Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's appointment of a Moreland commission1 is meant as a response to political corruption and a deterrent to future wrongdoing.
Its members have a weighty set of tasks—uncovering wrongdoing, referring matters to prosecutors and recommending reforms of our electoral system. This will sound familiar to some. In March 1986, in response to the Parking Violations Bureau scandal that rocked New York City, Mayor Ed Koch and Governor Mario Cuomo appointed the State-City Commission on Integrity in Government, headed by Columbia University President Michael I. Sovern. Among the recommendations of this 16-member panel were limits on campaign contributions, tough ethics rules and protection of workers who report wrongdoing. It also called upon the governor to appoint another commission, one with subpoena power to investigate corruption more effectively. The following year Cuomo appointed a Moreland commission, the New York State Commission on Government Integrity, led by Dean John D. Feerick of Fordham University School of Law.
