No political tricks in my child's bag! (w/ UPDATE!)

As many people who read this blog know, "member items," or these personal pork-barrel slush funds used by the majority parties in the State Senate and Assembly, are a very big problem. They're something that many of us want cleaned up as soon as we establish a Democratic majority in the State Senate.

However, we also must be reminded that our State representatives are using these funds to insure their incumbency, making it harder to defeat on November 4. One of the most cynical uses of using these public funds for campaigning purposes is the "Halloween safety" flyers distributed in our school districts. These flyers are campaign flyers masquerading as public-service announcements. They use public assets and our children as campaign tools.

In my Senate district (SD-38), I am challenging the legality of GOP State Senator Thomas P. Morahan's distribution of these flyers. And today, I started with my campaign, by sending the e-mail (below) to the Superintendent of Nyack Public Schools. If you live in a Republican Senate district, you're likely getting similar flyers sent home with your children. I urge you to send similar letters to your local school superintendents.

Dear Dr. Douglas,

At about this time two years ago, I opened up my daughter's folder to look over her homework. In it I found a flyer from State Senator Thomas P. Morahan. It was a Halloween safety flyer that had Senator Morahan's name in HUGE type and some common-sense Halloween safety tips in very small, almost agate-sized type. I found it more than curious, in fact, cynical, to get a useless flyer from Senator Morahan in my child's pack just a few days he was to defend his seat. In fact, several parents that I know from Upper Nyack and Liberty Elementary schools were upset by this flyer, which was obviously campaign material paid for by Morahan's "member items" slush fund.

Last year at this time, I made sure to go through my daughter's folder the two weeks before Halloween. There was no such flyer in her backpack. There was no flyer because Morahan wasn't facing reelection. I asked several other parents if they had received the flyer last year and none had.

Furthermore, I have looked over federal and state electioneering laws and this type of electioneering—which is paid by taxpayer funds—is of questionable legality. Using a public resource, like elementary schools, to distribute political campaign materials makes it clearly illegal. If these materials are distributed this year, in another election year, it could be easily proven that these flyers are campaign materials, especially since no such flyers were sent out last year.

I know that Senator Morahan is preparing similar "Halloween" flyers as we speak. I just want to make you aware that if Senator Morahan's political flyer masking as "Halloween Safety Tips" goes out this year with our children, I will be contacting the New York State Board of Elections, the State Attorney General's Office, the local media, and the New York Civil Liberties Union. Be clear that this e-mail is a measured and thoughtful plea to you to do the right thing. I know it to be my civic duty as a both a nurturing parent and as an advocate for clean elections to bring this to your attention.

I implore the district to reject these flyers from Senator Morahan this year and not use its students as a campaign tools as it has in the past.

UPDATE: Dr. Douglas e-mailed me back and said she would do what she can to ensure that this does not happen again. That's one school district down...

I can just imagine one of Morahan's goons carrying a 60 lbs. box of these flyers to the Nyack Schools building and only to be turned away at the door. Folks, this can happen in your school district!