Authorities Reform Back on Track?
October 2nd, 2009
The Daily News is reporting that a deal may be nearing for reform of public authorities in New York.
Earlier this year the legislature passed a plan that would have drastically changed the oversight of “notorious patronage havens” such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
But Gov. David Paterson, who had not previously raised objections to the bill, did not move to sign it. In fact, the governor was contemplating vetoing the legislation. Supporters of the legislation, including Sen. Bill Perkins and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, said that Mayor Michael Bloomberg had been pressuring Paterson to veto the legislation because he was concerned it would give him less say over the quasi-public agencies.
Bloomberg’s representatives said they were concerned certain parts of the bill “would negatively impact the city’s ability to pursue its economic development goals and actually reduces authorities’ accountability.”
The bill is designed to make authorities more efficient, less subject to cronyism and more accountable, and to reduce the influence of lobbyists and politicians. The bill would create an independent budget office that can investigate authorities and monitor their spending. It would also have the state comptroller review contracts awarded by authorities that are worth more than $1 million. The bill also forbade authorities from selling public assets at below market price.
But now it appears Paterson and the legislature are negotiating to make the language of the bill more palatable for everyone concerned.
Earlier this year Sen. Liz Krueger suggested the bill should be signed into law as is and then amended if necessary. Representatives from Bloomberg’s office wanted to negotiate changes before the bill was signed into law.
Legislators still remain hostile to the idea that Bloomberg will have any say in the outcome, and they are still pressuring Paterson to pass the bill as a token of his support for meaningful reform.
“The longer he drags this out the more bruised he will be,” Perkins said of Paterson in August, “and why would he want to be bruised when he could be praised?”
By David King on October 2, 2009, 11:42 amIn category: Albany, Eye on Albany | No Comments »



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