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.

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as legalizing gambling and reforming campaign finance laws—and shows how parts of the constitution are outdated.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.

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.

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.”

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 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.

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.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

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.

In his review of Cuomo’s budget, DiNapoli applauds Cuomo’s ability to stabilize the state’s finances. The Democratic governor’s proposal would close a $3.5 billion deficit for the 2012-13 fiscal year without the bevy of risky moves that had previously wrecked the state’s finances, DiNapoli said.

But DiNapoli warned that Cuomo wants to shift oversight of contracts away from the Comptroller’s Office, give the governor’s office broad powers to unilaterally make spending decisions and shift billions of dollars to scandal-scarred public authorities.

DiNapoli said the proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts April 1 continues the state’s recent trend of aligning revenue with spending.

“This year’s executive budget proposal continues that trend and substantially reduces out-year deficits,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “However, this progress should not be made at the expense of transparency, appropriate checks and balances, and the realistic and necessary safeguarding of public dollars.”

DiNapoli said the budget plan does offer the state long-term financial viability, limiting future-year budget gaps.

But DiNapoli warned that the state’s fiscal condition remains tenuous, citing the state and nation’s weak economic recovery and the European debt crisis. Those factors could result in a decline in federal aid and lower-than-expected state tax revenue.

DiNapoli also said that some of Cuomo’s budget estimates, such as about $1 billion in savings from agency consolidations, isn’t clear.

In the 70-page report, DiNapoli, a Democrat, contended that the authority Cuomo is seeking would increase his hand over the budget process and how and where taxpayer dollars are spent.

The report says that the budget “includes provisions that reduce financial transparency, accountability and oversight.”

Cuomo’s budget, which would require legislative approval, would exempt many agency contracts from the comptroller’s review and approval, which is currently prescribed in state law. Contracts would be centralized within the state Office of General Services.

In another proposal, Cuomo would bypass the Comptroller’s Office review of bidding for at least five major health-related contracts. Some state agreements with Cornell University’s land grant program would be exempt from state finance law, the report said.

The budget, DiNapoli’s report said, also includes language that would give the governor the ability to shift spending among agencies with “minimal oversight or legislative input.”

Here’s the report:

2012 Review of Executive Budget

She spoke briefly with reporters as she headed into the conference meeting, saying she’s looking forward to her re-election bid this fall.

A Siena College poll today showed that the junior senator, who was appointed to the seat in 2009, was well ahead of potential rivals. Gillibrand, a Democrat, had a 52 percent to 20 percent favorability rating, and 53 percent of voters were prepared to re-elect her. Twenty-seven percent preferred someone else.

“I’m going to run on the ideas and the priorities that I’m fighting for for New York, specifically the economy, fighting for our middle class, less taxes for the middle class, more investment in job creation and small businesses and manufacturing,” said Gillibrand, who was elected in 2010 to the remainder of Hillary Clinton’s term.

Gillibrand remains a top target for Republicans this year, but so far no well-known GOP candidate has entered the race. And two who may have been formidable—TheLadders.com CEO Marc Cenedella and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks—said last week they won’t run against her.

Gillibrand, who had $8.1 million in her campaign account, had more than a three-to-one lead against her only announced opponent, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, Siena found.

Gillibrand, a former House member from the Albany area, said she’s shown an ability to work with Republicans, such as fighting for 9/11 responders, repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell or passing the STOCK Act last week.

“I’m going to talk a lot about how to work on a bi-partisan basis.” she said. “One of the things that’s so important is that most people around our state, they look at Washington and they believe it’s broken. So how do you bring people together on a bi-partisan basis to get things done … I’m going to talk to New Yorkers why I made it a priority to get things done and to work on a bipartisan basis.”

“I think the way the Senate is taking it up is seriously flawed,” Silver told reporters briefly. “It would open up the schools to anybody. It might include the Ku Klux Klan.”

The Senate bill is in response to a New York City case in federal court that upheld the city’s right to bar religious services in public schools when school is not in session. New York City schools have told religious groups their ability to use school facilities will end Sunday.

The Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Martin Golden, R-Brooklyn, and sponsored by some Democrats in the Assembly, would prevent school districts from excluding groups from meeting on “school property because of the religious content or viewpoint of their speech, including allowing religious worship services.”

Silver said, “I think it has to be done appropriately if it’s going to be done. I think the Senate bill opens it up to too many groups that should not be exposed to children.”

The bill argues that school property can be used for “social, civic and recreational meetings and entertainment” and prohibiting religious groups would be an intrusion on their First Amendment rights.

“Some school districts have excluded groups and have thereby acted to regulate free speech and the conduct of such members of the public, potentially in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” the bill states. “This bill seeks to protect such organizations from these actions.”

The resolution also gives a pretty-good breakdown of the Giants last scoring drive.

“The exemplary performance of the members of the New York Giants football team are reflective of their dedication, determination and personal commitment,” the resolution states.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo also announced today a new commemorative license plate in honor of the Giants.

Here’s the resolution:

Giants Resolution

To watch, visit http://www.livestream.com/gannettnewyork

Or simply watch below.

Seventy-two percent of voters disagreed with the statement, while 23 percent agreed.

Cuomo is known for his tough approach and even coined the “I am government” moniker during a radio interview in November when he said his high poll numbers are a reflection of the public’s improved opinion of state government.

But the public is pleased with Cuomo in just about every measure. Cuomo was viewed favorably by 74 percent of voters, and he had a 61 percent job-performance rating. His popularity was similar in a Siena poll last month.

“No matter how you measure it, Cuomo is riding high with voters,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. “They say his fiscal proposals are on track, he’ss providing needed leadership, he’s getting the Legislature to act effectively, he’s in touch with average voters, he’s not trying to impose his agenda, and he’s not just another typical pol.”

A majority of New Yorkers had no opinion on Schneiderman or another statewide elected official, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the poll found.

Schneiderman, who was recently tapped by President Obama to head a panel investigating the mortgage crisis, had 21 percent to 16 percent favorability rating, but 63 percent had no opinion of the first-term Democratic attorney general. Schneiderman’s approval rating is up slightly from May, when it was 17 percent.

Sixty percent of voters had no opinion of him in January 2011, when he took office.

In today’s poll, DiNapoli had a 24 percent to 18 percent favorability rating and was unknown to 58 percent of voters. DiNapoli was elected to a full term in 2010 after he was appointed to the position in early 2007—after the resignation of disgraced Comptroller Alan Hevesi. DiNapoli’s highest approval rating was in 2010, when it was 30 percent.

Eighty percent of voters had no opinion of DiNapoli in May 2007.

A Siena College poll this morning found that voters are overwhelmingly opposed to raises for elected and appointed state officials.

Sixty-seven percent of New Yorkers said state lawmakers do not deserve a raise; 74 percent opposed giving Gov. Andrew Cuomo a raise; and 78 percent opposed salary increases for commissioners of state agencies.

The state officials haven’t had a pay raise since 1999. State legislators get a base pay of $79,500 a year, but most receive additional stipends for leadership positions.

“While 13 years is a long time to go without a pay hike, voters across the spectrum are strongly opposed to legislators voting a pay raise to themselves or to any other state officials,” said Siena College pollster Stephen Greenberg.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, last month said lawmakers deserve a raise, but the Republican-led Senate said it was not considering the idea.

Cuomo said recently he was not having discussions about pay raises; last year, he reached contract agreement with
public-employee unions to freeze salaries for several years.

Cuomo did say that salaries for state commissioners would one day have to be addressed, suggesting it is important to attract top talent to government. Commissioners earn between $101,000 and $136,000 a year. Cuomo’s pay is $179,000.

In one of his first acts as governor in January 2011, he cut his pay and the pay of his top aides by 5 percent.

The heads of the state Senate and Assembly receive an additional $41,500 a year. Ranking members on legislative committees receive at least $9,000.

Voters were more supportive of other ideas being floated at the Capitol, the Siena poll found.

Seventy-one percent of voters said they support Cuomo’s proposal to tie a school aid to teaching performance. Sixty-nine percent said they support Cuomo’s push to create a new, less generous pension tier for new state workers.

SNY012912 Crosstabs

The television ad from the state’s largest public-employees union takes aim at the overall budget and doesn’t specify what its main gripes are. CSEA has said previously that it opposes a new, less generous pension tier and has warned against government consolidation that could lead to job cuts.

But the union last year reached a labor agreement with Gov. Andrew Cuomo that includes layoff protections, and a new pension tier wouldn’t affect current workers—something Cuomo regularly points out.

And the ad says the budget would “erode the middle class,” but Cuomo and lawmakers included in the budget a tax cut to the middle class.

Last year, school aid and Medicaid spending were both cut; this year both are getting 4 percent increases in spending.

Last year, the Committee To Save NY, a Cuomo-backed group, far outspent the governor’s foes, dumping nearly $10 million into ads —a move that effectively countered adds from unions and school groups.

Here’s the script and ad:

“It’s time for frank talk about the proposed New York state executive budget. The truth is what you don’t know can hurt you.
There’s no transparency or accountability. It erodes decent jobs, harms our communities and diminishes services New Yorkers rely on. The consequences are no more middle-class, public safety compromised, our most vulnerable citizens at risk – everyone’s future security diminished.
Not good for people, not good for the economy. New Yorkers deserve real answers and budget that works for all.”

Bloomberg wears an Eli Manning jersey and Menino wears a Tom Brady jersey, and while they are on opposing sides of the big game, they are both supporting tougher guns laws in cities.

The ad is an outgrowth of the Bloomberg-created Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign. (h/t to City & State.)

“An offer of easy money is usually too good to be true and that is the case here,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “If you receive one of these fraudulent checks, please report it my office immediately.”

DiNapoli said his office referred the matter to federal law enforcement.

DiNapoli said the scammers send potential victims a letter telling them that they are a winner of a lottery or sweepstakes drawing.

The person receiving the check is directed to pay an amount to the scammer in order to secure his or her “full winnings.”

Before the depositing bank has learned that the check is fake, the victim has already transferred the funds and the money can’t be retrieved, DiNapoli said in a news release.

He said recent letters have included companies calling themselves “Guaranty Trust Inc.” with a New York City mailing address, or “Golden Gateway Financial, Division of Unclaimed Funds,” with a Las Vegas and London address.

DiNapoli said that more than a dozen checks from “Guaranty Trust Inc.” have been recovered by the Comptroller’s Office with amounts of either $3,980.05 or $4,885.20. The checks are supposed to cover the taxes owed on the potential victim’s alleged winnings.

DiNapoli said that anyone who has received such a letter could contact the Comptroller’s toll-free fraud hotline at 1-888-672-4555; file a complaint online at investigations@osc.state.ny.us; or mail a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller Investigations Unit, 110 State Street, 14th floor, Albany, NY 12236.

The rarefied group contributed $16.8 million between January 2011 and January 2012. To put that in context, the small group of donors accounted for more than one third of all the money raised by campaigns in New York over that period.

What’s also worth noting is that many of donors contributed to political parties’ housekeeping accounts—which are supposed to be only for “party-building activities” and not specifically for the candidates themselves. There’s no campaign-contribution limit to those accounts.

Doing so allowed corporations and LLCs to skirt the $5,000 contribution limit.

Of the donors who gave $50,000 or more, Gov. Andrew Cuomo received the most: nearly $3 million. Seventy nine of the 127 donors gave to Cuomo.

Here’s the report:

NYPIRG Largest Donors of Past Year

It may be a rare opportunity to get both DiNapoli’s Super Bowl prediction and his prediction on the rate of return for the state’s pension fund.

The tickets range from $40 to $1,000 for the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. event at Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers.

Mayer, the former chief counsel to Senate Democrats, is now essentially running unopposed for the open Assembly seat vacated Dec. 31 by now Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. The GOP candidate on the ballot is not actively campaigning. The election is March 20.

DiNapoli is a former Assemblyman from Long Island.

Updated: Here’s DiNapoli’s quote.

“I’m proud to endorse Shelley Mayer for State Assembly. I know her, I respect her ability, and I know that she’ll work closely with my former colleague Mike Spano to really deliver for the people of Yonkers.”

The “Economic Trends In New York State” report by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the state’s economy remains fragile.

The report found that Rochester, New York City and the Glens Falls areas were the only regions to outpace the state average in job growth since the recession officially ended in late 2009.

The Rochester metropolitan area, as other employment reports have shown, had by far the strongest recovery—regaining 98 percent of the jobs lost in the recession. Second was Glens Falls with 55 percent of the jobs, followed by New York City at 52 percent.

The report found a weak recovery in the lower Hudson Valley, which regained just 14 percent of the jobs lost during the recession.

“The economic recovery has been uneven across the state,” the report said. “While total employment has increased since December 2009 in most metropolitan areas, the share of jobs recovered has exceeded the statewide average in only three.”

DiNapoli said that New York as a whole has outpaced the nation in job growth over the past two years. But in recent months, New York hasn’t kept pace with the national average.

New York’s unemployment rate peaked at 8.9 percent in January 2010, the report said, and is now 8 percent. But it has dropped little since December 2010, when it was 8.2 percent. The national unemployment rate was 8.5 percent last December.

DiNapoli said fiscal policies implemented under Gov. Andrew Cuomo could help the economy, but he also warned that the state’s recovery could be thwarted by national and international pressures.

“The European sovereign debt crisis could affect the banking and tourism sectors, which are important to the state’s economy,” the report said. “A spike in oil prices would consume a greater share of consumers’ disposable income, leaving less available for spending that ultimately creates jobs.”

Even Wall Street, long the engine of the state’s economy, is struggling. The securities industry lost $3 billion in the third quarter of 2011, and most large firms reported weak earnings for in fourth quarter, the report said.

DiNapoli warned that Wall Street has lost 4,300 jobs since April, and he predicted smaller Wall Street bonuses in 2011—which often produces a lift to the state’s coffers.

The report noted the decision by Cuomo and the state Legislature in December to lower income taxes on the middle class while keeping them higher on millionaires, but less than in 2011.

The percentage of jobs regained in New York since 2009 ranked 16th in the nation. The state regained 154,300 of the 333,400 jobs that were lost in the recession, or 46 percent.

Nys Econ Trends15-2012

Long Island lost an additional 2,500 jobs, or 0.2 percent, since the recession.

Job growth in the mid-Hudson Valley was weak too, the report said. The area’s job gains in education, health services and business services were offset by losses in government, manufacturing and construction.

Over the past two years, the government sector shed 29,300 jobs statewide, and more than two-thirds came from local governments, the report said.

The government job losses in the Albany area fueled a decline in employment of 1.7 percent in the region between December 2009 and December 2011.

During the same time period, employment dropped 0.7 percent in the Binghamton area and dropped 1 percent in the Ithaca area.

The report attributed Rochester’s economic success to gains in professional and business services. But it warned that the recent bankruptcy of Eastman Kodak “could result in the loss of thousands of jobs.”

Late last year, DiNapoli filed shareholder resolutions with the seven companies in which the pension fund owns stock asking them to appoint a committee of independent directors to conduct the review. Below is the resolution sent to Entergy, which owns Indian Point in Westchester County.

DiNapoli’s calls comes after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday said that Indian Point and other nuclear plants must conduct a study to update their ability to withstand an earthquake.

“Recent events and independent studies such as yesterday’s release by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have indicated there are more risks than had previously been believed about the safety of nuclear power plants,” DiNapoli said in a statement.

“It is my belief that this is an area of significant risk for energy companies in the Fund’s portfolio. To that end, the Fund has filed resolutions with seven of these companies calling on them to conduct a review of safety issues and report their findings to shareholders. We must be proactive and ask these companies to mitigate risk and not wait until disaster has struck to undertake these critical steps.”

-Entergy, (Owner of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, NY as well as the Fitzpatrick nuclear power plant in Scriba, NY): 790,288 shares worth $55,810,000

-NextEra Energy Inc.: 1,481,356 shares worth $88,762,000

-Dominion Resources Inc.: 2,149,977 shares worth $106,552,000

-Westar Energy Inc.: 510,200 shares worth $14,673,000

-FirstEnergy Corp.: 1,441,783 shares worth $60,929,000

-Progress Energy: 1,059,243 shares worth $57,273,000

-Xcel Energy: 1,680,774 shares worth $45,347,000

NYS CRF Nuclear Power Safety Res 2012

Brooks, first elected in 2003, has long been considered a top potential statewide candidate for Republicans, and speculation was building late last year that she could take on Gillibrand, who in November will be seeking a full six-year term.

But Brooks told Gannett’s Albany Bureau today that a Senate run is not in her plans.

“I don’t think I ever talked about that. Others around me talked about that, and there was some media speculation, but I have never said that I was considering that in any way,” Brooks said in a telephone interview.

Brooks said a Senate race against Gillibrand might cost as much as $20 million, and she said it would be difficult to raise that kind of money without having a strong fundraising base in New York City.

“Just the nature of those Senate races, if you don’t have the ability to fund raise in New York City and downstate, it’s very, very difficult to raise the money for a campaign like that,” she said.

Yesterday, Marc Cenedella, CEO of the Ladders.com, said he won’t run against Gillibrand. Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos is the only announced candidate planning to challenge Gillibrand, who was first appointed to the seat in 2009 and then was elected to fill the remainder of Hillary Clinton’s term.

Brooks was never believed to be seriously considering a run against Gillibrand, whom state Republicans have made their top target this year. She brushed off the initial speculation in October, first outlined in a City and State column, and easily won re-election in November to a record third term as county executive.

Brooks is believed to a top congressional contender if Monroe County is drawn into one U.S. House seat in the forthcoming redistricting process. Right now, the county is sliced into four congressional districts.

If Monroe County is put into one seat, the speculation is that Brooks may wage an epic battle against longtime Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, Monroe County, who was first elected in 1986.

Brooks said she would consider a congressional run, but has yet to see the district lines.

“I would never walk away from an opportunity to look at a district that was Monroe County specific, but there’s a lot of factors that go into that,” Brooks said. “There’s fundraising ability, the timing. Everything has to kind of coalesce to make that practical for me or anyone else.”

But Brooks stressed, “I love my job. I have another three years after this to be the county executive, and that’s a pretty good job. But I don’t ever say no to opportunities. If that arises, I would probably take a look at it, but we don’t know, and right now there is no opportunity.”

Cuomo’s use of the slide show and Photoshop images have been a big part of his major addresses, such as the State of the State and budget presentations. Today, he added a new Photoshop slide: Uncle Sam/Cuomo.

“I need you,” Cuomo urged in speaking today to the state Association of Counties, “because it’s not going to happen in this town. If the battle is engaged in this town, then the special interests that have controlled this government for 15 years are going to win again. We only win this battle when we get the people engaged in communities all across the state.”

Cuomo spoke to a crowd that has been skeptical of his mandate-relief reforms. Last year, he was criticized for not doing more to help counties lower state-mandated costs.

But Cuomo pacified county officials this year, offering to take over the growth in Medicaid costs over three years and enacting a new pension tier—two costs that have been the main drivers of higher county expenses.

“We have to rally around these proposals,” said Stephen Acquario, the group’s executive director.

That’s exactly what Cuomo urged the county leaders to do. Later, speaking to reporters, Cuomo said that he believes his mandate-relief proposals are an important step toward helping counties with state-mandated costs.

Counties have pleaded with Cuomo to take over all of their Medicaid expenses, about $8 billion a year. The Democratic governor said that’s not doable under the state’s own fiscal constraints.

“My budget plan goes as far as you can in the realm of the real,” Cuomo said.

Here’s some of the governor’s rallying cry to the counties—a message similar to the one he gives as he tours the state to build support for his budget proposal.

There’s the possibility of three primaries this year—the presidential primary April 24, the new June 26 court-ordered congressional primary and the previously scheduled Sept. 11 primary for state offices.

Assembly Democrats want the state primary on June 26; Senate Republicans said they would prefer either an August or September primary.

Cuomo says there shouldn’t be three, suggesting that he hopes the Legislature can reach a compromise. He didn’t offer his own preferred date.

“I know that having three dates is not in anyone’s interest: not in the taxpayers’ interest and not in the voters’ interest,” Cuomo told reporters after speaking in Colonie near Albany at the state Association of Counties conference.

Cuomo continued to vow that he didn’t support the new district lines for the Legislature, saying “They are hyper-political and hyper-partisan and they are unacceptable.”

Still, Cuomo didn’t lay out his next step or whether he’ll force a compromise on redistricting—other than using his veto pen. He said a constitutional amendment to change how lines are drawn in the future wouldn’t be enough.

“At this point, we need an overall resolution,” Cuomo said. “And it’s going be the lines for this year, it’s how do we make sure this never happens again and there are going to be court challenges and we have the added issue … you’re abbreviating the election season.”

And as for New Jersey having a Super Bowl parade if the Giants win, per New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s request: “There is a parade in New York and then we’ll see what happens.”

Here’s most of Cuomo’s Q and A with reporters:

Cenedella’s potential campaign was derailed after he had been found by the New York Times to have written inappropriate blog posts.

“I will not be running for the United States Senate in 2012. I have given a run careful consideration, and I believe Senator Gillibrand is beatable,” Cenedella said in a statement. “Her early and unfounded attacks on me, her weak poll numbers, and her lethargic quarterly fundraising results all point to a politician in trouble—and encourage me to challenge her.

“But running for the Senate this year, under this accelerated election calendar, is untenable for me from a business perspective. The calendar is too tight for me to do what I need to do politically and professionally to win this seat in 2012. I promised to make a quick decision on whether to run for the Senate out of respect for the Republican and Conservative Parties and the other candidates pursuing this race, and I fulfill that promise today. I look forward to doing everything in my power to help the candidate ultimately selected defeat Ms. Gillibrand and her errant policies for the sake of economic growth in this state.”

Dukes and the Rev. Al Sharpton are holding a news conference tomorrow at City Hall in Manhattan to protest the lines.

Before the announcement of the event, Dukes told Gannett’s Albany Bureau that the lines are unacceptable by cutting up cities into various Senate districts and leaving minority voters disenfranchised. The New York Times wrote today about the concern among minority groups.

“I understand democracy. But this is beyond democracy,” Dukes said. “This is hungry politicians, and they are doing a disservice to New Yorkers and we’re not going to stand for it.”

Dukes said Cuomo needs to veto the lines—something he has pledged to do—or the NAACP will look to sue. She said they already have lawyers reviewing the redistricting documents.

“We’ll be ready to do whatever it takes to overturn this,” Dukes said. “I hope the governor will keep his promise of vetoing. We’re calling on him to do that.”

Cuomo said yesterday he would do just that, saying “If they send me this bill with these lines, I’m going to veto it.”

The first lawsuit over redistricting was filed earlier today by Senate Democrats, and that dealt with the addition of a 63rd Senate seat. Assemblyman David Gantt, D-Rochester, said he also may sue over Rochester’s lines, as may the NAACP in Buffalo.