CITY HALL -- Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis wants taxpayer-backed campaign matching funds for her mayoral bid under a city program she has fiercely criticized.
Malliotakis has raised nearly $100,000 two weeks into her campaign for City Hall, according to filings with the city's Campaign Finance Board, or CFB.
"Today's results prove that we are on our way to raising the donations needed to qualify for the NYC Campaign Finance Board's matching funds program," Malliotakis said in a statement.
Three years ago Malliotakis called the program "an inappropriate use of tax dollars."
HOW MATCHING FUNDS WORK
The voluntary matching funds program gives campaigns $6 for every $1 raised from city residents, up to $1,050 from every contributor. Matching funds only apply for donations of up to $175 from city residents.
Those that participate in the program must comply with CFB rules and unused public funds are returned.
Candidates for various city offices must meet certain thresholds to get any matching funds.
Running for mayor, Malliotakis would need to raise $250,000 in "matchable" contributions, or up to $175 from city residents, to qualify. Malliotakis would also need to raise contributions of $10 or more from 1,000 city residents.
Of $94,624 raised by Malliotakis for her campaign through the May 11 filing deadline, $75,659 was from city residents, according to CFB records. But 49 contributions were for more than the $175 limit.
'AN INAPPROPRIATE USE OF TAX DOLLARS'
In April 2014, Malliotakis and then-Assemblyman Joseph Borelli penned an op-ed for the Advance arguing, "Taxpayers shouldn't be an ATM for political campaigns."
"Instead of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for phone calls our friends and neighbors don't want, mailers that fill up garbage cans and signs that blow across the roadways, we could instead be investing that money into programs that our constituents rely on every day," they wrote.
Malliotakis and Borelli continued to note that while the First Amendment protects the right to give money to candidates, "it doesn't mean New York residents can be used as an ATM to further the ambition of politicians. This is an inappropriate use of tax dollars."
'I HAVE NO CHOICE THAN TO PARTICIPATE'
The matching funds program is meant to help candidates rely on donations from city residents as opposed to special interests with large pockets.
Supporters argue that the program empowers New Yorkers to run for office and be heard in city elections.
Malliotakis also made this argument when asked why she's trying to participate in the matching funds program despite her past critiques.
"I am a public servant and ordinary New Yorker not a multi-millionaire who thinks elections are bought and sold," she told the Advance. "In order to be competitive, I have no choice than to participate in the city program."
'IT GIVES THEM THE BEST SHOT'
A CFB spokesperson pointed out that 2014 op-ed contained several inaccuracies about the cost and other details of the matching funds program.
"The city's landmark small donor matching funds program is designed to amplify the voices of New York City residents and to empower more New Yorkers to run for office," CFB executive director Amy Loprest said in a statement. "Clearly, candidates from across the political spectrum believe that it gives them the best shot at running a successful campaign. The average opt-in rate for candidates on the primary ballot in the last three citywide elections is 90 percent."
BORELLI PARTICIPATING TOO
Malliotakis' challenger in the Republican primary, real estate executive Paul Massey, is not participating in the matching funds program. Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio participates.
Borelli, now on the City Council, may also take taxpayer funds from the program this year.
"It is yet to be determined," he said. "I have avoided taking it in the past, and would prefer not to."
Borelli joined the matching funds program in the 2015 special election that put him in the Council, as well as last year's election, according to CFB filings. But Borelli didn't receive any public funds because he ran unopposed in both elections.