![]() The Six Questions1. Paying for Sewage Systems2. Paying for Schools in Small Cities 3. Non-Partisan Elections 4. City Purchasing 5. Government Administration 6. Class Size Overview of Ballot Proposals Related LinksNew York City Campaign Finance Board - Voter's guide provides information on ballot proposals and candidates.New York City Board of Elections New York City Charter Commission |
Currently, municipalities in New York State do not have to count construction and repairs to sewer facilities toward the amount of money they can borrow. This allows counties, cities, towns, and villages to make repairs that they might not otherwise be able to afford without having to choose between sewage and other building projects. This exclusion was first enacted in 1963 and will expire in 2004. This proposal would extend it for another ten years until 2014. (Text of the question as it will appear on the ballot.)
Although it would primarily affect small counties upstate, all voters in the state - including New York City voters who are not affected - have a say on this proposal because their taxes will pay for sewer repairs. (Read more about sewage construction in New York City)
Proponents say that this measure gives municipalities the flexibility to make the repairs they need. Assemblymember Robert Sweeney of Suffolk County, who sponsored the measure in the Assembly, said it mostly will help small upstate communities that have small tax bases by allowing them to borrow for critical sewer projects without having to postpone building roads and schools.
Few lawmakers argue against the need to build and repair sewer systems. In fact, when the bill went through the State Legislature, no lawmakers or organizations actively opposed it. However, voters are not as eager to allow the government to take on additional debt. In 1993, when this same measure appeared on the ballot, it passed by only 22,000 votes out of 2.5 million votes cast.
1. Paying for Sewage Systems
2. Paying for Schools in Small Cities
3. Non-Partisan Elections
4. City Purchasing
5. Government Administration
6. Class Size
Overview of Ballot Proposals
On Election Day, New Yorkers should vote "no" on ballot proposal number four that will amend the city's purchasing rules.
The first problem with the proposal is the process.
The mayor is trying to put things in place through a charter referendum that can be done by appropriate legislation. Only when the City Charter, which is the constitution of the city, needs to be revamped should we consider a charter referendum.
Legislation is the City Council's job, and we have put together a package of 13 bills that deal with procurement reform. These bills will:
As the chair of the City Council committee on contracting, I have been trying to work with the mayor's office on these issues for the last two years. They have continued to delay. All of a sudden, instead of coming and talking with the City Council, the administration is trying to roll things into a referendum. That is not the way business is done in the city. We must use the legislative processes that are already in place.
The second issue is the substance of some of the mayor's proposals for changing how the city does contracting.
For example, the mayor proposes eliminating the open bidding process if he feels that an item raises concerns about the "security of the city or its citizens." In that case, the public won't even be told about the contract.
I have a number of questions about this security provision: How will the mayor determine if the information will be detrimental to the security of the city? How would "security" be defined? How is the council supposed to do oversight on security-related purchases?
Another article in the question would eliminate a provision requiring contractors to provide a report on business practices, such as collective bargaining agreements, to ensure that contractors meet all laws. I fear that this would give too much power to the commissioners and not enough assurance that the companies the city does business with are following local, state, and federal laws.
Finally, the charter commission and the mayor have not done enough to education voters about these ballot proposals.
Perhaps the mayor thinks that voters will not pay much attention. But the wool is being pulled over the voters' eyes. Recently, the City Council held a public hearing where we invited the chairman of the mayor's charter commission, Frank Macchiarola, and commissioners to come and answer questions regarding contracting issues for the public. They did not come.
At the hearing, I read a series of questions that I would have asked the chairman, the commissioners, their counsel, or anyone from the mayor's office. But no one came, so I read the questions to an empty chair with a sign with the commissioner's name on it.
In my opinion, the charter commission is avoiding public discussion and debate on this issue. It is the City Council's responsibility to hold oversight hearings. But we need to ask why did the commission not come, and why won't they answer these questions for the public.
Councilmember Robert Jackson represents district 7 in Washington Heights and is the chairman of the City Council contracting committee.
# # #
• Vote Yes on 4: The Business of Government by Anthony Crowell
• Guide to New York City's 2003 Ballot Proposals
The Department of Education's TV and radio stations known as WNYE are reportedly up for sale. WNYC-FM is going to buy the radio station (WNYE-FM 91.5) and WNET-Channel 13 may buy the TV station (Channel 25), according to the Times.
The deal has been a "secret" to the people of New York. As Joyce Purnick of the New York Times reported, " There has been no announcement, no competitive bidding, no comment from the agency conducting the negotiations, the Economic Development Corporation." This is troubling because it contradicts Bloomberg's promise of greater transparency.
Before these deals are signed and sealed, some in government are urging the city to conduct an open review of WNYE and its potential buyers. City Councilmember Gale Brewer believes that WNYE could be a valuable asset in the future, if the city keeps it.
WNYC and WNET--both public broadcasters--may seem like the best possible buyers. WNYC features well-known non-commercial radio broadcasts from National Public Radio such as "Morning Edition" and " Fresh Air" in addition to its own programming. And Brian Lehrer's morning call-in show has always been one of my favorites. Similarly, Channel 13 offers a range of quality shows such as Sesame Street and Charlie Rose.
With these wholesome offerings, one might find it hard to object to the sale, especially in times of deep budget cuts. However, a more extensive public evaluation is still necessary.
SPECTRUM: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
WNYE hold the license to a vital public resource: spectrum. More commonly referred to as "radio waves" or "airwaves," the electromagnetic spectrum is used for a variety of things. These include cell phones, satellite communications, radio, broadcast TV and wireless Internet access to name just a few. According to Times columnist William Safire, " [Spectrum is] the most valuable natural resource of the information age."
Since spectrum is invisible, it is difficult to grasp its worth. The New America Foundation's "Citizen's Guide to the Airwaves" (in pdf format) offers a graphical representation. The total value of all US spectrum is estimated to be $771 billion. But, the Federal Communications Commission is using what is now widely regarded as an inefficient way to regulate access to the airwaves. "[Spectrum is] being managed wastefully and inequitably, and what's at stake is the future of technologies that can enable the tremendous economic and social potential of anywhere, anytime access to high-speed data networking," writes the New America Foundation's Michael Calabrese in The Atlantic Monthly.
This is because spectrum regulations were created as a result of radio interference almost one hundred years ago. In the 1920's, crossed signals often led to crashes on the high seas because ships could not contact one another or call for emergency response. These problems led to the passage of the Communications Act of 1934.
However, new technologies render the current system defunct. Some advocates in Washington are pushing for spectrum privatization while others are arguing that the resource should be treated as a "commons," much like our current highway system.
Adam Theirer of the libertarian Cato Institute writes, "There exists today overwhelming intellectual support for an alternative system of spectrum governance based upon the free market principles of flexible use, property rights and freedom of contract." In reality, new FCC regulation will most likely be a combination of both.
Groups like NYCwireless, are working to gain access to unused and wasted TV broadcast spectrum. If the FCC allows more spectrum to be used without a license-microwaves, TV remotes and pacemakers all do this-then it could be used to support free Internet access. According to NYCwireless' Dustin Goodwin, "[This] will be critical to changing the way the poor of this city gain access to the communication services."
POSSIBILITIES FOR WNYE
So, should the city go ahead with its plan to sell WNYE? Experts disagree on the potential value of these stations for future education programming or other projects.
According to Bob Miller, "The sale would be a big mistake." This is because WNYE's TV station could be used to broadcast five to twelve channels digitally. However, in recent years, lack of city funds prevented the station from shining, digitally that is.
Miller's company Viacel uses a technology that can digitally broadcast to small portable devices. Such technology could turn WNYE into a great resource for delivering educational content to all New Yorkers, not only those enrolled in public schools.
Everything from homework assignments to videos could be sent to students on their laptops, personal digital assistants or cell phones. Many of these devices are starting to come with digital receivers which would allow them to get the broadcasts. This could be used along with the Internet to facilitate learning beyond the doors of the classroom.
Viacel's technology, while popular overseas in Europe, Russia, Australia and Hong Kong, is different from the digital broadcasting standard used in the U.S. The company has been granted a waiver to use the technology by the Federal Communications Commission.
But, Goodwin of NYCWireless sees less value in holding onto WNYE for a different reason. He says, "[channel 25] would not be enough to be useful for wide scale wireless community network deployment." This is because channel 25 is only 6 megahertz wide. A wireless network requires a channel that is 22 megahertz wide--the wider the channel the more information can be transmitted.
While current FCC regulations prevent using a broadcast channel as a wireless network, it is possible the city could request a waiver to use WNYE's spectrum for this purpose.
So, maybe we shouldn't be mourning WNYE's loss just yet. Instead, the city might want to take a good hard look at what it owns with an eye towards the technologies that might make it a lot more valuable to the Department of Education in the future.
Laura Forlano is a doctoral student studying communication technology policy at Columbia University.