Quick-moving activists on Tuesday hung 15-foot banners on the Brooklyn Bridge and the World’s Fair Unisphere, in Flushing Meadows, and slipped away without a trace.
“CUOMO, NO MORE EMPTY PROMISES ON FAIR ELECTIONS,” the banners barked.
Belgian tourist Hossein Uria holds a quick handstand on the bridge on Tuesday shortly after activists from Money Out of Politics hung a banner and hustled off the Brooklyn Bridge.
The group behind the stealth signposting, Money Out of Politics, is trying to goad Gov. Cuomo to follow through on his promises to revamp the state’s campaign finance laws.
“He’s really at a crossroads, deciding whether he’s going to fight for the little guy — people who can’t afford to give big campaign contributions, or is he going to sell us out and keep the center of political power in the monied interests?” said Matthew Edge, the group’s founder, who lives in Berne, N.Y., near Albany.
Activists from Money Out of Politics raised a banner Tuesday on the Brooklyn Bridge to draw attention to their push for campaign finance reform.
Edge and his cohorts have been crisscrossing the state for nearly two weeks, slapping up signs in conspicuous — and even iconic — locations as they go. They plan to hit all 62 counties by the time they’re done.
Queens and Kings counties were numbers 37 and 38, he said.
Matthew Edge of activist group Money Out of Politics tries to explain to tourists on Tuesday why he’d hung a banner on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Cuomo has launched an ad campaign to promote campaign finance changes including matching funds for statewide races, but Edge fears he’ll back off when challenged by big-money boosters.
“We’re raising the stakes,” said Edge, who said he has been trying to dampen the influence of big-money donors for a decade. “If he extends the political capital and keeps fair elections in the budget, he’ll be a hero. If he doesn’t, people are going to know about it.”
A Cuomo official said the group is picking on the wrong guy.
“If this group actually wants to accomplish its goal,” the official said, “they should focus on those who oppose them, instead of attacking people who champion their cause.”
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