Name: Eric Dinallo
Age: 47
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: Ethics Professor, Stern School of Business at New York University
Decision To Run: New York needs an experienced leader with a record of taking on the toughest fights and winning. That’s what I have done throughout my career, from putting violent criminals behind bars as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, to holding Wall Street accountable as an Assistant Attorney General, to protecting consumers as the head of the New York State Insurance Department.
As the only candidate who worked in the Attorney General’s office, I understand exactly how to use its incredible authority to stand up for all New Yorkers. Under former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, I brought the biggest and toughest cases against Wall Street that anyone had seen and won. Those cases reformed a system that allowed financial advisors to mislead investors, and helped transform the Attorney General’s office into the powerhouse it is today.
As Attorney General, I will continue to hold powerful interests accountable, from corrupt politicians to insurance companies, from the gun lobby to financial institutions, from Wall Street banks to predatory lending scams in our communities.
Major Issues: I will aggressively investigate and prosecute corrupt politicians. Others have called for legislation to do the job, but we cannot wait for Albany to take action against itself. My Public Integrity Agenda outlines how I will creatively use the laws we already have on the books to hold public officials accountable starting immediately when I take office.
Top Priorities: Public corruption at both the state and local levels must be stopped, and it will be my primary focus once elected. With my Public Integrity Agenda, and my plan to put an Assistant Attorney General in every county, I will prosecute abuses of public office on all levels of government.
Name: Kathleen Rice
Age: 45
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: Nassau County District Attorney
Decision To Run: I decided to run for attorney general because I believe that as a tough and progressive district attorney, I have the best combination of experience and vision to protect New Yorkers at a time when corruption, fraud and abuse in Albany, on Wall Street and in our communities are at an all-time high. I am the only candidate in the Democratic primary for attorney general who has the experience running a large office of attorneys and a law enforcement agency. As a lifelong legal advocate who is not a career politician and not a product of Albany or Wall Street, I have the independence and the will to reform state government.
Major Issues: First of all, Albany and many of our local governments are riddled with waste, fraud and abuse that lead to inefficiency, inequality and a waste of tax dollars. For details about my plans to address this, you can read my Public Integrity Agenda on my website at www.kathleenrice.com. New Yorkers are also being hurt by those financial crimes that affect our pocketbooks every day, whether those crimes happen inside big Wall Street firms, or on the Internet, or at a car dealership on Queens Boulevard.
Top Priorities: The first thing I would focus on is to restore the public’s faith in government by taking bold, aggressive steps to clean up the dysfunction in Albany. That means investigating corruption and waste to recover resources for taxpayers; pushing for independent ethics and redistricting commissions to end Albany’s history of protecting incumbents; reducing the influence of money on elections; and appointing a special deputy attorney general in order to encourage and protect whistleblowers who report wrongdoing in government.
Name: Sean Coffey
Age: 54
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: I retired from my law practice in October 2009 to run for New York Attorney General. As an attorney I have served as a tough federal prosecutor and investor advocate attorney. In addition, I served nearly 30 years as a Naval officer in active and reserve duty.
Decision To Run: I am running for Attorney General because the machinery of government in New York is broken. As your next Attorney General, I will protect and defend families like the one I grew up in by fighting against mortgage fraud, predatory lending, wage theft and discrimination in all its forms. I’m running to be ‘the people’s lawyer’ – not ‘the politician’s lawyer.’ I’ve spent my lifetime as a change agent – first as a federal prosecutor, then as an investor advocate fighting against corrupt Wall Street companies and executives. I’ll bring accountability and transparency to Albany, Wall Street and anywhere else that corruption and crimes impact our communities.
Major Issues: Understanding that the Office of Attorney General is essentially a large public interest law firm, my top priorities will be to enforce labor law, protect workers’ rights and combat discrimination in the workplace. All forms of discrimination still plague our communities – from employment to housing to marriage. As AG, my office will be a place where victims of discrimination come for redress and change. I also have also released a robust and comprehensive plan to crack down on mortgage foreclosure scams in New York, which have disproportionately impacted lower and middle-income minority families.
Top Priorities: I would get the political branches of state government working again for New Yorkers by advocating for the passage of necessary legislation, including that of the Gianaris bill, to ensure more competitive elections.
Name: Eric T. Schneiderman
Age: 55
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: State Senator, candidate for Attorney General
Decision To Run: As a lifelong, progressive Democrat, I believe that there is no higher calling than the pursuit of justice: equal justice regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability, independent justice without regard to political or special interests, and progressive justice that takes an activist approach to protecting everyday New Yorkers. I have dedicated my whole life to fighting for justice; I believe I am uniquely qualified to run the best public interest firm in the country. As a lawmaker, I have worked to pass tough consumer protection and anti-fraud laws. As attorney general, I can do even more to make sure corporations are playing by the rules.
Major Issues: In tough economic times, hardworking New Yorkers are being targeted with illegally marketed loans, false promises to avoid home foreclosure, or abusive debt collection practices. As Attorney General, I will establish a “Protect Your Home and Neighborhood” Agenda to fight mortgage and housing fraud scams and secure restitution for victims. Families are also struggling with skyrocketing health care costs and insurance companies that refuse to play by the rules. As Attorney General, I will ensure insurance companies are spending patient premiums on patient care, not on executive compensation.
Top Priority: In addition to fighting for economic justice on Day One, as Attorney General, I will immediately focus on ending corruption in government. I was the author of the most sweeping Ethics Reform legislation to pass the legislature since Watergate. As Attorney General, I will use the powerful tools of the office to take on public corruption across the state, and fight for even more enforcement power to hold those who violate the public’s trust accountable.
Name: Richard Brodsky
Age: 64
Party Affiliation: Democratic
Occupation: New York State Assemblymember
Decision To Run: I was a candidate for Attorney General four years ago, when a family health emergency intervened. I never expected there would be an opening again, but since Andrew Cuomo is vacating the office the opportunity has arisen. I’m a good lawyer, I understand what’s happening to middle class people across the state, and I know how to use the skills of the office to protect people economically, legally, environmentally, health-wise and I’ll do just that as Attorney General.
Major Issues: The first issue is turning the office of the Attorney General into the people’s protector. Whether it’s electric rates, or reinvigorating the “polluter pays” principle, or making the MTA more effective, I’ll be an Attorney General involved in making the lives of average citizens better. My work in Queens has given examples of that commitment. I brought the civil case that returned $65 million to Queens residents as a result of the Astoria outage. I made sure that when the Queens private bus lines were taken over by the MTA, riders and employees were protected. It’s a good record, and I’m proud of it.
The second major issue is reform of Albany institutions. We need an Attorney General who will crack down on public corruption, but also make sure the government functions in the interests of average people. Again, my record is a good one. I’ve reformed the 700 “Soviet-style bureaucracies,” that constitute our government, and I can do it again for the rest of the government.
Top Priorities: Two things would be an investigation and reform of the price fixing schemes that drive electricity costs up across the state, and cracking down on public authorities like the MTA when they’re wasteful and ineffective.
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