| The most important piece of legislation that the governor and New York State Legislature will work on in any year is the budget. The budget is the foundation for this state. It tells state departments what their operating funds will be for the year. It tells schools how much state aid they will receive. And it tells counties how much the state will be doling out for Medicaid expenses each year.
Nothing is more important than the budget. While there are other important pieces of legislation that the Legislature will see over time, the budget is a constant. Every year, the budget is a necessary piece of the puzzle.
As a Democrat, I had looked forward to 2009. Not only would we have a Democrat in the White House for the first time since January 2001, but we would also have full control of New York State government. While some were worried about one-party rule and what it would mean for New York, I was excited. I believed that this was the time for reform. This was the time for, as President Barack Obama said, change.
Unfortunately, the budget process is unchanged. It is still closed. It is still secretive. And it is still very much symbolic of how business is conducted in Albany.
Governor David Paterson was asked about the lack of transparency in the budget today by NY1 reporter Josh Robin. According to Irene Jay Liu of the Albany Times-Union, this is how that exchange went down:
When asked by NY1 reporter Josh Robin about the lack of transparency in this year's budget, particularly given the governor's previous track record of fighting for openness when he was Senate minority leader, Paterson remarked:
"I think there should be transparency in terms of the process and openness in terms of government. However, when you are in a budget position, it is very hard to negotiate in public. You never see President Obama and Sen. Reid, and Speaker Pelosi do it. You don't see it in any other state."
The governor then got personal:
"You don't see it in labor negotiations and I dare say that your negotiations with your own media outlet, your contract, is not, the last I checked, publicly observed.
There comes a point in the negotiations where anyone who is really negotiating has to take things off the table. This is a very difficult endeavor, and it's hard to do it when the advocates you are fighting for are right there."
There is only one problem with the governor's rebuttal: Mr. Robin is not an elected official and his salary certainly isn't paid for by the taxpayers of New York. Mr. Robin is employed by a private entity who has every right to keep their negotiations with him, and any of their employees, private.
Governor Paterson, however, works for us. Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith works for us. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver works for us. Every single member of the New York State Legislature works for us. Every single dollar used in the New York State budget are tax dollars. So while Mr. Robin's negotiations with his employer are private, the negotiations ongoing about how these three men will spend OUR tax dollars should surely be open and transparent.
New York has plenty of problems to address. Transparency in the budget process is just one problem, although it is a big problem that needs to be fixed immediately. New Yorkers have every right to know how there money will be spent, especially when proposed cuts will affect millions of New Yorkers.
It is time for change in New York. If Governor Paterson doesn't want to be a part of that, he will be jobless come January 2011. He is the leader of this state. And we are in need of leadership. It's about time he started to show it. |
