Soros Group Invests in D.A. Race

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The New York Sun

ALBANY – A group with ties to billionaire philanthropist George Soros is indirectly funneling money into the race for Albany County district attorney, helping to turn the election into a referendum on reducing the state’s stiff penalties for drug crimes.


The Drug Policy Alliance Network, which counts Mr. Soros as a founder, donor, and board member, has contributed $81,500 in the past two months to the Working Families Party. The party, in turn, is supporting a candidate who favors more lenient drug laws, David Soares, against the incumbent district attorney of Albany County, Paul Clyne.


Mr. Soares faces Mr. Clyne in a Democratic primary on Tuesday.


New York’s anti-drug laws, enacted in the 1970s under Governor Rockefeller, impose some of the harshest penalties in the nation, including a sentence of up to 15 years to life for anyone convicted of selling two ounces of cocaine.


State lawmakers of both parties have called for shortening the sentences and diverting more drug offenders into treatment rather than prison, but have failed to agree on specific changes.


Proponents of more lenient laws blame district attorneys for resisting reform and plan to make an example of Mr. Clyne, who has been outspoken in defense of the existing laws.


“The whole country is tough on drugs, but New York has gone overboard,” said the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Ethan Nadelmann. “And if the responsibility lies anywhere, it’s with the D.A.s, who hold power that’s not appropriate in a democracy.”


A former administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Thomas Constantine, is raising an alarm about the campaign, saying the goals of the Drug Policy Alliance are tantamount to legalizing drugs.


Mr. Constantine called the state’s drugs laws the “major reason” the crime rate has fallen so dramatically in New York City.


“To walk away from that and let the crime rate go back up … would be a huge mistake for society,” he said.


The Working Families Party, funded primarily by unions, is playing an unusually prominent role in the campaign for Mr. Soares, a former assistant district attorney who was fired by Mr. Clyne shortly after he announced his campaign. The party is issuing press releases on Mr. Soares’s behalf, and a reporter’s calls to his Albany campaign office were referred to party officials in Brooklyn.


The donations from the Drug Policy Alliance Network amount to about 9% of all the money the Working Families Party has raised this year. The party has not disclosed how much it is spending on behalf of Mr. Soares, and a party spokesman, Alex Navarro, said it is not required to do so. Mr. Navarro estimated the amount would be under $100,000.


A political watchdog with the New York Public Interest Research Group, Blair Horner, argued that the party should be detailing its spending on the campaign.


“We urge the Board of Elections to look into this,” Mr. Horner said. “There’s no defensible reason why a political party shouldn’t disclose this information. The public’s entitled to know.”


It’s also unclear how the Drug Police Alliance Network could contribute so much money without registering as a political action committee in New York. A spokesman for the state Board of Elections, Lee Daghlian, said the group appears to fall under the rules for corporate contributions, which are capped at $5,000 per year for all state-regulated donations combined.


Mr. Nadelmann said the group is a 501(c)4 organization that does not accept tax-deductible gifts, and contended the donations were proper.


He confirmed that the Drug Policy Alliance Network and its charitable affiliate, the Drug Policy Alliance, were founded by George Soros’ Open Society Institute. He said Mr. Soros provides about one-third of the funding for the charitable group, but less than one tenth of the money for the political efforts.


Mr. Soros has attracted nationwide attention for bankrolling soft-money groups dedicated to defeating President Bush. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, he is the second largest individual donor to so-called 527 organizations, with $12.6 million in contributions this election cycle.


Mr. Nadelmann said the Drug Policy Alliance advocates policies aimed at reducing the harm drugs cause, both to abusers and society at large. It favors such steps as decriminalizing marijuana, providing clean needles to heroin addicts, and treating – rather than incarcerating – addicts.


The New York Sun

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