Congressman Tonko to discuss campaign finance reform

Publication Date

U.S. Rep. Paul D. Tonko will discuss campaign finance reform on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Wold Atrium.

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Tonko, D-Amsterdam, was invited by Union’s student chapter of Democracy Matters, a non-partisan student activist group that advocates for campaign finance reform.

“The topic is of particular interest to New York since Gov. Cuomo publicly backed campaign finance reform and public financing of elections,” said Gabriella Levine ’14, Democracy Matters campus leader. “We are looking forward to what Congressman Tonko has to say on this issue.”

The talk is free and open to the public.

Before he was elected to Congress, Tonko served as chairman and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and spent 16 years as chair of the Energy Committee in the New York State Assembly.

He recently formed the Mighty Waters Task Force, a group of 25 leaders from business, community and education, to develop a regional plan for waterfront development throughout the Capital Region. President Stephen C. Ainlay is a member of the Task Force’s Executive Committee and chairs the Research and Education Committee.