new york

We just received the following statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley. 

I did not know until I read it here that the proposed budget shifts money from local governments to the state, which as Hawley points out, is going to only mean increased local taxes (or severe cuts in services).

I've tried to keep my comments on the budget as non-partisan as possible.  The shipwreck of a budget could have just as easily been produced by a GOP-controlled Albany -- maybe not the same, but I have no confidence the Republicans could do any better. That said, I think it needs to be said: Local Democrats tend to be pretty active commenters on The Batavian. It's noteworthy, then, that in two days of raising the budget issue on The Batavian, none of the usual Democratic stalwarts have stepped forward to defend Paterson, Smith and Silver.  Maybe my noting this will bring forth some sort of intelligent defense. I would love to hear it. But I suspect strongly that any common-sense Democrat also recognizes this budget proposal is exceptionally indefensible.

Hawley's statement follows the jump:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) today expressed his displeasure with the 2009-10 State Budget and the secret negotiations used to hammer out a deal.

"The budget was agreed upon in secret closed-door meetings that involved the state's three legislative leaders, Governor Paterson (D - Harlem), Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D - Queens) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D - Manhattan/Chinatown) - all downstate New York City Democrats - with no input from other elected representatives.

"The state budget, details of which were hashed out at the last minute under a cloud of secrecy, lacked the transparency and openness that New Yorkers deserve. Albany's dysfunction once again reared its ugly head at a time when the state is in the midst of a recession and is struggling to survive with a $17 billion budget deficit.

"The $132 billion spending plan calls for a ten percent increase, or $10.5 billion in spending, over last year and includes $7 billion in new taxes and fees. In addition, the budget eliminates the critical STAR Rebate program that provides middle-income homeowners with $1.7 billion in relief from skyrocketing property taxes. More taxes and no property tax relief is the last thing that New Yorkers need right now. Raising taxes through "hidden" fees will force more New Yorkers to flee the state in search of less expensive areas and will further erode the state's tax base.  The governor is retaining $1 billion from the federal stimulus program (newly printed money) and I challenge him to use it all to reinstate the STAR Rebate program.

"The budget will also include a 50% reduction in VLT funding that will leave municipalities that depend on this money left holding the bag. The City of Batavia will see a cut of $314,849, the Town of Batavia $114,563, and Genesee County $143,137.  This lack of funding will force municipalities to pass along the added burden to taxpayers.

"The budget spends too much, taxes too much and does nothing to solve the state's fiscal problems. New Yorkers are struggling everyday to pay their bills and put food on the table and placing additional tax burdens on their backs will only further the struggle. New Yorkers deserve better, and for this reason I have voted no on the entire 2009-10 state budget."

Albany Watch reports on Gov. Paterson defending the "three men in a room" budget:

“None of this makes sense,” he said when asked if the new taxes and fees make sense in the face of the state’s economic woes. “We don’t want to tax the wealthy, we don’t put these taxes in to raise fees, we don’t want to hold our school budgets at zero increase at a time when our children need education. We don’t want to in any way jeopardize anyone’s ability to get health care.

“We don’t want to lay workers off. It’s a response to a crisis.”

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, said “this is not a happy budget” and defended the need to negotiate the budget behind closed doors, saying “Difficult times call for different approaches” but that transparency is still important.

Elizabeth Benjamin, blogging for The Daily News, also carries a portion of Paterson's defense of the budget.

The governor started out by arguing it's unfair to characterize this budget as dramatically increasing spending because the bulk of the additional cash going out the door - about $7.2 billion - is federal stimulus aid.

The only reason state spending isn't being reduced, Paterson maintained, is due to increased allocations for things like Medicaid, food stamps and unemployment insurance - all going up as a result of the economic crisis - things over which, according to the governor, the state has "no control."

The blog Open Left praises the increased tax on the wealthy as a victory for progressives.

This is the Make Him Do It Dyanmic on the state level - in this case, progressive groups, led by the Working Families Party, forced Democratic Gov. David Paterson (D) to accept a commonsense, progressive budget/tax solution. It shows that movement pressure - whether you want to denigrate it as  "anger" or "outrage" or "insufferable stridence" - can actually create significant concrete results.  

The Niagara Times takes the position that Paterson, Smith and Silver are once again "sticking it to update."

And despite the enormous fiscal pressure the state faces, the budget contains $170 million in financing for pet projects — an amount unchanged from last year — suggesting that Albany’s appetite for with what critics call pork-barrel spending appeared to be undiminished.

Listed in the budget were grants to gun clubs, an upstate museum dedicated to bricks and brick-making, the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta and an organization known as the Urban Yoga Foundation.

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership Blog says the budget is not terribly helpful to small businesses.

It's interesting - we're spending an awful lot of energy as a nation looking into how companies such as AIG and GM are using stimulus money - which is good (at least it would've been good had it been done proactively instead of after all hell broke loose). Let's hope that Washington begins to put the same scrutiny on states, because it's pretty certain that this "three men in a room" budget misses the boat on the intent of the historic federal aid.

You have to go back only a couple months to remember Gov. Paterson saying that everyone will have the "share the pain." Well, this budget is painful for a lot of people - small businesses, students, everyday citizen taxpayers... The only entity that seems to have come away unscathed is New York State, itself - to the point, even, that they've left $170MM in pork for the state legislature to divvy out. A week ago, there was a threat of layoffs in state government. Nope. There's been talk of a cost-saving Tier V level of the state employees' pension system. Nope.

The Albany Project offers up a round of news coverage.

Genesee County's state senator Mike Ranzenhofer has put his name on a bill aimed at asking New York voters whether the state should be divided into two states.

Capitol Confidential has a few snarky comments about the bill as well as the full text.

I have a call into Ranzenhofer's office seeking comment.

This morning's Buffalo News story contains an exceptionally scary phrase:

Gov. David A. Paterson on Tuesday to threaten ... the prospect of billions of dollars in tax hikes on residents to help balance the moribund budget.

Paterson is also planning to cut more than 8,000 jobs from the 141,000 in the executive branch.

So is New York going to test just how high taxes can go before it completely kills the economy?

To a California boy like me, you would never think of New York being a hot spot for regional food.  That seems like a Southern thing, not a Yankee thing.

Now that I've lived her a while, I see that I suffered from a profound misconception. The rest of the nation may not know about New York's various delicacies, there there are plenty of specialty items throughout New York.

A TimesUnion.com food blogger started a conversation about NYS regional food, and our own Pok-A-Dot popped up in the conversation. Karen Seward leaves the comment:

Roast Beef on Weck from the Pok-A-Dot in Batavia
White Hot from Pok-A-Dot in Batavia
Pontillo’s Pizza in Batavia (they are now closed :-(

We should note, of course, that Pontillo's in LeRoy remains open and does deliver to Batavia.

Other regional foods mentioned:

• Buffalo: Anchor Bar Buffalo Wings
• Rochester Garbage Plate (Nick Tahoe’s was the 1st and is still the best)
• Utica: Greens Romano (Escarole sautéed in Olive Oil & Garlic, seasoned with Prosciutto, Bread Crumbs, Romano & Hot Peppers).
• Grape pie in Naples, NY.
• Cider donuts - I’ve lived all over the east coast and never saw one till I went to Goolds.
• Plattsburgh and North Country: Michigans (you’ll see these as Coney’s elsewhere, but they are very different from your standard chili dog)

What would you add?

If you had to pick a race statewide that could determine what party has the majority in the New York State Senate, look no further than the 61st Senate District. Democratic candidate Joe Mesi is taking on Republican Mike Ranzenhofer in a very close and hotly contested race.

Tonight, Mesi held a gathering in Batavia. At left it was I encountered when I pulled up to park for the event. What I didn't get on camera was the half-dozen Ranzenhofer supporters that decided they would stand in front of the event's venue - Main Street Cafe - holding Ranzenhofer signs. Apparently they decided that since the Democrats had been doing it for awhile in front of their headquarters, they would do it on the eve of the election.

But inside the event was a great atmosphere. At its peak, the event had 40-50 people. There were people of all ages in attendance for pizza, mingling with Mesi and a nice enjoyable evening before Election Day.

Mesi also addressed the crowd. You can hear the bulk of his remarks in this video:  

I remember first meeting Joe Mesi. That was nearly seven months ago. You could tell then that he was still learning. He was educating himself about the important issues and told the story that led to his candidacy. His brother lost his job at American Axle and that motivated Mesi to run for office.

Since my interview with Mesi, he has evolved into quite a candidate. His Plan for Change is pure genius. I say that because he put his platform into an easy-to-read booklet that was available at his campaign headquarters and handed out tonight at the gathering. Candidates usually use basic talking points on the stump or ramble on about what their policy positions are. Instead of doing that, Mesi decided to put his plans and his positions on paper for the world to see. That way, if there are any questions about where he stands, you can refer to the booklet.

So why should the people of the 61st Senate District elect Joe Mesi their state senator? Mesi is genuine. He truly cares about Western New York. This is where he built his life. This is where he became a heavyweight boxer. This is where he became a local star. And this is where he wants to stay, raise his own family and better the region that has given so much to him. He will be a great state senator for Erie and Genesee counties and he will represent them well.

In 1969, novelist Norman Mailer ran for mayor of New York City on a promise to make the city the 51st state and a platform of self-governed neighborhoods.

Bill Kauffman has a short piece on Mailer's campaign posted on First Principles.

There would be no inane happy-talk about the “family of New York” from Norman Mailer. He realized that “the good farmers and small-town workers of New York State rather detest us.” Rather indeed. “The connection of New York City to New York State is a marriage of misery, incompatibility, and abominable old quarrels.” His concern was properly with his own brawling grounds, but he did see a favorable fallout for we hicks as well, for going it alone could spark “the development of what has been hitherto a culturally undernourished hinterland, a typically colorless national tract.”

Yes, Niagara Falls, Cooperstown, Lake Placid, Susan B. Anthony, Grover Cleveland, Washington Irving, John Brown’s North Elba—we are cultural and scenic starvelings for sure.

What does WNY have in common with NYC?