Politics on the Hudson

Gov. David Paterson criticized state lawmakers for secret negotiations and efforts to increase spending, despite the state’s struggling economy.

As a result, he has gotten the state Legislature to agree to stay in Albany over the weekend to get a budget deal done. The deadline to pass a 2008-09 budget was Tuesday.

Paterson said the $124 billion budget spends too much and too much of the discussion is done in private.  Budget conference committees ended on Sunday and there hasn’t been a public leaders meeting in weeks.

“New York should be among the leadership in economic development and the way we are going to get there is we are going to have to make our economy and our budget reflective of the circumstances around us,” he said at a news conference today.

Many lawmakers expected to go home today and resume talks on Monday, but Paterson is putting public pressure on them to stay here and get a deal.