would provide a needed mechanism to remove those representatives who violate the trust of their electorate," said Assemblyman Robert Oaks (R,C-Macedon) a former member of the Assembly Ethics Committee and the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee. "Citizens have the right to expect the people they elect to demonstrate integrity worthy of their office. Voters should have the right to recall those who violate the public's trust."

Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (R,C,I-Melrose) said, "It's far too frequent that public servants in Albany are becoming negligent in their duty to the people. There are too many bad seeds in Albany and it reflects poorly on all of us, including those elected officials who work tirelessly on behalf of their constituents. It's time to give power back to the people and let them drain the swamp. The Governor can create a commission to police this and appoint someone to police that. The only group who doesn't have a say in the policing of those who have abandoned their duty as an elected official are the people of New York themselves. It's time to let the people have a voice in the process and recall elected officials who have been negligent in their duty to the public. New Yorkers have a right to hold their elected leaders accountable for the decisions they make and anything less is unjust. It's long past due to pass this legislation and let the people decide on the Recall Revolution."

A recent Siena Research Institute poll illustrated the eroding confidence New Yorkers have in their public officials in the aftermath of recent corruption scandals. The poll showed 91% of voters believe corruption in the State Legislature is a serious problem, and that 81% believe there will be more corruption arrests in the near future.