New York City Campaign Finance Board

The Campaign Finance Board (CFB) of New York City is an independent city agency whose purpose is to increase voter participation and awareness, provide campaign finance information to the public, enable more citizens to run for office, strengthen the role of small contributors, and reduce the potential for actual or perceived corruption.

In response to corruption scandals in the mid-1980s, former Mayor Ed Koch introduced a series of ethics reforms. Most notable of those was the Campaign Finance Act, which was adopted on February 29, 1988 by City Council. In 1988 the Charter Revision Commission proposed and passed question six, a public referendum that established the Campaign Finance Board. The referendum was approved with 79.8 percent of New Yorkers in support of the revision.

The Board was created with the mission of reducing the influence of large private contributions in the political process. The voluntary Campaign Finance Program provides matching funds to qualifying candidates for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and City Council.

The Board is nonpartisan and composed of five board members. Two are appointed by the mayor, and two are appointed by the speaker of the City Council. The Chair is appointed by the mayor after consultation with the speaker. The members serve staggered five-year terms. The founding board members appointments in April 1988 include: Father Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., James I. Lewis, Frank J. Macchiarola, Robert B. McKay, and Sonia Sotomayor.

The Board administers the Campaign Finance Act, which applies to every candidate running for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and City Council member in New York City. Candidates are required to disclose where their contributions come from and how they are spent. The Board collects this information throughout the election cycle and makes it public on its website. Candidates must abide by contributions limits and restrictions, including “Doing Business” restrictions aimed at reducing the perception of “pay-to-play” politics in local government.

The CFB audits every campaign for these offices to ensure compliance with the law. In order to qualify for receiving public funds, candidates are required to meet a two-part threshold. The Campaign Finance Program matches eligible donations $6– $1, but there are limits to the maximum public funds that a candidate may receive.

The CFB is empowered by the Campaign Finance Act to conduct investigations either on its own initiative or following receipt of a complaint into possible violations of the City Charter, the Campaign Finance Act, or any of its related rules. The CFB is empowered under the Campaign Finance Act to conduct field investigations and desk and field audits. Furthermore, the CFB has the power and authority to issue subpoenas, take sworn testimony, and issue document requests and interrogatories. The investigatory powers of the CFB as an independent agency contrast with the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board, for example, which, under the City Charter, turns to the New York City Department of Investigation for assistance with probes.

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