DiNapoli's Limits

The state’s teacher’s union wrote two $10,000 checks to Tom DiNapoli’s re-election committee, exceeding -- depending on your definition of the word "election" -- the self-imposed contribution limit the comptroller announced he would adhere to.

The two checks were written by the political action fund of the New York State Union of Teachers, called Vote-Cope.

A campaign spokesman for DiNapoli said the campaign is still adhering to the $10,000 per contributor limit because it applies "per election." (The line from DiNapoli's original announcement is, "The committee will not accept contributions totaling more than $10,000 per contributor per election.")

The spokesman explained that one of those checks in question is for the primary election and the other is for the general election, and therefore that the limit has not been exceeded.

The checks were first spotted by Bill Mahoney of N.Y.P.I.R.G., who has been combing through the filings throughout the day.