Assembly candidate Karen McMahon pledges to clean up Albany, fight for real ethics reform  


             New York State Assembly candidate Karen McMahon unveiled her ethics platform, which includes increasing oversight of state economic development projects, getting dark money out of politics, strictly limiting outside income for legislators and strengthening sexual harassment policies.

            “Our state leaders always talk tough about tackling corruption, but nothing ever actually changes,” said McMahon. “This year alone, we’ve seen multiple convictions for bid-rigging and pay-to-play politics. In Albany, I’ll stand up to self-serving career politicians and pass real ethics reform to ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear.”

            McMahon knows that Western New York families are already over-taxed and cannot afford to have their government spend wastefully or unethically. To better protect working people, she’ll fight for greater transparency of state economic development projects to ensure these initiatives actually help our economy – and aren’t just a handout to high-powered political donors.

            As a first-time candidate, McMahon has seen how that money can be a huge barrier preventing non-traditional candidates like herself from running for office. That is why she will fight to close the “LLC loophole,” which allows wealthy donors to make essentially anonymous donations in excess of state contribution limits. She will also push for more comprehensive campaign finance reform to get untraceable dark money out of our elections.

            McMahon understands that, as long as legislators are allowed to simultaneously hold high-paying outside jobs, there is the potential for conflicts of interest. She will push to strictly limit outside income to ensure that our representatives are serving for the right reasons.

            The ouster of high-ranking state leaders over sexual assault and harassment charges has shown that, in the #MeToo era, New York desperately needs to update its laws. McMahon will work to strengthen sexual harassment policies and make sure every victim has their story heard and has an opportunity to seek justice.

“I want our state government to be more honest and open, led by representatives who will lead with integrity and courage,” said McMahon. “But first, we must overhaul Albany’s broken system and make sure that the concerns of hardworking New York families always come first.”

McMahon is running for State Assembly in the 146th Assembly District, which includes the towns of Amherst and Pendleton.