Commentary on Mercer trying to undermine New York (Freedom, Cambridge: construction, school districts)

[Cida]

This was one of the letters to The New Yorker, in response to an article by Jane Mayer.

As a former corruptions investigator for New York State during the nineteen-seventies, I was pleased to see Jane Mayer’s article on the libertarian billionaire Robert Mercer and his family, who spent many millions of dollars to elect Donald Trump (“Trump’s Money Man,” March 27th). Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to what one Mercer organization, Reclaim New York, has been doing in this state.

As Mayer reported, Reclaim, ostensibly a nonprofit advocacy group that opposes government spending, has shared an address with Cambridge Analytica, as well as a corporate officer—Steve Bannon. Reclaim’s strategy is to demand extensive data from municipalities and school districts, requests that are used to burden and shame public employees, furthering Reclaim’s libertarian and so-called alt-right political agenda throughout the state. The organization has weaponized the state’s Freedom of Information Law to “request,” and sue for, financial documents from two hundred and fifty villages, towns, and cities in Orange, Westchester, Putnam, and other counties in New York. Reclaim also holds local “workshops” to build a “citizen army” that floods communities with public-information requests.

Its ultimate goal is to overwhelm governments and achieve the deconstruction of the administrative state. Through groups like Reclaim, the Mercer family’s circle of influence extends far beyond even what Mayer has uncovered.


For the rest of the commentary:

The Mail - The New Yorker