The number of young voters nationwide rose for the third time in as many presidential election cycles, according to a new analysis by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Voters under 30 who voted in 2008 increased by about 11 percent, while the number of older voters increased by 3 percent, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau turnout data.

Between 2004 and 2008, turnout rates among young voters also rose, while those of older age groups remained steady or decreased.

Factors from increased attention paid to young voters by candidates, to the proliferation of technology in the lives of young voters, to a rise in civic engagement among young people, contributed to this surge, said Sujatha Jahagirdar, program director for the Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project.

New York’s budget analysts predicted today that the national recession will end in the third quarter this year, but the state’s finances will still take years to recover, particularly after federal stimulus aid dries up.

Estimates from the state Budget Division show modest budget gaps for New York government next fiscal year, but higher deficits in future years – as much as a $13.7 billion gap in the 2012-13 fiscal year when federal stimulus money runs out.

Gov. David Paterson’s budget analysts sought today to put a positive spin on the recently completed 2009-10 spending plan, which closes a $17.7 billion budget gap – the biggest deficit in state history.

“The economy is still very uncertain. We do hope we’re seeing a turning point, but we don’t know what the future holds for us,” said outgoing Budget Director Laura Anglin. “And we’re still very cautious as we move forward and believe that we are positioned well for the future.”

Paterson was widely criticized for a budget process that was deemed secretive and lacking in fiscal discipline. But Paterson’s aides said the budget cut spending and raised new revenue without eliminating vital services.

The 2009-10 fiscal year, which started April 1, hopes to raise $4 billion through increases in income taxes on the wealthy as part of $5.3 billion in new taxes and fees. It also eliminates a $1.7 billion property-tax rebate program that provided rebate checks to homeowners.

The budget uses $6.2 billion in federal stimulus aid to help balance the budget.

David Spano, the son of County Executive Andrew Spano, announced that he would primary his own dad for the post and take a 50 percent paycut if he won. He’s running on a platform of eliminating county government.

“By running for county executive, I intend to be the last county executive,” Spano told the crowd. “I’m a man of the people. I believe my father is a man of his people. I would hope to be the last county executive and eliminate myself.”

Younger Spano made the announcement at a tax rally Saturday in White Plains, protesting Westchester County’s high taxes and calling for the elimination of county government. Read the full story here.

In other races, Kurt Colucci, a 33-year-old project manager from New Rochelle, announced that he would run for county legislator.

“My main goal is to create awareness on the issue,” Colucci said of rising taxes. “Stop running people out of the county. … A county corrections officer makes $288,000 a year, it’s wasteful. I’m a regular person — I don’t want to pay higher taxes. I just want to keep the people I love around.”

It’s all part of a plan to change the government from the inside-out, said Sam Zherka, an organizer who emceed the tax rally. Because eliminating county government is a long-term goal and no easy task — it would require a state constitutional convention and approval from the state Legislature — he said it was important to get political outsiders involved in the process and create another party.

“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is a people issue,” Zherka said. “We need to create or build a third or fourth party. We need to put people in there who are not aligned with either party.”

Gov. David Paterson signed an executive order today that will require an evaluation of state mandates pushed down to local governments that are often blamed for the state’s high property taxes.

Facing a backlash from voters over state spending increases and new taxes in the 2009-10 budget, Paterson’s call for mandate relief is one of several property-tax initiatives he plans to roll out in the coming weeks. He also will revive a proposal to impose a cap on school property taxes.

Standing in the front lawn of an Albany-area home with elected leaders from across the state, Paterson said at a news conference that state mandates are crippling local governments.

His plan doesn’t specifically reduce the current mandates, but it will require his office and state agencies to evaluate the fiscal impacts of any proposed legislation on local governments. Agencies will also be required to review existing mandates and find ways to reduce their costs by Dec. 1.

Paterson vowed to reject legislation that would put more unnecessary burdens on local governments.

“We can bring our state back to prosperity, and we can make an affordable life for the residents of new York state,” Paterson said, adding that “mandate relief really is what New York counties and local governments actually need.”

But some groups warned that the changes may infringe on laws already on the books and give state agencies the ability to cut services.

“To specifically say, ‘Here’s how we can save local governments money by rolling back regulations that were designed to protect public health and the environment’ is very dangerous,” said Laura Haight, senior environmental associate with the New York Public Interest Research Group.

But county executives, including Westchester Executive Andrew Spano and Ulster Executive Michael Hein, who were on hand, praised the steps.

State lawmakers and Gov. David Paterson were continuing today to try to find a compromise on a bailout of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, even as Senate Democrats sought to move forward with their own proposal.

The Senate Transportation Committee passed along party-line votes Monday a version of an MTA bailout that would impose a $1 surcharge on taxi rides in the New York City area and hit businesses in that region with a payroll tax to fund MTA operations.

But even as the measure was passing, Senate Democrats warned that no final agreement has been reached. Transportation Committee Chairman Martin Malave Dilan, D-Brooklyn, said the bill that passed his committee would likely be amended before it makes it to the Senate floor.

“We’re moving the conversation forward,” Dilan said.

He said lawmakers are looking at a variety of options, such as dumping or lowering the taxi surcharge in favor of a statewide tax on motor vehicles bought or leased in New York. Some lawmakers are pushing a $2 per gallon tax on jet fuel in the state.

Legislators are seeking an agreement to avoid major fare increases and service cuts for the transit authority, which serves a 12-county region including Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess counties.

The MTA faces at least a $1.2 billion budget gap this year, and the agency said Monday that even if cuts and fare increases are enacted, it would still face a $621 million deficit.

“Today’s re-forecast is further proof that the MTA desperately needs stable revenue sources that don’t plummet during economic downturns,” said H. Dale Hemmerdinger, MTA chairman.

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, is pledging to pass an MTA plan this week, which would require 32 votes in the chamber. But so far, several Democrats oppose a payroll tax, and no Republican has come out in favor of the Democrats’ plan.

Democrats hold a 32-30 seat majority.

“This is a disgrace,” William Larkin, R-New Windsor, Orange County, said of the proposal.

Gov. David Paterson scolded lawmakers for not finding an agreement, saying proposed plans to raise fares by up to 30 percent are unacceptable. And he knocked a taxi surcharge, saying it would hurt the industry. He said he prefers adding tolls to the free bridges over the East and Harlem River bridges.

“I don’t think there should have been this kind of delay,” Paterson said of getting a deal. “I don’t think there should have been these wide misunderstandings that have occurred.”

Attention at the state Capitol this week will center on whether Senate Democrats can pass a bailout for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, but so far Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, doesn’t have the 32 votes needed to pass it, officials said this morning.

Smith is pledging to push for a vote this week, yet at least two Democratic senators, Long Island’s Brian Foley and Craig Johnson, remain the main opposition because they are against a payroll tax that would hit businesses to help the MTA avoid fare increases and service cuts.

Westchester County Sens. Suzi Oppenheimer and Andrea Stewart-Cousins have also opposed a payroll tax hitting schools, saying it would only lead to higher local property taxes.

And no Republican has come forward to support the Smith’s bailout plan.

The inability to get a deal is already leading to finger pointing, and rocky relations between Gov. David Paterson and Smith.

   In remarks after a news conference on drug-law reform, Gov. David Paterson spoke of the general frustration in not reaching an agreement on a bailout for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and he seemed frustrated with criticism of the state budget and reporting on the spending plan.

   “There is extreme disagreement as to which is the right way,” he said of the multiple proposals on how to help the MTA out of a $1.2 billion budget deficit. “And I think the best way to reach an agreement is not to in any way impugn any of the particular suggestions but to recognize that whichever way it’s closed, it’s going to involve expenses of resources which right now are right at the brink because of the resources we had to use to close an $18 billion to $20 billion (state) budget deficit.”

   Senate Democrats released details of their plan this week, which includes a $1 surcharge on taxi rides in New York City and the other seven counties MTA covers; a tax on employers of up to 34 cents for every $100 of payroll;  a $25 fee on motor-vehicle registration; and a 25 percent increase in the fee for a driver’s license. It does not include tolls on the bridges that cross the Harlem and East rivers, which previously had been proposed. Half of the money raised from taxi fares—$95 million—would go toward leveraging more than $1 billion in bonds for upstate roads and bridges.

   Assemblyman Peter Rivera, D-Bronx, has proposed a temporary jet-fuel tax of up to $2 per gallon, which would raise $1.7 billion annually for the MTA and the 16 upstate communities with airports. The state tax on jet fuel is 6 cents a gallon.  A $1 increase per gallon would boost the cost of an airline ticket by less than $10, according to Rivera, who held a news conference with the New York Taxi Worker Alliance in New York City today. His plan would would not require new tolls or taxi fees.  Read more of this entry »