February 13, 2012 · www.gothamgazette.com

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The Comptroller Reality vs. the Chancellor's Reality  (August 2009)  While the State Assembly left mayoral control of schools largely intact, the changes it did make could increase oversight of the Department of Education and provide more insight into how well the schools are really doing.

Coming Soon: Deeper City Deficits  (June 2009)  A look at the numbers makes it clear the city faces deeper deficits in the years ahead -- and fewer tools to fill the gaps.

The Regressive Effects of a Sale Tax Increase  (May 2009)  In opting for a hike in the sales tax and rejecting an income tax increase for wealthy New Yorkers, the mayor has chosen to largely spare the rich and tax the rest. Glenn Pasanen looks at the numbers and at Bloomberg's reasoning.

Why Property Taxes Rise While Real Estate Falls  (April 2009)  How can property tax revenues rise as property values fall? When is a condo like a rental unit? Glenn Pasanen looks at the strange structure of New York's property tax system.

How to Plug the Growing Budget Gap  (March 2009)  The city's fiscal plight may be even worse than feared. So where can the mayor and City Council find an extra billion dollars or so? Glenn Pasanenen reviews the projections and the options.

Creative Ways to Tax and Cut  (February 2009)  Beyond the standard taxing and slashing, how can the city find money for vital services in these tough times? A look at some alternatives.

The Budget Outlook Goes from Bad to Worse  (January 2009)  The city's November budget projections now read like ancient history as the deepening recession has already led to major job losses and plummeting revenues.

New Yorkers Rate Their Government   (December 2008)  As the mayor and City Council fight over budget, they might want to turn to a new public survey on what New Yorkers think of how their government spends their money.

The Mayor's Budget-Cutting Strategy  (November 2008)  Balancing the city's budget promises to get far more difficult in the next couple of years. As New York's fiscal condition worsens, what approach will the mayor take?

Amid Economic Turmoil, the Candidates Talk Taxes  (October 2008)  As the city tries to grapple with the effects of the economic turmoil, the presidential candidates and local officials debate who to tax and how to spend.

Looking at the Record: Taxes and Homelessness  (September 2008)  Three recent reports examine key tax issues and the city's record on homelessness and provide one way to measure the Bloomberg administration's performance.

In the Face of Fiscal Uncertainty, the City Stays Calm  (August 2008)  The federal and state government face huge fiscal problems, according to press accounts and expert opinions. But no one seems nearly as concerned about the state of the city economy. Glenn Pasanen examines why.

Mayor Bests the Council in Latest Budget Battles  (July 2008)  In the negotiations over the recently passed 2009 budget, property owners and the mayor won, while City Council and social programs lost out.

Juggling the Budget Surplus  (June 2008)  Mayor Michael Bloomberg has used budget surpluses to increase his power over city spending. Glenn Pasanen looks at what he has done and what the effects -- good and bad -- have been.

Checking on How Government Spends Your Money  (May 2008)  The ongoing furor over the City Council's allocation of its discretionary funds is not simply embarrassing for the council, but raises fundamental questions about the effectiveness of fiscal oversight in this city.

On the City Budget, Agreeing Not to Disagree  (April 2008)  Despite the worsening economic situation, the city seems headed for a relatively controversy-free budget season.

The Tough Budget Choices Ahead  (March 2008)  Tough fiscal times lie ahead- not today, not tomorrow but soon. Glenn Pasanen reviews some of the options - and the tough political choices - the administration has to keep the city on a sound fiscal footing.

After the Boom: Looking Ahead to Tougher Times  (February 2008)  As the U.S. economy slows down, city comptroller candidates offer plans to help New York City weather the downturn. Commentaries by Jim Brennan, Adolfo Carrión, Melinda Katz, David Weprin and David Yassky.

Tax Breaks - Who Wins and Who Loses?  (February 2008)  With the economy slowing and revenues declining, Glenn Pasanen examines a little noticed but big-ticket item: government tax breaks.

2008: The Year the Good Times Ended?  (January 2008)  The economic slowdown and the mortgage crisis' effect on Wall Street will almost certainly meet a decline in city revenues that could threaten further tax cuts and the city's spending plans.

After the ‘Financial Emergency’  (December 2007)  The Financial Emergency Act, enacted during the city’s 1975 fiscal crisis, will expire in about six months. Glenn Pasanen examines the issues at stake.

Managing Billions in City Contracts   (November 2007)  A report on city contracts offers lots of numbers but little indication of how well, or how poorly, the administration manages its massive procurements.

The Mayor Offers a Barrage of Numbers  (October 2007)  The Mayor’s Management Report provides useful information about city government but the 202-page document largely ignores any discussion of what works, what doesn’t work – and why.

Reviewing Federal and City Tax Cuts   (September 2007)  While their motives differed, both Washington and City Hall cut taxes recently. What effect have the tax policies had?

Looking at the Four-Year Financial Plan  (August 2007)  Three fiscal monitors examine the city’s four-year financial plan and generally like what they see.

Mixed News in a ‘Good News’ Budget  (July 2007)  Despite huge budget surpluses, the new city budget does not redress some inequities in city taxes – or ensure long-term financial instability, writes Glenn Pasanen.

Questions Remain About the 2008 Budget  (June 2007)  With budget negotiations in their final weeks, questions remain about how to use the city’s multi-billion dollar surplus – and just how big that surplus is.

Fiscal Impacts of PlaNYC 2030  (May 2007)  

The Many Ways to Spell ‘Tax Relief”  (April 2007)  

Tax Cuts For Tenants And Other Budget Debates  (March 2007)  The city’s spring budget process looks to be an especially interesting one, with proposals for tax cuts for renters, rainy day funds, and a big hike in education funds.

Tax-And-Spend No More  (February 2007)  In his preliminary budget for the next fiscal year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing a billion dollars of tax cuts, the squirreling away of billions in reserve funds, and a four-year plan that, with the exception of education, caps discretionary city spending.

Tax Relief, But Who's Relieved?  (January 2007)  The mayor says his property tax relief plan will benefit individual New Yorkers and spark the economy, but economists say it will hardly be noticed.

Property Tax Reform -- NOT  (January 2007)  Why nobody wants to touch the complex and, Glenn Pasanen writes, fundamentally unfair system of property taxes in New York City.

High Revenue, Obscure Spending  (December 2006)  City Hall cannot be blamed for boasting about an increase in revenue to government coffers. But it is rightly criticized for obscuring information about how it spends the money -- specifically, its more than $11 billion in contracts with organizations outside of government.

Hundreds Of Millions Of New Dollars To New York?  (November 2006)  The ascendant Democrats in Washington and Albany could deliver big to New York City in tax relief and tax dollars. On the other hand, the U.S. President, and the New York State Senate, are still Republican.

Using City Tax Policy To Help The Working Poor  (October 2006)  The $42 million proposed child care tax credit is the only sign thus far of any new public funding for anti-poverty programs. But there are at least three other ways, Glenn Pasanen argues, that City Hall could use a change in tax policy to help the poor

The Mayor's Legacy: Educational Improvements and Poverty Reduction, Or Bold Budgeting and Economic Development?  (September 2006)  "Public officials cannot usually control how they are viewed by history," Glenn Pasanen writes, "and, while much can happen in the more than three years left to the Bloomberg administration, events over the past few months may wind up helping determine what ultimately will be seen as this mayor's main accomplishments."

After The Adopted Budget, Some Tinkering  (August 2006)  The city’s adopted budget got generally good marks from fiscal monitors, but it was being tinkered with almost as soon as it was passed, Glenn Pasanen writes, with “two big moves” – both involving development on the West Side of Manhattan – that have “unknown implications for the city’s future financial condition.”

Budget Offers Little That's New   (July 2006)  The 2007 budget, a product of cordial negotiations between the mayor and council, has garnered lots of praise, but Glenn Pasanen writes, it offers few, if any, new initiatives.

Building Stadiums, Losing Revenue  (June 2006)  A financing plan for the new Yankee and Mets stadiums could cost the city tens of millions of dollars and set an expensive precedent.

2007 Executive Budget -- The Mayor Expands His Budget Powers  (May 2006)  The executive budget that the mayor released this month shows his "ever-expanding domination of the budget process," Glenn Pasanen writes.

Brighter Budget = Unique Opportunity  (April 2006)  The good news about the budget keeps on getting better, Glenn Pasanen writes, offering a "unique opportunity for the mayor and council to design a longer-term budget plan and process that does away with the annual budget-negotiation angst and lack of transparency."

Hiding Behind the Numbers  (March 2006)  Fire department response times are slower. More students are dropping out. It costs millions more to throw out the garbage. The city is hoping, Glenn Pasanen argues, that New Yorkers don’t notice.

The Mayor’s Underwhelming Budget For 2007  (February 2006)  Glenn Pasanen offers a “voice of dissent” from all the praise for the mayor’s proposed new budget, which Pasanen calls “underwhelming, with only one big budget idea, a baffling one at best.” What happened, he asks, to the rainy day fund, and property tax reform, and greater transparency?

Happy New Year Budget  (January 2006)  "City budget news gets better and better," Glenn Pasanen writes, "setting the stage for a fresh kind of budget debate, beginning later this month when the mayor releases the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2007."

Good News For The Budget, For Now  (December 2005)  The year is ending with good news for the city’s budget from both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Comptroller William Thompson. But how long will that last?

Tax Reform In Bloomberg’s Second Term?  (November 2005)  There is hope among fiscal experts of both liberal and conservative perspectives, Glenn Pasanen writes, that Bloomberg will devote his second term to reforming the city’s tax system, particularly its incomprehensible property tax, its roller-coaster personal income tax rates, and its mostly hidden corporate tax breaks.

Mayor’s Management Report for 2005: Thinner, Less Useful  (October 2005)  The mayor’s management report for 2005 presents a picture of “historic progress.” Glenn Pasanen uses independent management studies, constituent surveys, and his own analysis, to come up with an alternative view -- and criticizes the report itself for being less useful.

Ballot Proposal (And Candidate Suggestions) 30 Years After Near-Bankruptcy   (September 2005)  Thirty years after New York City almost went bankrupt, the state law that saved the city is due to expire. Glenn Pasanen looks at the proposal that the mayor’s charter revision commission put on the ballot for November – and the commission’s (and mayoral candidates’) more provocative suggestions.

Campaign 2005: 10 Budget Choices Facing The Next Mayor  (August 2005)  Whoever is mayor on January, 2006 will face monumental decisions about New York City's budget, including, says Glenn Pasanen, choices on ten issues, ranging from education and public safety to overtime, labor negotiations and the budget process itself.

$50 Billion Budget -- A Shortsighted Use Of Surpluses  (July 2005)  The new $50.2 billion budget for the city makes shortsighted use of a large surplus, argues Glenn Pasanen, who thinks several proposals scheduled for the ballot in November take a longer, smarter view.

Budget Transparency After The West Side Stadium  (June 2005)  If the West Side Stadium had been approved, it would have been a defeat for some fundamental principles of a democratic budget process, argues Glenn Pasanen, who points to two other fiscal stories that may allow budget transparency to triumph.

The Mayor’s Budget Has No Big Ideas; The Council’s Does  (May 2005)  The problem with the mayor’s budget, argues Glenn Pasanen, is that it has no big ideas. Those, he says, are evident instead in the little-noticed budget plan by the City Council, released a month ago.

State Budget, On Time But Imperfect. Also – City Budget; City Performance  (April 2005)  The state budget was passed by the deadline for the first time in 21 years; three fiscal monitors are optimistic about the city’s finances; and the Independent Budget Office has come up with a better way of measuring mayoral performance. So why is Glenn Pasanen unhappy?

The Social Security Debate  (March 2005)  Everyone is debating Social Security. What are the real issues and what is at stake for New Yorkers?

State Debt + Federal Debt = City Budget Trouble  (February 2005)  As good as the mayor’s new budget may look for the short-term, it’s bad over the long haul, Glenn Pasanen writes, thanks to some ideological or election-year debt strategies by the mayor, the governor and the president.

Good News, Bad News  (January 2005)  "Our economy - which was written off three years ago - is back, and it's back in a big way," Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in his third State of the City address. But, Glenn Pasanen writes, midway through the city’s fiscal year, the picture is actually far more mixed.

A New Stadium Authority Will Add to City Budget Woes  (December 2004)  Glenn Pasanen raises questions about the deal to build a Jets stadium, its costs to the city and the wisdom of creating yet another unaccountable public authority.

Fiscal Monitors Check And Balance The Mayor  (November 2004)  Fiscal monitors have been a counterforce recently to the mayor's fiscal powers in issues ranging from schools to the West Side plan to the transit system, and contract procedures.

The Mayor’s Management Report Skimps On Information About Education And Everything Else  (October 2004)  The newly released Mayor’s Management Report focuses endlessly on 311 calls, far more than on the mayor’s other big priority, the overhaul of the $15 billion education department. Indeed, Glenn Pasanen writes, it skimps on information about almost everything.

The Mayor's West Side Gamble  (September 2004)  The mayor's plan for the development of Manhattan's West Side rests on "expensive, shaky and undemocratic assumptions," according to several new reports by the city's official fiscal monitors. Glenn Pasanen supplies the details.

Big Trouble Ahead, Say Budget Monitors  (August 2004)  The three big budget monitors have weighed in on the city's recently adopted $47.8 billion budget, and, as Glenn Pasanen explains, they all see the same thing: Big trouble ahead.

Small Victories, Big Questions In The New Budget  (July 2004)  Glenn Pasanen looks at the 2005 budget, which ignores several big problems, may soon threaten to cut services in the city, and could even wind up looking like political folly.

The Mayor’s Latest Budget: Political Expediency, Future Deficits  (May 2004)  The mayor’s latest budget, Glenn Pasanen argues, has “an ad hoc, last-minute quality” that once again promotes political expediency (and future deficits) over any long-term planning or strategic vision.

The City Council's Alternative Budget Choices  (April 2004)  Glenn Pasanen details the City Council's response to the mayor's preliminary budget, "a refreshing display of alternative budget choices."

Budget Surplus Obscures Uncertainties  (March 2004)  Both the mayor and the city council are bickering over how to cut taxes, thanks to a budget surplus this year projected to be $1.6 billion. But, Glenn Pasanen writes, this is actually a time of great budget uncertainty, and an uncomfortable decline in funding for such city services as parks, cultural affairs and housing

A Budget With No Soul  (February 2004)  "Mayor Michael Bloomberg's $45.7 billion preliminary budget is a bland document," Glenn Pasanen writes, "with few surprises and no soul."

Bush Tax Cuts and New York  (January 2004)  Glenn Pasanen looks at the benefits and burdens of the Bush tax cuts, which will go mostly to the wealthiest New Yorkers.

The City Modifies Its Budget and Searches for Cash  (December 2003)  Glenn Pasanen looks at the mayor’s modification of the budget, and its search for new cash.

Lessons For   (November 2003)  Glenn Pasanen looks at the results of the election, and at the comptroller's new annual financial report released this month,  and finds "some lessons for more democratic fiscal management."

Shrinking Accountability: Proposed Changes To The Mayor's Management Report  (October 2003)  The mayor is asking voters this November to make changes to the legally-required mayor's management report that Glenn Pasanen calls a "disingenuous and anti-democratic" attempt to reduce the administration's accountability.

Three Actions By Governor Pataki That Dim City Budget Prospects  (September 2003)  Glenn Pasanen looks at three recent actions by Governor George Pataki that serve as road blocks to the city’s financial plans.

The Fiscal Monitors Assess The Budget  (August 2003)  The mayor may be saying the fiscal picture is looking up, but, in five new reports that Glenn Pasanen analyzes, the fiscal monitors see the city as in reasonable shape in the short-run, but are worried about funding cuts, tax burdens, future spending, and future deficits.

Summing Up the 2004 Budget; Looking Ahead in Education  (July 2003)  Glenn Pasanen sums up the city's final budget agreement, and focuses on the shaky future of financing for public (and higher) education in New York.

The City Budget: Avoiding Fiscal Meltdown  (June 2003)  Glenn Pasanen details how Mayor Michael Bloomberg managed to avert “fiscal meltdown” by filling in the $8 billion budget gap.

The MTA's Funny Numbers And Smug Attitude  (May 2003)  The reports by the state and city comptrollers explain not only "the funny numbers the Metropolitan Transportation Authority used to justify the new fare increase," Glenn Pasanen writes, but also illustrate the way unacountable public authorities operate, and expose the MTA officials' insular, smug attitude.

Renters and The New Property Tax Hikes  (April 2003)  Glenn Pasanen looks at the new property taxes, and calculates the greater burden likely to be levied on renters.

Uncertain Billions In Mayor's Budget Plan  (March 2003)  While the mayor and the city council attempt to craft a balanced budget, three new reports share concern that the mayor's budget plan depends on the actions of others -- of the governor, the state legislature, the city workforce -- and thus may fall short by as much as almost $4 billion. Glenn Pasanen gives the details.

Preliminary Budget Seeks to Avoid Spending Cuts  (February 2003)  Mayor Bloomberg's latest budget plan focuses on raising money rather than cuts in spending. Unfortunately, much of the mayor's revenue package is politically dead on arrival. The budget will need major revisions if the city is to avoid massive layoffs and services cuts.

Billion Dollar Questions About Next Year's Budget  (January 2003)  One year into his mayoralty, Michael Bloomberg has resolved his first major budget crisis. But his success so far, Glenn Pasanen writes, raises as many questions as it answers about how he will handle the next budget crisis – which arrives later this month.

The Property Tax Proposal  (November 2002)  Glenn Pasanen looks at the mayor’s new proposal for a hike in the property taxes, which he calls “the biggest tax idea in at least a generation.” He compares it with a proposal that the City Council is likely to make as a counter, or a supplement, to the mayor’s plan – raising the personal income tax.