With the New York State Legislature back in session for barely a week, the question we want to know is: Can Albany do it twice in a row?
2005 could reasonably be dubbed The Year Of Reform. The legislature passed a budget on time for the first time in twenty years, and there were modest but important measures passed on lobbying, ethics, campaign financial disclosure, public authorities, freedom of information, the televising of legislative proceedings, and elections and voting.
Of course, everything is relative. We good-government groups gave New York lawmakers an overall grade of only C minus inour just-released Report Card On Reform, which is at least a passing grade.
Governor George Pataki got only a D plus and that was for a year that began with a State of the State address in which he said “New Yorkers want a more open, accountable, and responsive government. This year, let’s give it to them.”and then laid out a seven-point government reform agenda.
By contrast, this year is not starting out as well. In the 2006 State of the State, a lame duck governor whose political sights are clearly now focused beyond New York barely mentioned reform, certainly not of state government.
Whether or not 2005 deserved to be called the Year of Reform, whether or not 2006 will prove an adequate sequel, one thing is clear: An increasing number of New Yorkers believe that Albany needs to be fixed, and fast.That’s what twoeditorials have demanded just in the pastfew days. One of them,in the New York Times, began: “In Albany, it’s never a good idea to open the Champagne too early – especially if it’s to celebrate reform.”And it ended: “lawmakers have to get to work cleaning out the legislative stable. And the rest of us need to make certain that the reforms they have made will actually work.”The other editorial, in the New York Post, mostly detailed a newly-released report by the Manhattan Institute , which explained how New York was in a state of disarray,” its government captive of special interests. An accompanying poll showed that the majority of voters believe state lawmakers are more responsive to special interests than to the interests of the general voter.
The issue of government reform will also undoubtedly figure in the race for governor. Candidates on the Democratic side already are presenting themselves as reform candidates. Eliot Spitzer came out in November for an independent redistricting commission being formed to draw state legislative and congressional lines for the 2012 election — a reform that gets to the heart of the problem, the lack of competitive elections.
Spitzer’spresumed Democratic challenger, Tom Suozzi, known in 2004 for his ‘Fix Albany’ campaign and his successful effort in aiding the defeat of an incumbent Assemblymember in a Democratic primary, is beginning to portray himself as one who sparked the Albany reform movement.
The expected Republican candidates for governor have yet to weigh in on the issue of government reform, but – given voter dissatisfaction – all will surely soon have their own proposals.
Whatever else 2006 brings, expect civic groups, editorial boardsand this new blog to continue the drumbeat of reforming Albany.
By Dick Dadey on January 16, 2006, 7:59 pm
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