Billionaire Golisano To Spend $5M on Elections

ALBANY — Billionaire and former New York gubernatorial candidate Tom Golisano is putting up $5 million to back candidates in state elections this fall — as long as they support his primarily fiscal agenda.

Mr. Golisano says the Responsible New York PAC launched yesterday would support Republicans or Democrats, based on their answers to a questionnaire touching on eight issues.

Limiting budget increases, ending unfunded mandates, reforming property taxes, reforming campaigns and elections, and keeping government employee compensation equal with the private sector are among Mr. Golisano's priorities.

He's also looking for politicians who support "equitable distribution" of economic resources statewide, government transparency, and an end to borrowing without voter approval.

Mr. Golisano said he hasn't decided which politicians the PAC will back, how much money will be dedicated to different candidates, or how it would be spent to promote his priorities.

It was unclear whether Mr. Golisano would support the Democrats' bid to seize control of the state Senate, although he did say he's had discussions with Kathy Konst, a Democrat running against Republican Senator Dale Volker of Erie County. He had also spoken with Rick Dollinger, a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent Senator Joe Robach of Monroe County.

The Republicans currently have a 32-30 majority over Democrats in the Senate.

Responsible New York will also have a companion committee that will accept donations of up to $100 from individuals.

Yesterday's announcement raises legal questions. New York state election law doesn't officially define political action committees — political committees are either considered authorized or unauthorized.

Authorized committees are limited to accepting a total of $150,000 in contributions from an individual. They also limit the interaction a contributor can have with a politician or another committee and the influence the individual has over the use of their contribution.

"If Mr. Golisano were to organize (a political committee), he has the ability to put as much of his own money into the political committee as he likes — as long as it is unauthorized and independent," a spokesman for the state Board of Elections, Robert Brehm, said.

But Mr. Brehm said the board can't be sure what legal limits Mr. Golisano's committee falls under until all the paperwork has been filed.

"The details really, really matter," Mr. Brehm said.

Mr. Golisano's lawyer, Henry Berger, says they're planning an unauthorized committee, which would eliminate the spending limitations and give greater freedom in how the money is spent.

"This is all going to be unauthorized," he said. "You can call it a banana if you want, but it's a political committee that's going to engage solely in independent expenditures."

Mr. Golisano, the founder of Paychex and owner of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, ran for governor in 1994, 1998, and 2002 — when he spent $75 million to get 14%of the vote.