Politics on the Hudson

Leslie Danks Burke, a former New York City lawyer who lives in Ithaca, announced today she will seek the Democratic nomination to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, Ulster County.

That’s, of course, if there is a 22nd District. But Danks Burke said in a statement that she plans to run for Congress regardless of what the district looks like and would run against a Republican incumbent.

“I am fortunate to live, work and raise my children in this beautiful region where the Catskills meet the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier stretches into Western New York,” Danks Burke said. “I’m committed to seeing upstate New York rebound into an economically vibrant place for everyone who lives here. I work hard for my community, my clients and my family, and I will bring that same determination and passion to representing the people of New York.”

She is currently chairwoman of the town of Ithaca Democratic Party. She moved to Ithaca in 2004. She said he has already raised more than $100,000 for a run.

Danks Burke is the latest to jump into the race to succeed Hinchey, who is retiring at year’s end.

Gannett’s Albany Bureau reported yesterday that Tompkins County Legislator Nathan Shinagawa may run. Already, Julian Schreibman recently resigned as head of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to run for Hinchey’s seat. Other Democrats mentioned include a few of Hinchey’s current and former aides: Dan Lamb and Dan Ahouse.

Bill Samuels, the chairman of the New Roosevelt Foundation, will be our guest in the Gannett Albany Bureau studio today at 1 p.m. to discuss a new initiative, the Citizens’ Committee for an Effective Constitution, that will push for reforms to the state Constitution.

Samuels led an effort in 2010 to elect reform-minded Democrats to the state Senate. The group helped defeat scandal-plagued Sen. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, in the Democratic primary that year.

Now Samuels, son of the late businessman Howard Samuels, who lost the Democratic primary in 1974 to Hugh Carey, is turning his sights on changing the state Constitution. He has started a new group, Citizens’ Committee for an Effective Constitution, to push for constitutional changes.

Samuels has teamed up with Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, and SUNY New Paltz professor Gerald Benjamin to push the effort.

The new website lets people review changes that could be made to the state constitution—such as legalizing gambling and reforming campaign finance laws—and shows how parts of the constitution are outdated.

The last constitutional convention was in 1967, and subsequent attempts to hold one have failed. The last time the state Constitution was changed through a convention was in 1938.

You can watch the interview live at 1 p.m. here.

Tompkins County Legislator Nathan Shinagawa said he’s interested in a potential run for Congress, depending on how Ithaca and Tompkins County fit into new congressional lines.

Shinagawa, a Democrat, told Gannett’s Albany Bureau that he’s been talking with local leaders about a run to succeed retiring Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, Ulster County.

“The Ithaca and Tompkins County area, we’re surrounded by freshman Republicans – except for Maurice Hinchey, who is retiring – so no matter what, we’ll need a strong Democratic representative, and I think I might be that guy,” Shinagawa said.

Shinagawa, a California native and hospital administrator, was first elected six years ago at age 22 to the county Legislature.

He is among potential candidates considering a run for Hinchey’s seat, which runs from Ithaca through the Hudson Valley. But as Gannett’s Albany Bureau reported, many candidates have been staying on the sidelines for that seat and others because the state hasn’t released new district lines for its 27 House seats.

Julian Schreibman recently resigned as head of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to run for Hinchey’s seat. Other Democrats mentioned include a few of Hinchey’s current and former aides: Dan Lamb and Dan Ahouse.

Capital Tonight reported that Sean Patrick Maloney, who was embroiled in scandal during his time in the Spitzer administration, may run for whatever becomes of Hinchey’s seat. Republican George Philips is talking about running on the Republican side; he challenged Hinchey in 2008 and 2010.

Former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, Westchester County, cautioned today against letting public authorities transfer funds among them, saying it “essentially creates chaos.”

Brodsky is the long-time critic of the state’s scandal-scarred public authorities and authored the law in 2009 that reformed them and put them under the Public Authorities Budget Office. His favorite line is that they are “Soviet-style bureaucracies.”

“Each board member has a legal obligation to protect the statutory mission of the authority and any attempt to undermine that essentially creates chaos,” Brodsky said today. “If the MTA is there to be a transit agency, it’s not there to be, if you will, a road-building entity or a hospital-building entity.”

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today warned that Gov. Andrew Cuomo may be looking to undo some of the oversight on public authorities, proposing in his budget to let the roughly 700 authorities transfer money among them.

“This new, broad transfer authorization raises the possibility that an authority may use revenue generated for one program or purpose, such as tolls intended to be used for highway or bridge maintenance, for an entirely unrelated purpose,” DiNapoli’s report states.

Brodsky said that each authority board member, part of the 2009 law, has a “fiduciary responsibility” to act on the behalf of the authority they represent.

Brodsky said such a move by Cuomo could be highly problematic and could put the authorities—which are supposed to be independent of state government—under undue political pressure.

“It’s fraught with dangers that we return to the old system where the governor’s office calls up an authority and tells them what to do with their money,” Brodsky said. “That’s not what the law is. Remember, authorities are not part of the executive branch. They are set up to be independent.”

Advocacy groups today called on the state’s Legislature to put $53 million in the state budget for pre-kindergarten programs around the state, Gannett Albany Bureau’s Aaron Scholder reports.

Education advocates made their case for the funding increases based on a report released Tuesday that detailed reductions in funding over the past four years.

The report, called “Early Childhood Education: Frozen Funding Leads to Cracks in the Foundation,” highlights the decrease of $67 million in funding for universal pre-kindergarten programs since 2009.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2012-2013 budget provides $384.2 million in funding for pre-k, down from $451.2 in the 2008-2009 budget.

The advocacy groups also called on the Legislature to pass $93 million included in the budget for child care. The $53 million re-purposing would come out of $250 million in competitive grants that Cuomo has included in the budget.

“We came together today because we all believe investing in early childhood education, including pre-k, is one of the most cost-effective investments a state can make to improve school success and close the achievement gap,” said Kate Breslin, the president of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.

Breslin pointed to the report’s claim that children who attend pre-k programs are more likely to attend college as a reason for the funding increase.

Increases in pre-k tuition have forced families to reconsider having their children attend, putting them behind their classmates when they enter kindergarten, advocates said.

“I can’t implore the legislators enough to make this funding a priority,” said Kelly Chiarella, the president of the Westchester-East Putnam Region Parent-Teacher Association.

The $384.2 million proposed by Cuomo is the same as last year, as well as the maximum number of students capable of being served by the money, 104,800. The number of school districts eligible to receive money went down from 444 to 441.

“There’s a lot of talk about competition in education right now,” said Billy Easton, the executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education. “But if we were to hold a competition for the most effective programming possible, early childhood education and pre-k would get to the finish line first.”

Here’s some of Easton’s pitch at the press conference.

The state AFL-CIO is launching a statewide radio ad in opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal for a new, less generous pension tier.

The ad warns that “some politicians are putting the retirement security of hard-working New Yorkers on the chopping block.”

The ad is the latest by unions to knock the state budget and like the other ones doesn’t mention the popular governor by name—even though the Tier VI proposal is Cuomo’s idea. Cuomo does, after all, have a 74 percent favorability rating.

Sixty-nine percent said in a Siena poll yesterday that they support Cuomo’s push to create a new, less generous pension tier for new state workers.

“Since the economic recession began, middle class New Yorkers have suffered,” said Mario Cilento, president of the NYS AFL-CIO, in a statement. “Wage freezes, layoffs, and givebacks have been all too common. Now, the retirement security of workers is threatened by an ill-conceived Tier 6 proposal.”

The ad is running across the state and calls on workers to call the governor’s office or their state lawmakers. The number listed is the AFL-CIO action line—1-877-255-9417—which puts people in contact with the governor’s office or the legislative office’s switchboard.

Here’s the script and ad:

AFLCIO-R12-01_NoSecret

What’s happening to the middle class?

Income for average families is down. Jobs are scarce. Opportunities working people thought they could count on no longer exist. For many New Yorkers, times are tough. And they could get even tougher.

Because some politicians are putting the retirement security of hard-working New Yorkers on the chopping block.

But going after the pensions of firefighters, teachers, nurses, school bus drivers, police officers – the people we all depend on—is the wrong way to go. It’s time to rebuild the middle class, not attack what’s left of it.

Working New Yorkers have been the backbone of our success for generations. When they suffer, we all pay the price. Call Albany at 1-877-255-9417. Tell them to fight for the middle class and STOP the attack on our pensions.

State budget director Robert Megna issued a statement this afternoon knocking Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s review of the state budget, saying the Cuomo administration is trying to move away from the “status quo.”

DiNapoli warned in a 70-page report today that Cuomo is trying to gain control over how state money is spent among agencies—even after the budget is passed. Cuomo is also trying to take away the comptroller’s review of many contracts and move the oversight to the state Office of General Services.

But Megna said Cuomo is simply trying to better streamline state services and how taxpayers’ money is spent. He may have also coined a new phrase: “flexibility language.”

“We can no longer abide by the Albany status quo that allows for out of control spending and contracting that wastes taxpayer dollars, Megna said in a statement.

“To avoid cuts in services, local aid or tax increases, the Executive Budget directs State agencies to be more efficient and focuses resources on their core programs and services. The flexibility language will allow for a range of operational measures and will improve functions such as procurement, real estate, and information technology.”

DiNapoli said in an interview this morning with Gannett’s Albany Bureau that the budget—while avoiding fiscal gimmicks of the past—does raise questions about checks and balances in government if Cuomo wins his way.

“I think we can be more efficient and at the same time not compromise on transparency and checks and balances,” DiNapoli said.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos reminded Gov. Andrew Cuomo today that the state Legislature is a co-equal branch of government, saying the governor shouldn’t look to adopt fiscal maneuvers that would boost his power in the budget.

“The Legislature is part of the government in Albany, and I believe when we appropriate, make a decision jointly with the governor, money should be spent a certain way – that’s the way it should be spent,” Skelos told reporters after this morning’s legislative session.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today analyzed the state budget proposal and found that Cuomo would take several steps that would give him some autonomy over how taxpayers’ money is spent—such as letting the executive branch shift money among agencies after the budget is adopted.

The state Legislature is required by law to pass a budget by April 1, which would then need to be signed by the governor.

Skelos also questioned another Cuomo administration move: Letting the Inspector General’s Office have unfettered access to state employees and state officials tax returns through the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

“There should be judicial intervention if in fact there’s thought of a crime being committed,” Skelos said. “That’s the way it happens with all citizens in this state and country.”

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli generally offered praise to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget balancing skills. He did, however, raise concerns not only about the lack of transparency in the budget, but also some risky revenue stuffed into the $132 billion plan.

“The Executive Budget contains a number of projections that should be considered uncertain, not only because of a vulnerable economy, but also
because of other variables,” DiNapoli’s review of the budget states.

Among the projections noted by DiNapoli:

—Insurance Conversion Proceeds: – The proposed budget anticipates $250 million in the 2012-13 fiscal year, increasing to $300 million annually for the conversion of HIP and GHI, not-profit insurance companies, to for-profit status.
“The conversion process has, in the past, proven lengthy, and funds have not been realized as expected in prior financial plans,” DiNapoli said.
—Public Authority Transfers: The budget relies nearly $100 million in non-recurring revenue from various public authorities to support the
proposed spending plan. This includes the transfer of $65 million in “voluntary contributions” from the New York Power Authority.
—Lottery revenue: The budget expects a 5 percent increase in lottery revenue in the 2012-13 fiscal year, to nearly $2.2 billion, mainly through new revenue from the Aqueduct racino. Revenue from traditional lottery sales continue to slump, though, and required a $128 million bailout from the state’s general fund.
—Native American casino revenue: The budget anticipates $125.5 million in the current fiscal year from the three western New York casinos owned by the Seneca Indian Nation. Next year’s budget estimates $129.3 million, but the tribe continues to withhold the aid—more than $300 million since 2009—because they believe their gaming compact is being violated because of the state’s three racinos in western New York.
—Growth in Income-Tax Revenue: The current budget initially projected a lofty 7.9 percent growth in income-tax revenue. Recently, the state lowered the estimates to 6.8 percent—and that includes an adjustment to account for December’s deal to keep higher income taxes on the wealthy. If it weren’t for the millionaires’ tax, the growth would have been 5.7 percent. The 2012-13 state budget estimates a more modest growth of 4.3 percent from the 2011-12 estimates.
—- State Operations: The budget expects to reduce agency costs by more than $1.1 billion, making up a bulk of the $2 billion remaining budget deficit for the 2012-13 fiscal year. That’s on top of the $1.4 billion in agency and workforce savings expected in the current year.
DiNapoli said: “There is a lack of specificity as to how these savings will be achieved, and the anticipated impact of these reductions on programs and services is unclear.”

Joseph Martens, the commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, took a measured approach this morning when it comes to whether the state would proceed with hydrofracking.

He said the state is still going through more than 60,000 comments it has received on its preliminary environmental report and it would take “months, not years” to go through them.

Gannett’s Albany Bureau wrote last week about how the comment review has been slowed by the development of “scanning shoulder” by the workers charged with recording the thousands of documents.

Martens also wouldn’t commit, when asked by lawmakers, if and when hydrofracking would commence.

“I don’t want to be presumptuous that hydrofracking is going forward or not,” Martens said.

He said there is no money for hydrofracking in this year’s budget because it hasn’t been determined when it would proceed. But if it does, he said the DEC would need 140 new positions and more than 200 positions by year five.

Here’s the live stream of his ongoing testimony, which started at 9:30 a.m.