SC Legislator Trotta Proposes To Limit Campaign Contributions

Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta Sponsors Legislation to Limit Campaign Contributions from County Contractors and Public Employee Unions

A Means to Eliminate Corruption in County Contracts

(Smithtown, NY)…At the March 1 General Meeting of the Legislature, Suffolk County Legislator Robert Trotta introduced a resolution (IR-1179) to limit the amount of campaign contributions that contractors and public employee unions doing business with Suffolk County can make to its elected officials. The bill contains a cap of $2,000 for a business or employee organization which has a contract with the county and wants to contribute to the campaign of a legislator or county-wide elected official or candidates running for those offices. 

“It is not uncommon for people and organizations doing business with Suffolk County to make donations to the political campaigns of County officials and candidates seeking County office,” said Legislator Trotta.  “Such contributions can be interpreted by the public as a “pay to play” that results in government contracts being awarded on the basis of connections and contributions,” added Trotta.  Therefore, the purpose of this law is to limit the contributions that contractors and public employee unions can make to elected County officials and candidates for county office and reduce special interest influence on the county’s contracting process. “I can assure the residents and voters of Suffolk County that when I first ran for office three years ago and this past year I did not accept campaign donations from the unions and special interest groups” said Legislator Trotta. “With all the corruption we are seeing in the various levels of government, I believe that this measure is a step in the right direction toward curtailing the process of doing business as usual with Suffolk County,” said Legislator Rob Trotta.

At the March 22 meeting of the Legislature, a public hearing on this local law was recessed until the April 12 meeting of the Legislature. For more information, please call Legislator Rob Trotta at 631-854-3900.