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Submit Your Congressional Lines
February 29th, 2012

As Colin Cambpell of The Observer reported earlier today–the judge who is overseeing the drawing of the state’s Congressional lines is taking submissions from the public.

The Democrats and Republicans on LATFOR basically admitted the battle over drawing the lines is so completely partisan that they can’t come to an agreement so the judge is taking it out of their hands. To submit your lines, go here–you only have until Friday.

By David King on February 29, 2012, 2:59 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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ACS Schedules Forums on "Close to Home"
February 27th, 2012

The Administration for Children’s Services has scheduled four of five community hearings on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “Close to Home Initiative” that would take New York City’s juvenile delinquents out of the state detention system and allow the city to provide them with the placements they think are best for them and near their homes. As I wrote today, the initiative is part of Cuomo’s budget and has been something Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been pressing for for years–as the state system is costly and known for violence and mismanagement.

ACS Commissioner Ronald Richter says that his agency and the State Office of Children and Family Services have been meeting almost weekly to set up the system that will see the state hand over control of the city’s juvenile delinquents. Under Cuomo’s initiative non-secure offenders will be transferred to the city in September and limited secure offenders would be transferred in April 2013.

“We have a number of reasons to be very encouraged by it,” Richter said of the “Close to Home Initiative,”  “families haven’t had a chance to be involved in rehabilitation and it has long been a missing piece of the juvenile justice system. They don’t have a don’t have parent their to help them figure out why they made these bad choices. It has been a real deficit in  the juvenile  justice system and they also haven’t had the opportunity for an accredited education. We are going to give them one and  that’s a big deal for us.”

Richter says he is excited to start the hearings so that he can hear from city residents about how to move forward.

“I’m hoping we will be attentive to appropriate cautionary notes. We will listen to the kids, parents and legislators to make sure we are reflective of their concerns. We cant just make a new juvenile justice system in September. Its wrong to suggest everything will be ideal on that day. We are always trying to improve.”

Here are the dates of the four scheduled hearings. Another hearing in the Bronx is expected to be set by the end of the week: Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on February 27, 2012, 4:57 pm
In category: Albany, Crime & Safety, Education, Eye on Albany, Gotham City | 1 Comment »

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Common Cause Weighs in
February 24th, 2012

Susan Lerner, Executive Director, of Common Cause/NY, says a constitutional amendment to change the redistricting process in the future is not enough and that real reform must be made to the system this time around. Lerner has much more confidence in the courts’ ability to redraw district lines if Gov. Andrew Cuomo does go ahead with his veto threat than Citizens Union.

Here is Lerner’s full statement:

“New Yorkers deserve real permanent reform of the redistricting process, and we welcome the opportunity for an open discussion of what a constitutional amendment should look like. We have specific recommendations which we look forward to providing for public consideration. However, reform in the future is not interchangeable with the best possible result in this cycle which, due to the Legislature’s intransigence, lies entirely with the courts. The Governor got it right when he promised to veto any gerrymandered lines. As the Perry vs. Perez decision made clear, the courts have greater discretion to draw clean electoral lines based on independent non-partisan principles if the Governor does not approve the Legislature’s plan. The Governor has repeatedly called for a better process this year and a better product in the future: he can have both. Vetoing the lines and letting the courts handle the process is the best possible outcome for this redistricting cycle. New Yorkers have been betrayed by every Assemblymember and Senator who promised to establish an independent redistricting commission and didn’t. The Governor can restore their faith by keeping his promise.”

By David King on February 24, 2012, 2:19 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | No Comments »

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Citizens Union Continues to Back Cuomo on Redistricting *Update*
February 24th, 2012

Former State Attorney General and Citizens Union President Robert Abrams made the argument in a press conference today that Gov. Andrew Cuomo should use his veto threat as leverage to get the legislature to agree to a constitutional amendment to reform the state’s redistricting process. Gotham Gazette is published by Citizens Union Foundation the sister organization of Citizens Union.

“We need permanent reform, instead of repeating the predictable cycle of outrage that only ends with the poisonous partisan redistricting system still intact,” said Abram in a statement. “Even if this year’s lines are vetoed, we face an uncertain outcome in the courts. At best, we may win the redistricting battle but will lose the war because the courts will not change the redistricting process for the future. That’s why it’s essential we obtain permanent change to redistricting now through an amendment to our state constitution.”

Citizens Union released a letter to Cuomo yesterday asking him to use his veto threat to get a constitutional amendment.  Critics, including former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, say that future legislatures could wiggle their way out of any agreement on an amendment because it must be passed by two successive legislatures.

City and State reported this morning that Spitzer called on Cuomo to actually veto the lines during at an appearance at Columbia University. “The pretense that we’ll pass a constitutional amendment to require it or pass a law that will change it – the law can be repealed and the amendment won’t go through,” Spitzer reportedly said. Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on February 24, 2012, 12:53 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 5 Comments »

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Cuomo on Redistricting Hot Seat
February 23rd, 2012

February 23, 2012
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor, State of New York
Executive Chamber
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Cuomo:
With the proposed new maps for state legislative lines released but not finalized, it is time for tough decisions to be made and our decades-long redistricting reform effort to be brought to as successful an outcome as is politically possible. These partisan-drawn gerrymandered maps demonstrate precisely why we have to forever change this process. We need to create lasting reform – which Citizens Union has long been seeking – so never again can the majority parties use the power of the pen to advantage themselves in the process of redistricting.
Your veto threat and our advocacy have helped focus public discussion on the need to end once and for all the self-interested, legislative-driven process of partisan gerrymandering in New York State, and achieve our shared goal of replacing it with an impartial process that creates fairer lines and more representative districts.
The threat of your veto is a very powerful weapon. But it must be exercised wisely to ensure satisfactory change to the maps for 2012 and secure needed reforms to the redistricting process for the long term. In acknowledging that the political process has not yet produced final maps, the judiciary has already stepped in to do the job. Though maps will soon be sent to your desk, a veto would keep the matter in the sole domain of the courts with the outcome unclear. It also will remove you from brokering an effective and acceptable political solution that includes lasting reform, which is our main interest as a nonpartisan organization working for political reform without regard to the interests of either political party. Unknown is how a court in New York will draw maps when courts both here and across the country have repeatedly affirmed and shown deference to the legislature’s traditional role and rights in this process of legislative line drawing. A court may simply make some tweaks to the most egregious problems in the proposed maps to ensure their compliance with the state and federal law while not producing the enduring structural reform that a constitutional amendment would accomplish.
Citizens Union believes your veto threat provides you with valuable leverage because it poses the threat of uncertainty: the last thing the legislature can tolerate, particularly with regard to their own districts. We respectfully request that you use your veto threat – unlike any other governor before you – to achieve two important goals: secure lasting and permanent redistricting reform through statutory change and a constitutional amendment; and pursue meaningful changes to this year’s lines by holding direct negotiations with the legislature. We urge you to seek districts that reflect as best as possible the criteria outlined in your program bill on redistricting. Should this approach fail to produce needed changes to the 2012 maps and bring about lasting reform, we call on you to exercise your veto.
We believe that the testimony from the second round of public hearings on the legislature’s own drawn lines for 2012 provide you with important guidance in negotiating better districts where needed and appropriate. Like many organizations, Citizens Union twice presented testimony before LATFOR and laid out a spirited analysis of these district maps, urging changes where suitable based on the criteria outlined in your program bill.
Never before has there been such a convergence of opportunity and support to end partisan gerrymandering. Redistricting reform in our country has largely been accomplished through citizens rising up and achieving it through voter initiative and referendum. We cannot do that here in New York State, but instead we face the difficult challenge of working with the legislature to accomplish any reform over which it has control. To be this close in having the legislature give up power it has long held would indeed be monumental. It is why we must seize this critical moment in our state’s history to fundamentally and permanently change the redistricting process by amending our constitution to take the pen out of the legislators’ hands and place it with an independent commission for future redistricting cycles. To not do so would leave unfulfilled the promises made by you and 184 pro-redistricting reform legislators to end politics as usual in our state capitol and achieve redistricting reform. Citizens Union stands with you in making sure that does not happen.
Sincerely,
Dick Dadey
Executive Director
cc: Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos
Assembly Speaker Sheldon SilverF

Gov. Andrew Cuomo took to the airwaves this morning to reiterate that he will veto the current lines LATFOR has proposed. “If they send me these lines, these lines will be vetoed,” Cuomo told Fred Dicker.

Cuomo’s commitment to pushing for fairer lines has come under scrutiny over the last few days after he told The Democrat and Chronicle’s editorial board that he had basically been defeated by the legislature in the fight for independent redistricting. “I’ve done it, they just said no,” he told the Chronicle.  “I just lost, is what happened. It’s not that they didn’t hear me, they just said no.”

Citizens Union–the sister organization to the Citizens Union Foundation that publishes Gotham Gazettte– sent Cuomo a letter today asking that he use the threat of a veto to secure permanent reform to the redistricting process. “We respectfully request that you use your veto threat – unlike any other governor before you – to achieve two important goals: secure lasting and permanent redistricting reform through statutory change and a constitutional amendment; and pursue meaningful changes to this year’s lines by holding direct negotiations with the legislature. We urge you to seek districts that reflect as best as possible the criteria outlined in your program bill on redistricting. Should this approach fail to produce needed changes to the 2012 maps and bring about lasting reform, we call on you to exercise your veto.”

CU’s executive director, Dick Dadey, has been saying this for some time. Here is the full letter from Citizens Union: Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on February 23, 2012, 12:11 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | No Comments »

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New York State on Ebay
February 22nd, 2012

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that New York State will soon be on Ebay–well not the entire state–just hundreds of state vehicles, cell phones, medical equipment, highway equipment, officer furniture, cameras and generators. According to Cuomo’s office these are all excess assets. “By selling unneeded equipment and supplies, New York State will reduce operating costs and cut back on excess spending and inventory,” Governor Cuomo said. “This initiative is a small part of our work to overhaul government operations and make the state work more efficiently for the taxpayer,” Cuomo said.

Here is the full release from his office: Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on February 22, 2012, 1:42 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 5 Comments »

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Liu's State of the City
February 16th, 2012

Here is the text of City Comptroller John Liu’s State of the City speech for those curious about what the embattled mayoral candidate has in store for the city:

·         Taking advantage of low interest rates to accelerate capital construction projects, helping stimulate the economy and create 15,000 jobs.
·         Working with telecommunications companies to offer low-cost internet access to more New Yorkers.
·         Increasing the New York City Pension Funds’ economically-targeted investments by     $1 billion, thereby putting money back into the local economy while at the same time generating solid returns.
·         Enhancing the retirement security of New Yorkers in the private sector by having the same staff that manages the City’s pension system oversee a fund for private workers, leveraging their investment expertise and economies of scale.
·         Slashing personal income taxes for 99 percent of New York City filers – joint filers with incomes below $500,000 – while nominally raising taxes on top earners.
·         Establishment of a new government subcontracting system to finally track and monitor the billions of dollars spent on subcontractors each year.
·         Introduction of Checkbook 2.0, the newest version of the Comptroller’s best-in-class website that gives the public the ability to see each agency’s budget, revenue, and contracts.
·         A new 212-NO-WASTE hotline for New Yorkers to report waste.
The full text of the speech as prepared for delivery is below:
New York City Comptroller John C. Liu
“Bridging the Great Divide”
State of the City Address
City College of New York
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Good morning everyone, and thank you, Geronimo, for sharing your story with us. As someone who is a proud product of New York City public schools myself, it was very moving to watch this group of students, parents, and teachers fight so hard to keep their school open. What a great lesson for all to learn: That if you want something and you work hard for it, you can accomplish it. Congratulations to you and the entire Wadleigh family.
Thanks, also, to Sharlene Ogando for that beautiful rendering of our national anthem. She’s got some voice, doesn’t she? American Idol, here we come…
I’d also like to thank Dr. Lisa Coico and the staff of City College for working so diligently with our office on every detail of this event. City College and the CUNY system are so vital to this City, providing higher education at an affordable cost.
Over the past century and a half, CUNY has had a profound impact on millions of lives. Many who walked through the gates of CUNY were the first in their families to step foot inside a college. Countless New Yorkers are indebted to CUNY for their education and the skills that empowered them to move up the economic ladder.
It’s so nice to see so many CUNY people here. Thank you Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, Executive Vice Chancellor Allan Dobrin, and Senior Vice Chancellor Jay Hershenson. Thank you and the entire CUNY system for the important work that you do.
We are also joined by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, members of the New York City Council, New York State Senate, and New York State Assembly. Thank you for your service to New Yorkers.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Jeremy Lin for all of his contributions to the success of the New York Knicks. Perhaps if I were several inches taller, I would have become one of the first Asian-Americans to play for the Knicks, instead of the first Asian-American to serve as New York City Comptroller.
Regardless, I’m sure you can understand why I find Jeremy Lin’s story so inspiring. As an Asian-American he is managing against all odds to take his career to the next level. And, at the same time he’s getting great headlines in the New York Post! I gotta talk to him about that.
And thanks to all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today.
Some of you may know my story: My family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan when I was five years old. When we first arrived in New York I didn’t speak a word of English. Our family of five squeezed into a one-bedroom apartment in Flushing. A few years later, we moved into a two-bedroom, until my parents finally “made it,” and we moved into what felt like a mansion, a three-bedroom house in Bayside.
Moving around a lot meant that I attended three different elementary schools. Later on, I schlepped—which in Mandarin means “traveled”—two hours each way, every day, on the Q27 bus and the 4 or the D train to attend the Bronx High School of Science.
Our lives weren’t easy back then. As immigrants with little English, us kids were always translating almost anything that was important for our parents. At school I was often picked on and definitely took my share of punches because I looked different than the other kids in my class.
Although we faced many challenges, like other immigrant families, my Mom and Dad embraced this City and believed in the American Dream. So much so that they changed the names of their three sons to John, Robert, and Edward in honor of the Kennedy boys.
New York gave us a chance to make something of ourselves. And we did.
What I want more than anything is for the kids of today’s New York — kids like Geronimo and Sharlene, and my son Joey — to have the same kind of chance that we had. I want them to have access and opportunities to enjoy all the richness that New York has to offer. I want to ensure that the field they play and work on is indeed level.
The recession of the last few years has had an enormous impact on the City of New York, especially on communities of color and on the young. In the fourth quarter of 2011, the unemployment rate among the City’s Hispanic population was 10 percent. Among African-Americans, 13.6 percent, as compared to the overall unemployment rate of 9 percent.
During the recent recession, the employment rate for young people fell to its lowest point since World War II. To make matters worse, many students graduate from college with enormous debt.  Many struggle to find jobs in their chosen fields. They are being referred to as “The Lost Generation.”
Compare that to a generation ago, when my family arrived here in the 1970s. In those years, young people believed that they could change the world. Stop the Vietnam War. Liberate women. Expand civil rights. And they did.
It was a heady time to be an American student. A time of creativity and innovation and opportunity. So much so that my Dad moved his entire family from Taipei to New York City, just to be part of it. And people still come here, from all over the world, hungering for those same opportunities.
Every New Yorker should have the chance to succeed.
As we begin to move from recession to recovery, we need to ensure that people don’t get left behind. Because we know, that the wider prosperity is spread, the more sustainable our recovery will be.
Today, I’ll give you an overview of the City’s finances and its economy. I’ll follow that with some ideas for cutting waste in City spending and doing more with less. I’ll also talk about how we can create jobs and provide greater economic security. I’ll then discuss economic equity and bridging the divide.
First, the economy…
While we can all be proud and grateful that the City’s economy rebounded from the financial crisis far better than anyone expected, we are not out of the woods yet.
In the second half of 2011 we lost more than 12,000 private sector jobs. Just a year ago, the City’s unemployment rate was well below the national average. By the end of 2011, it was higher by half a percent.
The struggles of the financial services industry itself are one reason for the City’s lost economic momentum. 2011 was the worst for Wall Street since the collapse of 2008, and employment in the industry has slipped by some 5,000 jobs since early last year.
A sluggish national economy and international instability present perils for our local recovery.
There is risk to our economic health from Washington’s actions, or lack thereof. Looming at the end of this year are $1.2 trillion in automatic federal budget cuts, scheduled to take effect because some in Congress refused to make the tough choices needed for deficit reduction.
As we saw with the debt ceiling negotiations this past summer, and the stalling of the President’s jobs bill in the fall, a few in Congress have shown a disturbing willingness to derail even the simplest measures meant to protect our fragile economy.
Then we see the uncertainty in Europe that has depressed stocks, introduced a high degree of volatility into financial markets, and deterred firms from making new investments.
A European debt crisis is the most significant risk to the City’s economy this year. My economists have long warned that a meltdown of the Euro Zone could cause pandemonium in financial markets and lead to a severe worldwide recession. We trust that Europe’s leaders will prevent this from happening.
But even a mild European recession and continued stress on European banks will have adverse repercussions here in New York. The reality is that Europe’s banks are New York City’s banks.
European banks have more than a trillion dollars of assets in their New York City offices. They own or lease more than 8.5 million square feet of office space. And they employ approximately 45,000 people in New York City.
They are also active lenders to local businesses. Should European banks reduce their asset portfolios and trim their payrolls, the effects would ripple throughout the New York City economy.
Barring catastrophes in Europe or in Washington, though, my office projects that growth will be slow but somewhat steady in the next couple of years. The President’s efforts this month, if successful, would help considerably. An extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance would inject $2.6 billion into our economy helping to create or maintain 13,000 jobs.
Today, more than 350,000 New Yorkers languish in unemployment. That is more than twice the number of unemployed this City had a few years ago. Is it any wonder that people occupy parks, clamoring for a better economic plan, when they are left jobless year after year?
The economic divide has indeed grown wider and wider. According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, nearly 80 percent of the income growth in New York City in recent years went to the wealthiest 5 percent of our taxpayers.
Economic recovery is not our only objective; so is economic equality. There is no prosperity when wealth is shared by only a tiny portion of the City’s residents.
The adverse economic environment also depresses the City’s finances.
Over the past decade, the City has been able for the most part to avoid many of the devastating budgetary cuts and layoffs that other states and municipalities have faced thanks to Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Council. The City’s accumulation of unused surplus, built up during a period of robust revenue growth, created a financial cushion for the economic downturn. The existence of this cushion, though, has masked the budget’s structural imbalance. Which in plain English means that the City is spending more money than it takes in.
Dipping into our retiree health fund combined with other one-off measures has allowed the mayor to balance a $68.7 billion budget for the 2013 fiscal year. The City is projecting budget gaps of $3 billion in Fiscal ‘14 and $3.5 billion the year after that. These will have to be fixed the old fashioned way—with careful decisions about public priorities.
Given that our City continues to face these budgetary fiscal challenges my top priority continues to be cutting waste. Through our Audit and Contract review powers, we work vigorously to ensure that money is recouped and saved whenever possible.
Our audit staff, led by Deputy Comptroller Tina Kim, have completed nearly 200 audits of City agencies, recouping money for the City treasury and providing guidance on how more can be done with less. In one case, a City agency is returning $120 million to City coffers.
Our Contracts team, led by Deputy Comptroller Geneith Turnbull has applied new approaches and technology towards increasing scrutiny of City contracts, especially when expensive consultants are involved. In one case, Geneith and her staff rejected a $286 million contract for a backup 911 Call Center. Not because we don’t think the project is important, but because the bulk of that money was allotted to unspecified ‘time and expense’ costs, which we believe incentivizes cost overruns and time delays. We set out guidelines for restructuring the contract, resulting in a nearly $200 million reduction in the cost of the contract.
And famously, we stopped the hemorrhaging of City funds on the City Time project, the cost of which had mushroomed from its budget of $68 million to more than $600 million by the time I took office. With the leadership of Deputy Comptroller Simcha Felder we turned the spigot off on City Time.
We worked with City Hall to get the project back on track. And we put a final deadline on it so we could get something back for all of the taxpayers’ money already spent. Last June, we signed an agreement with the Bloomberg Administration for the gradual transfer of the system’s operation from outside consultants to City employees. That resulted in additional savings of more than $20 million per year.
We asked taxpayers to get involved by giving us their ideas about where to look for waste in City spending. Our office held a series of town hall meetings in every borough to introduce our audit staff to the public and gather insight so that we could do our job even better.
We also conducted training for almost 500 auditors and investigators from over 40 City and State agencies to strengthen their skills in fraud detection and, at the same time, bring better controls to government financial operations.
The work we’ve done to cut waste, together with the overwhelming imperative to close the City’s future budget gaps, convinced us that we need to build on our success and do even more. So let me spell out a four point Campaign to Cut Waste.
Point Number One—We’ll establish a waste hotline—212-NO-WASTE, that’s 212-N-O-W-A-S-T-E—as well as a website where City employees, contractors, and members of the public can report waste.
Number Two – We will implement Checkbook 2.0, the newest version of our best-in-class website that gives the public the ability not only to see every single dollar the City spends but also each agency’s budget, revenue, and contracts. Under the supervision of Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs Ari Hoffnung, our goal is to make New York City the most financially transparent government in the United States. When the public can easily track government spending, government will be that much more judicious with the public’s money.
Number Three —In order to rein in runaway IT costs that drain our City’s scarce resources, we call for the Citywide implementation of an Information Technology dashboard. This system, mirroring one used by the federal government, would require City agencies to track their IT projects according to budget, schedule, and performance. A New York City IT Dashboard would act as an early warning system which could prevent a boondoggle like City Time from happening again.
Number Four – We call for a new system to track government subcontracting, also based on a federal model, that forces prime City contractors to be responsible and accountable for the performance of the subcontractors they use. This will help the City enforce prompt payment policies and more accurately track the actual spending with minority and women-owned businesses.
Beyond cutting waste, we work to make government smarter, more innovative, and more efficient. Our Bureau of Public Finance, led by Deputy Comptroller Carol Kostik, supervised multiple refinancings of the City’s debt, saving more than $560 million in the last two years alone. Today, we have commenced another bond refinancing that itself may yield another $100 million in savings.
The pursuit of smarter government requires us to look closely at how we engage community based organizations that many residents rely upon for essential services. These organizations should be able to focus on their core missions of helping people, rather than being forced to waste time complying with unnecessary bureaucracy.
Shortly after I was elected, I met with Mayor Bloomberg and spoke about the need to reform the VENDEX system, especially to reduce red tape for our City’s nonprofits. Let’s get it done. And while we’re at it, let’s eliminate the VENDEX administrative fees for nonprofits as well.
Smarter government also compels us to think ‘outside the box’, to look at processes that have been in place forever but may no longer work well. Take for instance the system by which we invest pension assets. The process is the same as it was 70 years ago, even though the financial markets and our portfolio today are vastly different.
Given that poor market returns have been the main driver of escalating pension costs over the past decade, we took a hard look at our investments. While New York City’s funds have performed, more or less on par, there are some public pension systems that have consistently outperformed the City’s.
By adopting the best practices gleaned from those systems, we proposed, together with Mayor Bloomberg and many of the City’s labor leaders, a comprehensive overhaul of asset management for our pensions.
Based on the experience from those pension systems, we can enhance returns on our funds and therefore reduce pension costs; this could easily save City taxpayers $30 billion over 30 years. And this would be done without reducing anyone’s benefits. Ricardo Morales, our first deputy comptroller, will continue to play a major role in making this initiative a reality.
Now let’s talk about expanding opportunities and creating jobs.
Part of the City’s current budget is a $35 billion four-year capital plan to build schools, fix roads and bridges, and upgrade other parts of our infrastructure. The decision has already been made to borrow and expend those funds.
Right now, interest rates are at historical lows, which makes borrowing less expensive. Since we’re going to borrow that money over the next few years, why not do some of it sooner? Interest rates are super low and we can potentially lower the overall costs of the capital plan. Moreover, there is unused capacity in the construction industry and the jobs are needed now.
I therefore challenge City agencies to identify $2 billion of spending on construction projects that could be accelerated and developed over the next two years. Needless to say, my Public Finance folks stand ready to work on raising the necessary funds in the capital markets. These accelerated investments would help stimulate the economy by creating 15,000 jobs. Now that’s a shot in the arm we could use!
There’s another way to help create jobs in New York City. Our pension funds have been at the forefront of making what are called economically-targeted investments, which means that they plow money back into the local economy. For example, over the years, our pension funds have financed more than 38,000 workforce and affordable housing units in New York City.
At the moment, we have approximately $1 billion of these investments. We plan to invest another billion of capital, as part of this initiative. This exciting effort will be led by Deputy Comptroller and Chief Investment Officer Larry Schloss.
My office will work to broaden the reach of our economically targeted investments to potentially include small business loans, growth capital, green job projects, and housing preservation and development.
We will, of course, continue to pursue market-level returns as well as specific benefits to New York City, in particular, to low, moderate, and middle income communities. This will help create and preserve local jobs and strengthen our New York City economy. We look forward to working with Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and the other pension trustees to make this happen.
As we create jobs within the City, it is imperative that we keep in mind the need to reduce not only unemployment, but unemployment disparities as well.
One way to reduce these disparities is by opening up City business to minority and women entrepreneurs. These businesses have a strong track record of creating jobs in neighborhoods where jobs are needed the most.
Since my office launched our MWBE Report Card for City agencies a year ago, the numbers have inched up, though only by a minimal amount. Opening up contracting opportunities for MWBEs will not only create jobs locally, but also achieve better results for our taxpayers.
Working with our pension trustees, we’ve expanded the pension investment allocation with MWBE firms to $6.5 billion. We’ve also substantially increased opportunities for MWBEs in the underwriting of billions of dollar of City bonds.
Managing government finances and finding ways to put people back to work are critical to our City’s success. We also have to help people plan for long-term economic security.
The discussion of pensions today is remarkably one-sided and short-sighted. It seems to be all about cost, with no consideration of need. Worse yet, the scapegoating of public employees seems to be relentless.
It’s silly to blame our police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other City employees for what happened during the recession. They didn’t cause it and they are certainly not responsible for the economic problems we have today. Taking pensions away from those who have them is not the answer.
It’s like a bunch of people waiting for a bus in the rain. If only one person has an umbrella, does it make sense to take her umbrella away? Of course not. What does make sense, and what we’re trying to figure out, is how to give everyone an umbrella so that they are all protected from the storm.
We partnered with a renowned expert on pension and retirement issues at The New School, Dr. Teresa Ghilarducci, who is here with us today.
Teresa and her staff did outstanding work for us, in a report called “Are New Yorkers Ready for Retirement?”—and the answer to that question, by the way, is unfortunately a resounding no.
In fact, our City is already experiencing the early stages of a burgeoning retirement crisis. It was recently reported that the number of elderly people in New York City’s homeless shelters shot up 55 percent over the last 10 years. Half of that increase occurred in the last two years alone. This is both a social and an economic issue.
If we don’t help people plan for their eventual retirement now, the increasing strain on the City’s social services from seniors living in poverty will be overwhelming. Let’s face it, we are not, nor do we want to be, a City that lets our seniors go hungry and homeless.
Dr. Ghilarducci has been advancing the concept of Personal Retirement Accounts for private sector workers. For employers who choose to participate, the program would pool employee and employer contributions into a professionally managed retirement fund, one that can leverage economies of scale and offer portable, efficient, low-cost pension benefits. Studies have shown that when offered the chance, workers will participate in retirement plans with their own contributions.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to retire solely on Social Security. That is why this proposal holds such great promise.
Dr. Ghilarducci’s proposal is to have the same staff that manages the New York City pension funds oversee a fund for private workers. This fund would leverage the expertise of the Asset Management Bureau, but the money it invests would be wholly provided—not by taxpayers—but by participating employers and their employees.
This idea, by the way, is now being considered by the California legislature. What a shame it would be if a great idea, homegrown here in New York City, was launched elsewhere first. Let’s not forget that Frances Perkins, the driving force behind Social Security, worked in New York State government before she became FDR’s Secretary of Labor and the first woman cabinet member. Who knows? Bigger things may lay ahead for Dr. Ghilarducci.
As a City, we should also advance greater economic equity and begin to narrow the wealth gap. To do this, I wholeheartedly support Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s call to create a progressive Personal Income Tax system in New York City.  Ever since the Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature were able to achieve the overhaul of state income taxes, discussions about how to do it in the City have been abuzz.
My office has developed a tax plan that would more closely track the progressive curve inherent in the federal tax brackets. Our plan would cut personal income taxes on joint filers with incomes below $500,000. All told this would reduce personal income taxes for 99 percent of all New Yorkers.
Filers earning over half a million dollars per year would pay a nominal additional amount. We don’t believe that they will flee the City as a result. Mayor Bloomberg has consistently said that New York City is a premium product and worth every penny of it. And we agree. Indeed, it is draconian cuts to essential services that have the most potential to cause flight. All New Yorkers want to live in a City with safe streets, strong schools, and clean parks.
Whether it be the Borough President’s plan or ours, making the personal income tax system more progressive will also help the City’s economy. Since low- and middle-income households tend to spend a higher proportion of their overall disposable income, and a higher proportion of it locally, cutting taxes for them will generate strong multiplier effects in our City’s economy.
Let me say one more thing about City taxes. If the economy improves more than we expect, let’s use the extra revenues generated by income taxes to roll back a portion of the City’s sales tax, which is arguably the most regressive tax we have. It’s time we get serious about lowering the burden on working families by making the City’s tax structure more just.
Another proposal which would improve the lives of working families is to expand the prevailing wage law. Unfortunately many workers have been cheated out of fair wages for work performed on City projects.  Our Bureau of Labor Law has collected over $10.5 million from contractors in the last two years on behalf of these workers. We have also debarred 11 contractors from doing business with the City in connection with labor law violations.
We applaud Speaker Christine Quinn and the City Council for their efforts to expand the universe of workers covered by prevailing wage. This bill would empower my office to do even more to protect the working men and women of this City by ensuring that those employed on City-funded projects are paid a decent wage.
The wealth divide is not the only profound gap in our society. It rests on top of another divide, one that is easy to ignore but needs to be addressed immediately in order for prosperity to be shared equally. I’m talking about the digital divide that makes it difficult for kids without access to technology and the Internet to do their homework and to perform to the best of their ability in school. This digital divide also affects the unemployed or under-employed, who cannot look for work successfully without the ability to search and apply for jobs online.
Working with the Federal Communications Commission, the largest cable companies in America have already agreed to provide families, whose kids qualify for the National School Lunch program, with broadband Internet access at a steep discount for $9.95 a month. This program will soon be launched in all 50 states, including our own, and will make a huge difference in low-income communities.
I believe we can and should expand this program even further. I’d like to see New York City’s telecommunications companies offer the same kind of discount to low-income households, like those on Food Stamps, or living in Section Eight housing, on Medicaid, or on SSI. There are many people in our great City who can benefit from broadband Internet access. They need to be connected or they will be left behind.
Which brings me back to where we started today, talking about access and opportunity and ensuring that there is a way in for all New Yorkers, especially our children.
We decided to come to City College today, because CCNY represents the best of what we’ve been talking about. It has been the way in for so many people, that for generations would otherwise have been kept out, because of language, or race, or financial status.
High quality education is the cure for what ails us on almost every level in our society, from elementary schools in local neighborhoods to New York City’s world class specialized high schools—including the new Math, Science, and Engineering school right here at City College. We need to build on the great foundation we have in New York City and pour our energy and resources into making these schools the best they can possibly be. Because they are the key to spreading prosperity and to bridging the great divide between the haves and have-nots in our society.
That’s why I applaud the mayor’s successful efforts to attract a new engineering school to New York, the partnership between Cornell University and Israel’s Technion Institute.
Now let’s build on that.
Let’s make New York City the education capital of the world. Let’s attract universities and colleges from across the country and around the globe to open up facilities and campuses here.
Currently we have a Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting. Let’s establish a Mayor’s Office of Colleges & Universities, that would market the City to educational institutions and make it easier for them to open up shop here, or partner with our terrific CUNY colleges.
In exchange for public incentives, we would also encourage greater access for minorities and women at these institutions so that they can fully participate as faculty and students.
It is crucial that minority students not fall behind in math, science, and technology because as we know, these are the skills and knowledge that they will need to compete in a global economy.
As our City’s Chief Financial Officer, I am often asked for stock picks. My response is always the same — education is the best long-term economic investment.
Ladies and gentleman, brothers and sisters, I’ve been privileged to serve as your City Comptroller for the past two years, just past the halfway point in my term of office.
I’ve laid out for you where we are with the City’s economy and budgetary outlook…
What my office has been doing with short and long term fiscal challenges…
And some ideas and initiatives to make New Yorkers and the City as a whole more economically and fiscally secure.
Through it all, I continue to stress that…
It’s not just about numbers, it’s about people.
It’s not just about costs, it’s about need.
It’s not just about recovery, it’s about equity.
As we all work to move New York City forward, you can expect me and my office to vigorously discharge our duties. Expect us to be objective and diligent. And expect us to defy conventional thinking and past practice when we feel it necessary.
You never know what potential could be unlocked when new stuff is given a chance. I mean, how about those New York Knicks! And who’s been carrying them these last couple of weeks? It’s been sheer Lin-Sanity! Just think about what Jeremy Lin has achieved, what would have been unimaginable just a couple of weeks ago.
Let’s make New York City a place where new ideas are welcomed and people have a way to bridge the great divide.
And through it we can make this City an incredible place of opportunity, a place of infinite possibility, like the City me and my family found, when we arrived here forty years ago.
Thank you so much for joining me this morning.

“Good morning everyone, and thank you, Geronimo, for sharing your story with us. As someone who is a proud product of New York City public schools myself, it was very moving to watch this group of students, parents, and teachers fight so hard to keep their school open. What a great lesson for all to learn: That if you want something and you work hard for it, you can accomplish it. Congratulations to you and the entire Wadleigh family.

Thanks, also, to Sharlene Ogando for that beautiful rendering of our national anthem. She’s got some voice, doesn’t she? American Idol, here we come…

I’d also like to thank Dr. Lisa Coico and the staff of City College for working so diligently with our office on every detail of this event. City College and the CUNY system are so vital to this City, providing higher education at an affordable cost.

Over the past century and a half, CUNY has had a profound impact on millions of lives. Many who walked through the gates of CUNY were the first in their families to step foot inside a college. Countless New Yorkers are indebted to CUNY for their education and the skills that empowered them to move up the economic ladder.

It’s so nice to see so many CUNY people here. Thank you Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, Executive Vice Chancellor Allan Dobrin, and Senior Vice Chancellor Jay Hershenson. Thank you and the entire CUNY system for the important work that you do. Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on February 16, 2012, 10:42 am
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City Releases First Wetlands Strategy for Comment
February 13th, 2012

Parks Writer Anne Schwartz filed this story:

In its first effort to create a comprehensive policy for protecting New York City’s last wetlands, the Bloomberg administration released a draft Wetlands Strategy in mid-January. The City Council held a hearing on the draft on January 31, and public comments are being accepted until February 18 at planyc@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Of the estimated 100 square miles of coastal marshes that once lined the city’s shores, just 14 remain. More than 90 percent of its freshwater wetlands have been lost. The wetlands that remain are key to the survival of waterbirds nesting in the harbor, migratory birds that funnel through the city in the spring and fall, and harbor fisheries. They also help prevent coastal flooding and soak up stormwater, an increasingly important role as climate change brings an expected rise in the number and severity of storm surges. Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on February 13, 2012, 2:09 pm
In category: Environment, Gotham City, Waterfront, sustainability | No Comments »

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Cuomo Gets His Pick on JCOPE
February 2nd, 2012

Inspector General Ellen Biben has been tapped by JCOPE to serve as its executive director. As reported by Liz Benjamin at State of Politics, and Jacob Gershman at the Wall Street Journal, the Cuomo administration has been pushing hard to have Biben named to the position. It is unclear whether she will step down from her position as IG to take the gig but she has accepted it. While Biben is a respected prosecutor, her ties to Cuomo are thick and there is a growing concern among legislators that Cuomo will effectively have control of JCOPE, just as Gov. Eliot Spitzer did over the CPI during Troopergate.

Benjamin writes: “The selection of Biben raises questions about the ability of JCOPE to be independent. The commission may find itself in the position of investigating the governor – its predecessor, the Public Integrity Commission, had to probe both Gov. Eliot Spitzer (for Troopergate), and Gov. David Paterson (for the Yankees ticket scandal and the David Johnson domestic violence mess) – and also has, for the first time, the power to investigate legislators.”

Good government groups The League of Women voters and Citizens Union have endorsed Biben. Citizens Union, which is the sister organization of the Citizens Union Foundation that publishes Gotham Gazette, has been very supportive of most of Cuomo’s moves regarding ethics and the tangled push for redistricting reform. Here is their statement:

“Citizens Union commends the appointment of New York State’s Inspector General Ellen N. Biben as Executive Director of the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), the new state ethics body having joint jurisdiction over both the legislative and the executive branches. Ms. Biben is an experienced prosecutor who, prior to becoming Inspector General, served in positions that have prepared her well to assume this post. She has the requisite experience and needed integrity to take on the enormous challenge of serving as this new ethics body’s first executive director. The task before her is especially important because of the need for this agency to succeed as an impartial panel charged with oversight and enforcement of our state’s new ethics law and the pressing need to restore the public’s faith in our government and elected officials.”

By David King on February 2, 2012, 3:32 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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Judge Sets June 26 Primary
January 27th, 2012

If there wasn’t enough going on regarding redistricting this week the whole sordid affair got a kick in the pants thanks to U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe who has ruled that unless that state takes legislative action all of New York’s future federal non-presidential primaries will be held on the fourth Tuesday of June. Groups in favor of independent redistricting have been concerned for months that Gov. Andrew Cuomo might not want to veto LATFOR’s district lines because it could send things into chaos right before a possible Spring primary. That Spring primary is now a reality barring any action from the legislature. If the legislature does not act New York will have three primary dates: the June primary for House and Senate races, the April Republican Presidential Primary and the September Senate and Assembly Primary.

Sharpe wrote:

“Notwithstanding any current state law or administrative procedure to the contrary, New York shall conduct its 2012 non-presidential federal primary election on a date no later than 35 days prior to the 45-day advance deadline set by the MOVE Act for transmitting ballots to the State’s military and overseas voters, i.e., at least 80 days before the November 6, 2012 federal general election. In 2012, that date shall be June 26, 2012.

In subsequent even-numbered years, New York’s non-presidential federal primary date shall be the fourth Tuesday of June, unless and until New York enacts legislation resetting the non-presidential federal primary election for a date that complies fully with all UOCAVA requirements, and is approved by this court.”

Notwithstanding any current state law or administrative procedure to the contrary, New York shall conduct its 2012 non-presidential federal primary election on a date no later than 35 days prior to the 45-day advance deadline set by the MOVE Act for transmitting ballots to the State’s military and overseas voters, i.e., at least 80 days before the November 6, 2012 federal general election. In 2012, that date shall be June 26, 2012.
In subsequent even-numbered years, New York’s non-presidential federal primary date shall be the fourth Tuesday of June, unless and until New York enacts legislation resetting the non-presidential federal primary election for a date that complies fully with all UOCAVA requirements, and is approved by this court.
By David King on January 27, 2012, 4:53 pm
In category: Albany, Demographics, Eye on Albany, Law | 4 Comments »

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Williams Criticizes Bloomberg's Defense of Browne
January 27th, 2012

“There is no logical basis for Mayor Bloomberg’s defense of Deputy Commissioner Browne’s job performance. Based on the facts, he cannot have been both honest and competent in his handling of “The Third Jihad” and its aftermath. He lied to the public on multiple occasions and his actions deepened the divide between the NYPD and the New York City community, which harms our ability to best police and protect our city.
If this was the first error in judgment Deputy Commissioner Browne had made, it would be excusable. Sadly, it is not, and the public record shows this without dispute. In just the last six months, he has been caught in lies ranging from phantom punches and elbows to fake excuses about pepper spraying at Occupy Wall Street. There is even evidence that suggests that Deputy Commissioner Browne may have lied under oath about his involvement in a 2004 Critical Mass ride. You can have your doubts about whether any one of these incidents has been truly justified, but you cannot look at the entirety of his record and claim that the man in charge of public information hasn’t been engaged in a campaign of overt misinformation or complete incompetency. This behavior would not be accepted by any other city agency, and it certainly should not be accepted by the NYPD or the city’s taxpayers that afford him his six-figure salary.
Police accountability seems to be treated as a dirty term, if not a non-starter, for Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly, but the calls from New Yorkers get more intense every day. If they will not recognize the problems festering within the NYPD, then we need an independent oversight committee and/or the intervention of the Justice Department to do it for them. The City Council must also use whatever resources it has at its disposal to get real answers. As chair of the Oversight and Investigations Committee, I am eager to be a part of that effort which is greatly needed and long overdue.”

Councilman Jumaane Williams is blasting Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his defense of New York Police Department Commissioner Paul Browne’s job performance following revelations about the Third Jihad anti-Muslim propaganda video screened by the NYPD. Bloomberg described Browne as,  ”honest and as competent as anybody in the business of representing the city and giving out information”.

Williams strongly disagrees with that assessment. He has called for Browne’s resignation and issued this statement:

“There is no logical basis for Mayor Bloomberg’s defense of Deputy Commissioner Browne’s job performance. Based on the facts, he cannot have been both honest and competent in his handling of “The Third Jihad” and its aftermath. He lied to the public on multiple occasions and his actions deepened the divide between the NYPD and the New York City community, which harms our ability to best police and protect our city.

If this was the first error in judgment Deputy Commissioner Browne had made, it would be excusable. Sadly, it is not, and the public record shows this without dispute. In just the last six months, he has been caught in lies ranging from phantom punches and elbows to fake excuses about pepper spraying at Occupy Wall Street. There is even evidence that suggests that Deputy Commissioner Browne may have lied under oath about his involvement in a 2004 Critical Mass ride. You can have your doubts about whether any one of these incidents has been truly justified, but you cannot look at the entirety of his record and claim that the man in charge of public information hasn’t been engaged in a campaign of overt misinformation or complete incompetency. This behavior would not be accepted by any other city agency, and it certainly should not be accepted by the NYPD or the city’s taxpayers that afford him his six-figure salary. Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on January 27, 2012, 12:52 pm
In category: City Hall, Civil Rights, Crime & Safety | 2 Comments »

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McEneny:Cuomo Was the Hold up
January 27th, 2012

LATFOR co chair Assemblyman Jack McEneny told Liz Benjamin of State of Politics last night that LATFOR delayed releasing its lines yesterday by the request of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

You can get the full interview and event timeline over at State of Politics.

As Liz points out–Cuomo spoke to the press earlier in the day and insisted he hand’t seen the lines and was not ready to comment. After the lines were released Cuomo’s spokesperson issued a statement saying that “At first glance,” the Governor would likely veto the lines.

Cuomo has seemingly done his best to avoid actually saying he will veto the lines this year.

Cuomo, when pressed, did state numerous times last year that he would veto unfair lines but he has yet to make a firm public statement this year–redistricting was absolutely absent from his delivered State of the State remarks. It looks like the back-room wrangling for more significant redistricting reform and a constitutional amendment will continue. Meanwhile the public will get a chance to weigh in on LATFOR’s lines at a series of public hearings. The first hearing will take place in Albany on Monday at 10:30 a.m., on Tuesday LATFOR will be in the Bronx and Wednesday in Brooklyn. Check out the full schedule here.

By David King on January 27, 2012, 10:21 am
In category: Albany, Demographics, Eye on Albany | No Comments »

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McEneny Defends LATFOR
January 26th, 2012

Albany Assemblyman Jack McEneny, who also happens to co-chair LATFOR, issued a statement defending the maps issued today. Maps that the New York Public Interest Research Group called the most gerrymandered in recent history. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he would veto these lines if they stay as they are.

Here is McEneny’s statement:

“The Assembly plan released today by the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR) is the culmination of a months-long process to reshape New York’s electoral map based on shifts in population that have occurred over the last decade. Our proposal is responsive to the many individuals across the state who offered oral or written testimony to the Task Force.
Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on January 26, 2012, 5:09 pm
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Cuomo Would Veto Lines
January 26th, 2012

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s spokesperson Josh Vlasto says that lines released by LATFOR today are unacceptable.

“At first glance, these lines are simply unacceptable and would be vetoed by the Governor. We need a better process and product.”

Earlier today Cuomo said he would let the process “play out” but apparently the Governor did not like something he saw in these lines.

By David King on January 26, 2012, 4:45 pm
In category: Albany, Demographics, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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Dadey Responds to LATFOR's Maps
January 26th, 2012

Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, says he still wants Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto LATFOR’s district lines, “If fairer lines are not created for 2012  and there is no structural reform.” Gotham Gazette is published by Citizens Union Foundation the sister organization to Citizens Union. Senate Democrats were taken aback by Dadey’s recent interview with Jimmy Vielkind of the Times Union where it seemed Dadey was giving Cuomo room not to veto the lines. Dadey told Vielkind: ““A veto is no guarantee that there will be fairer lines for 2012, and we wouldn’t get any structural reform,” he said. “We’ve always wanted the governor to use his veto threat to achieve reform, not to have these lines go into court. What does that get us at the end of the day? It doesn’t get us what we want — structural reform.”

Dadey told me: “I stand by what I said to Jimmy, but we expect if fairer lines are not created for 2012 and there is no structural reform the Governor should keep his veto promise. Citizens Union has always been about structural reform.”

The structural reform would likely be a constitutional amendment for the 2022 redistricting process. I asked Dadey if he would settle for one over the other–just improved 2012 lines or just structural reform and he had this to say:

“I cant imagine a scenario where we don’t get changes in 2012 and structural changes. They go hand in hand.”

Dadey made it clear that he is not happy with LATFOR’s proposed lines.

“What is clear is these maps are gerrymandered. That is what we get  when legislators are left to draw their own districts. It  makes the case of why we need permanent change and why the Governor should use his veto promise to get fair lines.”

Dadey said the Senate’s lines were particularly offensive.

“It is just abhorrent that somehow four Democratic incumbents are being forced into districts in interest of creating opportunity minority districts when nothing has changed on Long Island to create a minority opportunity district.”

By David King on January 26, 2012, 4:30 pm
In category: Albany, Demographics, Eye on Albany | 2 Comments »

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UFO or 63rd Senate Seat?
January 26th, 2012

The 63rd Senate seat created by Senate Republicans looks uncannily to me like the evil Reaper spaceship from the popular Mass Effect video game series. It sweeps down from Montgomery County slices away half of Sen. Neil Breslin’s Albany County district, swallows Green County and its tentacles stab into the top of Ulster.

But I suppose that is a rather insignificant observation when you look at what New York Public Interest Group’s Bill Mahoney has to say about the proposed maps as a whole.He says, the Senate’s maps are, “clearly the most gerrymandered lines in recent New York History.” He provided this statement and statistical breakdown to back up his claim. Check it out. Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on January 26, 2012, 4:09 pm
In category: Albany, Demographics, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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LATFOR's Maps Are Out
January 26th, 2012

LATFOR has posted their proposed district lines for 2012. Both the Assembly and Senate maps are available here.

Senate Republicans have issued a statement defending their lines and the 63rd Senate District their maps create. Of the 63rd seat the statement says:

” The plan adds a 63rd Senate seat, as required by the formulas under Article III of the State Constitution.  That seat is located in the Capital Region and Upper Hudson Valley, which experienced the largest percentage increase of population growth in the state since the 2000 U.S. census.” This seat is the one that Assemblyman George Amedore is expected to run for.

The statement calls the process by which the lines were created, ” open and transparent.”

Here is the full statement from Senate Republicans: Read the rest of this entry »

By David King on January 26, 2012, 2:18 pm
In category: Albany, Demographics, Eye on Albany | 8 Comments »

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Waiting on The Lines
January 26th, 2012

All week LATFOR members have told the press that they should expect the new district lines any day now. In fact Assemblyman Jack McEneny has given a time and date a few times only to have the lines not be made public. The most recent expectation is that the lines will be revealed at 2 p.m..

Assembly members reportedly were emailed their lines late last night. It is unclear when Senate Republicans will reveal their maps. Some details have leaked out and it looks like the maps could be majorly disruptive to a number of upstate incumbents including Sen. Neil Breslin,  Assemblymen Bob Reilly and Jim Tedisco. The Times Union reported that Breslin’s district could be cut in half to create the 63rd Senate seat in an effort to allow Republican Assemblyman (and reality TV star) George Amedore to run for the Senate. Breslin predicted to the Gazette late last year that the lines would be decided in a court battle and that the Giants would win the Super Bowl.

The Republican announcement could be tied to negotiations with Gov. Andrew Cuomo about a constitutional amendment to institute non partisan redistricting for the next go around–in ten years.  One has to wonder if they have waited til Thursday to release the lines, why they wouldn’t just wait until Friday. Friday is always the preferred day to bury unpleasant news.

Sen. Liz Krueger is getting tired of waiting and wants to know what all the secrecy is about. She released this statement: “All this week we’ve seen leaks, rumors, and a tiny trickle of information, some good, some bad, and some very, very ugly. What the public hasn’t seen is the map, even though we all know it exists. Why the holdup? It’s deliberate. The Republicans have been keeping the public in the dark, trying to manage expectations instead of letting New Yorkers see what they’ve cooked up and judge it for what it is.”

By David King on January 26, 2012, 1:22 pm
In category: Albany, Demographics, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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Krueger Sees Good News For Seniors in Cuomo's Budget
January 20th, 2012

Despite the cutbacks and trimming contained in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget there are areas where some folks are finding happy surprises. Sen. Liz Krueger is particularly pleased that the Governor’s budget  maintains Title XX funding for senior centers at its current level and leaves other funding for senior programs untouched.

“Massive proposals cutting support for New York’s senior centers have become a grim tradition of the budget process in recent years. I applaud Gov. Cuomo for changing that this week. While I am still evaluating the full executive budget proposal, I am thrilled to see Gov. Cuomo’s plan maintains Title XX funding for senior centers at its current level and preserves a number of other important senior assistance programs,” said Krueger

“Despite the difficult economy, we cannot balance New York’s budget on the backs of the most vulnerable among us. Senior centers are a vital support for the older adults in our communities, and I applaud Gov. Cuomo’s action on this. Hopefully this marks the end of an ugly, annual tradition of threatening support for seniors.”

By David King on January 20, 2012, 1:05 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany, Social Services | No Comments »

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Cuomo: Carrots and Sticks for Schools
January 17th, 2012

Two weeks after he signaled his intention to focus on education, Gov. Andrew Cuomo today filled in some of the details and inserted himself squarely in the dispute over teacher evaluation.

In his budget address Cuomo confirmed that, as announced previously, the state would up its aid to districts by 4.1 percent or $805 million next year for a total of about $20 billion.

Unlike last budget year — when the governor cut spending across the board regardless of a district’s needs — the increase would be weighted toward higher needs areas. These parts of the state will receive 76 percent of the hike and 69 percent of all school aid, according to Cuomo’s Budget Briefing Book.This means New York City stands to gets almost $6.4 billion next year, an increase of 2.6 percent over the approximately $6.2 billion it is getting this year.

Districts also would be able to compete for some $200 million in special state grants, under a New York version of the federal Race to the Top program.

The Road to the Money

But Cuomo put a big condition on all the additional money. To get it, districts will have to come up with a new evaluation system for teachers.

Details after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »

By Gail Robinson on January 17, 2012, 5:23 pm
In category: Albany, City Hall, Education, Eye on Albany, Public Finance, Work and Labor | 1 Comment »

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