Politics on the Hudson

By consolidating and improving tax-assessment operations, local governments could save up to $12.5 million annually, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

New York has 1,110 assessing units spending $132 million and employing 1,350 assessors, while most states have less than 100 units, according to a report released Thursday by DiNapoli’s office.

“New York has one of the most complex property tax systems in the nation, but it doesn’t have to,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “New York has the highest taxes in the nation, and we have the most assessors in the nation as well. This is an area ripe for sharing.”

Among other findings, the report showed 127 villages employ assessors, and their residents are also assessed by towns or counties. By sharing services, according to the report, those villages could save $3 million a year.

“There’s no need for properties to be assessed over and over again by every level of local government,” DiNapoli added. “Towns, villages and counties should eliminate duplication and improve the quality of assessments to cut costs and save taxpayer dollars.

The full report can be found here.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced today that Ohio’s attorney general has filed to join with New York in a suit against British oil company BP as a co-lead plaintiff.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, who, like DiNapoli, is facing a tough re-election battle, represents the legal interests of several pension funds that are worth a combined $150 million.

DiNapoli announced in June the state planned to sue BP for investment losses and misleading investors when it came to safety protocols the company claimed to put in place before the explosion of an underwater oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people and resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

“BP misled investors with false and misleading statements about the safety of its drilling operations and its ability to fix events like the oil spill,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “The partnership between New York and the Ohio funds seeks to hold BP accountable to investors and provide the best chance for recovering losses due to BP’s apparent misconduct.”

As Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, also the Democratic nominee for governor, continues his investigation into “pension-padding” by public employees, Republican comptroller candidate Harry Wilson is calling into question incumbent Thomas DiNapoli’s willingness to pursue the issue.

“As the sole trustee of the pension fund and as someone with the power to audit government spending, Mr. DiNapoli should have been leading the charge on reviewing pension padding and calling for reform. Instead, by dismissing Attorney General Cuomo’s common-sense reforms, he is showing his true colors in watching the backs of special interests over the concerns of taxpayers,” said Wilson’s campaign manager, Chapin Fay.

Cuomo announced this week preliminary findings of his investigation, revealing that some public employees enlarge their pensions by taking increased overtime toward the end of their tenure. The attorney general said he would expand his investigation to include additional state agencies.

In response to Fay’s claims, DiNapoli spokesman Eric Sumberg said Wilson is “distorting facts” and fails to understand the pension system.

“Earlier this week, he defended BP over the interests of those who suffered financially from that company’s actions. Now he has made it clear he just doesn’t care about the one million New Yorkers and their families who rely on the pension fund for their financial security,” he said. “Comptroller DiNapoli has and will continue to aggressively investigate instances of pension fraud and he is working together with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to protect taxpayers from fraud and abuse. Harry Wilson needs to stop talking and start paying attention to the facts. He might learn something.”

Just as New Yorkers head out of town for the holiday weekend, the state Thruway Authority has improved its monitoring of the fuel prices set by gasoline stations along the interstate highways, according to a report from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office.

DiNapoli’s office determined in a 2009 audit that gas stations at travel plazas and service areas were overcharging for gas.

Now, the authority has taken a strong hand in monitoring the gas prices, DiNapoli said in a statement.

“After our audit, some service stations continued to overcharge for gas,” DiNapoli said. “The amounts were small, but even small amounts can make a big difference to businesses and drivers who are frequent travelers on the Thruway. The authority is not taking things lightly; they’ve even recommended a dealer be terminated for intentionally ripping-off customers. Still, more needs to be done to ensure drivers aren’t getting nickel and dimed at the pump.”

In an effort to crack down on the price gouging, the authority has been “Inspecting travel plaza fueling stations in a manner that is not easily predictable; ensuring all approved gas prices comply with pricing restrictions; adding additional guidelines on price comparison surveys to the Service Area Representative Manual; resolving any discrepancies identified by the test-surveys; and comparing actual prices for gas charged on days prior to inspection to the prices allowed per the contract,” according to DiNapoli.

The state contracts with Sunoco and Lehigh to provide gas at service stations at the Thruway’s 27 rest plazas.

Lawmakers blew a 5 p.m. deadline Monday to pass a budget bill, throwing in doubt whether or not 150,000 state workers would be paid on time.

But today, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office issued a statement saying the $270 million in payroll will be approved in time to be deposited into bank accounts by Wednesday. Dan Weiler, a spokesman for the Assembly Democrats, said Monday that despite the bill’s late passage, the money would be approved in time to meet payroll demands.

But workers should also double check to see if the money has been directly deposited by they use their debit cards, DiNapoli said.

“The state’s payroll was processed yesterday after the Legislature passed the latest budget extender bill,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “As a precaution, we are urging state workers to verify that their local bank has transferred their direct deposits into their bank accounts before making their usual expenditures. Checks are being distributed. Any employee who has a question or concern should contact their agency’s payroll office.”

DiNapoli also took the opportunity to urge lawmakers to finally pass a budget, which was due on April 1.

“The budget delay in Albany needs to stop,” he said. “This piecemeal budget making is causing havoc in too many corners of the state. And it is wrong that state workers are being constantly used as a bargaining chip to simply get another extender bill passed. It would be outrageous if we have the same problem next week. Now is the time to adopt a complete budget.”

State worker payroll has been included in Gov. David Paterson’s weekly budget-extender bills, which must be approved each week by lawmakers in order to keep state government functioning.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli can add another notch to his union-endorsement belt after he received the endorsement of the United Automobile Workers, the labor group announced today.

The Democrat, who is defending his seat against Republican (and an advisor for the federal auto bailout) Harry Wilson, “has the energy, independence and work-ethic needed to get the job done,” UAW Julie Kushner, UAW Region 9A Director said in a statement.

This adds to a growing list of labor endorsements for DiNapoli, who assumed the comptroller post in 2007 after Alan Hevesi resigned.

DiNapoli, according to his campaign website, has the backing of 20 labor groups including his home county’s sheriff’s union and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 773, headed by Saratoga County Democratic Chairman Larry Bulman.

Here’s the full release from the UAW: (more…)

The campaign for Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli rejected the idea of debating Republican Harry Wilson on his handling of the state pension fund.

Wilson, a Republican from Westchester County and former hedge-fund manager, has been knocking DiNapoli for a proposed plan to allow local governments to borrow from the plan, a proposal Wilson said could cost $2 billion in interest.

But DiNapoli campaign manager Mark Benoit brushed off the idea:

“New York is in the middle of a fiscal crisis. Harry Wilson may have a lot of time for politics, but Comptroller DiNapoli has a job to do. Maybe instead of putting out pointless press releases, Harry Wilson should comply with the law and file his financial disclosure statement. And while he’s at it, Mr. Wilson should release his tax returns from the last four years. New Yorkers need a Comptroller who believes in transparency, can meet deadlines and follow the rules.”

Republican comptroller candidate and Scarsdale, Westchester County, resident Harry Wilson this morning challenged incumbent Democrat Thomas DiNapoli to a debate on his handling of the state’s pension fund.

Wilson is seizing on the issue after reports that DiNapoli plans to allow local governments to borrow nearly $6 billion against the pension fund, costing about $2 billion in interest.

“This issue is important to the taxpaying public, and I will make myself available to any New York television station graciously willing to host this debate. I ask Mr. DiNapoli to do the same,” Wilson said in a statement.

DiNapoli has denied there is a plan to borrow from the pension in order to pay for it, calling the reports “erroneous.”

“Let me be very clear: The pension fund will not be used to balance the budget,” DiNapoli said in a statement.

He also said the pension fund remains strong.

“The State Comptroller’s office has a long history of protecting the fund from raids,” DiNapoli said. “I will protect the fund from any raids under any circumstances.”

The state GOP committee and the campaign of former hedge-fund manager Harry Wilson released two separate statements today hitting Democratic Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Wilson campaign manager Chapin Fay released a statement criticizing DiNapoli after he “reversed his pledge” on limiting campaign contributions:

“Mr. DiNapoli took his recent flip-flops and acts of hypocrisy to new lows today, when he reversed his own pledge to limit campaign contributions. We have come to expect Mr. DiNapoli to deny his spendthrift 23- year record in a vain effort to pretend to be a reformer, but reversing a self-made pledge that is only a few months old is a new low, even for a career politician like Mr. DiNapoli. A zebra can’t change its stripes and Mr. DiNapoli cannot fool voters into thinking he’s anything but a typical politician.”

Prior to that statement going out to reporters, state Republican Committee Executive Director Alex Carey knocked DiNapoli for his statement put out on Thursday that urged lawmakers to avoid a government shutdown:

“In the midst of a crippling budget crisis that he has done nothing to avoid, Tom DiNapoli’s sudden transformation into a reform-minded fiscal watchdog is utterly preposterous. In fact, it would be laughable if the situation weren’t so dire for New York, its businesses and families,” Carey said.

DiNapoli’s statement was issued after reporters inquired what the likely effects of a government shutdown would have, if lawmakers fail to pass an emergency-budget bill to be introduced by Gov. David Paterson on Monday. DiNapoli, of Long Island, is running for a full term as comptroller after he replaced Alan Hevesi, who resigned in 2007 following revelations he used a state worker to run personal errands

Harry Wilson, the Republican candidate for state comptroller, is calling for multiple statewide debates with incumbent Democrat Thomas DiNapoli.

Wilson, of Scarsdale, Westchester County, said in a news release this morning that DiNapoli should debate him in “every major media market in New York State between now and Election Day.”

The former hedge fund manager has questioned DiNapoli’s handling of the state pension fund and tweaked him for his appointment to the seat by the state Legislature after Alan Hevesi resigned in disgrace in 2007.

DiNapoli has defended his work in the comptroller’s office, pointing to a flurry of audits he’s conducted since 2007 and knocked Wilson for his ties to Wall Street.

Update: DiNapoli’s campaign team offered this response to the question about possible debates:

“We look forward to comparing Comptroller DiNapoli’s strong record of achievement and reform to our opponent’s career that began at Goldman Sachs and continued in the unregulated hedge fund industry. Tom DiNapoli has spent the last three years providing solutions to our state’s tough fiscal problems, conducting a top-to-bottom overhaul of the Office of the State Comptroller, and managing one of the nation’s best performing pension funds. Harry Wilson, so far, has offered nothing.