It will consist of a diverse group of community leaders, police representatives and high school students and will draw upon the experience and perspectives of each group to further develop communications and relations with the Mount Vernon Police Department.

“It is important for the health of our city that we further strengthen the existing relationship between our community and our police department.” Young said in a press statement issued today. “The diverse makeup of this advisory council will create a strong foundation upon which we will build and improve upon the existing level of communication and interaction within Mount Vernon.”

Here is a list of the council’s members
Allen Ayers is a retired Detective from the Mount Vernon Police Department. He is a member of the African Brotherhood, founder of the Y-COP program and runs the boxing program for the City of Mount Vernon at the Doles Center.

Bishop Luke Jones of the New Life Fellowship Church is a lifelong resident of Mount Vernon who is a retired teacher and administrator from the New York City school system

Linda Sanchez is an Associate Broker with Four Seasons Real Estate who has lived in Mount Vernon since 1975. She is very active within the community and serves on the boards of various organizations.

Darrell Perez is the CEO of the Southside Heights Community Organization and is a certified instructor of a trades apprenticeship program here in Mount Vernon that provides young adults with the skills they need to enter the workforce in the construction trades.

Pedro Coelho is an entrepreneur and the owner of the Portal restaurant here in Mount Vernon. A native of Brazil, he is very active within Mount Vernon and has lived in Mount Vernon since 1989.

Barbara Duncan is the Chief of Police in the city of Mount Vernon.

Mary Harris is the President of the 400-500 South Second Avenue Block Association and is a powerful voice within our city.

Patricia Monahan is a retired Mount Vernon schoolteacher who is an active member of the Westchester County Senior Council and the Fleetwood Neighborhood Association.

Student members:

Jeffrey Caldwell is in the 12th grade at Nelson Mandela High School

Shavona Longman is also in the 12th grade at Nelson Mandela High School

Rich Williams is in the 9th grade at Nelson Mandela High School

The new executive director for outreach will be Gerry Esposito and the new executive director for Operations will be Bob Moffitt.

Esposito is a longtime community leader and Moffitt played a key role in the recent victory of John Larkin in the city’s sixth council district.

“The Yonkers GOP is now poised to build on this year’s successes”, said John Jacono, the Yonkers Republican Party chairman, who released a statement earlier today. “Rounding out our team is Vice-Chair Justin Tubiolo who played an important role in every GOP effort this year, 11th Ward District Leader Joe Crotty who will continue to lead our outreach to young voters and the many dedicated Republican activists who make up our Ward committees. With this new team in place the Yonkers GOP is ready for the opportunities of 2010 and beyond”.

and truly took to find solutions” to the city’s fiscal problems. Here’s what Lesnick wrote.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE TO MAYOR AMICONE’S OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON ELECTION RESULTS

Yonkers, New York: November 20, 2009 – Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone this week released an official statement that purported to set priorities for the City Council’s legislative agenda in January. While I commend the mayor’s congratulatory tone towards our recently elected members, I think it fitting that the City should also recognize the dedicated service of its departing members: Majority Leader Sandy Annabi, Minority Leader Liam McLaughlin and Councilmember Dee Barbato. Under our legislative watch, this year’s budget was trimmed by $7.1 million and an agreement with the SFC developers was brokered that brings an additional $100 million to the City over a 30-year period.
While I am pleased with the mayor’s new focus and his recognition of the economic pain the taxpayers struggle to live with, this City Council has been aware of the recession for some time. This year’s budget process ended only when the council approved a budget over the mayor’s veto that went a little further to ease the fiscal strain upon our taxpayers. During the council’s review of the $900 million budget, we looked to the mayor’s office for cooperation and direction. At that time, we encountered an administration that was silent and made no offer to identify cost savings.
If the mayor is serious about “making sacrifices and finding new efficiencies,” he should lead by example and truly look to find solutions. I recommend a few measures to get the momentum moving:

*Reduce the city’s fleet of vehicles and eliminate usage of non-hybrid SUVs;

*Merge the city’s vast fleet maintenance shops into one central location;

*Consolidate various city departments;

*For budget purposes, classify personnel who perform constituent service work into one department and those classified as “Special Assistants to the Mayor” into the Mayor’s office;

*Use federal money to subsidize the unfunded position of director of sustainable growth and development to maximize our utilization of energy efficiency subsidies and to lower our carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption and costs;

*Monitor and reduce police overtime;

*Work with our leaders in Albany on pension reform;

*Work with our leaders in Albany to secure more money for our schools and education – especially for capital expenses; and

*Work for a county-wide revaluation and reassessment of all real property to save Yonkers taxpayers from paying an unfair and disproportionate share of taxes, not only with respect to other taxpayers in Yonkers, but also with respect to their countywide taxes, to eliminate costly certiorari settlements.

Going forward, it is my hope that the City Council and Mayor Amicone will work together to provide for our residents and our city’s great employees. For generations our residents have worked to build homes and businesses here and families have educated their loved ones in our fine schools. With new development and jobs returning to Yonkers, our City is once again on the cusp of greatness. There is no reason why our elected officials cannot govern cooperatively. Think of what we can accomplish with a true spirit of cooperation.

“1 agree with Governor Paterson’s statement today that the Legislature should be acting on a deficit reduction plan today, instead of waiting until Monday.  The only problem is he has not submitted a bill we can act on, as Senate Republicans called on him to do Thursday,” said Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County.

When asked today why he hasn’t put his budget-cutting plan up for a vote, Paterson said he has. They can vote on it any time they’d like, he said.

Skelos said that Senate Democrats and Republicans have agreed on budget actions that would reduce the budget deficit by $2.6 billion, as opposed to Paterson’s $3.2 billion plan. Democrats hold a 32-30 seat majority.

“The only roadblock to an agreement is Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver who has yet to publicly issue a single proposal to reduce state spending,” Skelos stated.

Skelos has continued to criticize Silver. They’ve sparred at recent leaders’ meetings.

“When Democrats left Albany, Republicans stayed at the Capitol, ready to go into session to pass a plan,” Skelos said. “The governor should stop pounding the table, do his job and stop worrying about his poll numbers so that we can get a final agreement. ”

Here’s Skelos’ full statement:

STATEMENT BY SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER DEAN SKELOS

I agree with Governor Paterson’s statement today that the Legislature should be acting on a deficit reduction plan today, instead of waiting until Monday. The only problem is he has not submitted a bill we can act on, as Senate Republicans called on him to do Thursday.

Senate Republicans unveiled a detailed deficit reduction plan that included spending cuts that even the Governor has acknowledged are real and substantive. Our plan also includes other savings proposed by the Governor that are acceptable to Democrats and Republicans in the Senate that would reduce the budget deficit by $2.6 billion.

Senate Democrats have embraced our plan. Much of Governor Paterson’s deficit-closing measures are included in the place so I expect he would support it. The only roadblock to an agreement is Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver who has yet to publicly issue a single proposal to reduce state spending.

For the past month, no one in Albany has done more than Senate Republicans to push for a solution that would close the $3.2 billion budget deficit. We were the only legislative conference to issue a detailed plan to cut state spending and close the budget gap. We were the first conference to oppose mid-year school aid cuts that would result in property taxes. We were the first legislators to oppose any tax increases to close the deficit.

When Democrats left Albany, Republicans stayed at the Capitol, ready to go into session to pass a plan. The Governor should stop pounding the table, do his job and stop worrying about his poll numbers so that we can get a final agreement. The Assembly has produced nothing more than talk while Senate Republicans have provided leadership and pushed to get a fiscally responsible result that reduces state spending, now and in the future.

Senate Republicans, who called for enactment of a state spending cap as part of a plan to address the state budget deficit, passed a spending cap bill twice last year with bipartisan support and I am pleased the Governor said he would join us and get one in place by year’s end.

Taxpayers are angry over increased spending and taxes and frustrated by the inaction in Albany. We shouldn’t have to wait until Monday to fix a problem that could have been resolved yesterday.

   Paterson ordered a total of $500 million in mid-year budget cuts at state agencies, part of his strategy to close a $3.2 billion budget gap. Agencies can offer the severance packages as a means of helping them make the reductions.

   “It has come to our attention that thousands of employees expressed an interest in participating in the program, but certain agencies chose not to accept these employees into the program,” Budget Director Robert Megna wrote in a letter to commissioners.

   “As you are aware, the State continues to face serious fiscal challenges. To address this situation, the Governor has instructed agencies to aggressively offer severances to reduce the State workforce and maximize savings,” Megna wrote.

   Megna said commissioners should “make every effort to increase the utilization of the Severance Program.” Employees have to file applications under the extension by Dec. 22.

   The Budget Division doesn’t have final numbers of how many employees ultimately took the buyout but expects to know sometime around the beginning of next month, said Matt Anderson, Paterson budget spokesman.

Agency Severance Letter

   “Right now, Andrew Cuomo has a clear path to become governor,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College poll. “If he could fast-forward to next November, I’m sure he would.”

   The poll is being released a day after Republican officials confirmed that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is not going to run for governor. The poll found that Cuomo has a lead over former U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio in addition to Paterson. Lazio is the only Republican who has announced he is running for the seat.

   If Lazio ran against Cuomo today, Cuomo would win by a 3-to-1 margin—69 percent to 24 percent, the poll found. If Lazio ran against Paterson, 44 percent of the electorate would support Paterson and 44 percent would choose Lazio. Twelve percent are undecided.

   Cuomo has not announced whether he intends to run and Paterson has said he will stay in the race, despite his paltry poll numbers.

   Marist found that 63 percent of registered voters don’t want Paterson to run for governor and 30 percent want him to be in the race. In a Marist poll two months ago, 63 percent of voters surveyed said they wanted Paterson to drop out and 25 percent wanted him to continue his campaign.

   When asked about Paterson’s extensive television media campaign, 65 percent of voters who had seen one of the ads said Paterson should not run for governor.

   Sixty-six percent of voters think Cuomo is doing an excellent or good job and 6 percent said he is doing poorly. Paterson is at the other end of the spectrum. One-fifth of registered voters think he’s doing an excellent or good job and 35 percent said he is performing poorly. That’s better than a few months ago, when 17 percent approved of his performance and 44 percent said he was doing poorly.

   Marist surveyed 805 voters Nov. 12 and this Monday and Tuesday. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent.

A report from Moody’s Investors Service this week, meanwhile, said the state could lose its stable credit rating “if there is no action taken by the state to close the gap, or if action is taken but is largely one-time in nature (therefore increasing the structural imbalance in the out years).”

Paterson is at odds with lawmakers over cutting aid to schools and health care to help close a $3.2 billion mid-year budget gap. After four days of failed negotiations in Albany, lawmakers went home Thursday and plan to return Monday.

But Paterson continued his tough talk today against legislators who don’t want to make cuts. He said spending reductions now would also help lower the deficit next fiscal year, which he estimated may be at $9 billion. The current fiscal year expires March 31.

Come late December, the state faces running out of money if cuts aren’t made, he and other state officials said. That means the state would have to borrow and possibly delay payments to local governments in schools.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned today that the state faces a $1.4 billion cash deficit next month. Paterson said that if all the state’s money was pooled together next month and all the bills were paid, the state would have about $30 million in the bank – a remarkably low amount for a state with a $132 billion budget.

“We can’t afford to fall back on the old ways of addressing a long-standing problem with short-term fixes,” DiNapoli said. “It hasn’t worked, and it won’t work. A patch today is a problem tomorrow.”
Without close the budget gap, Paterson said New York would have resort to what other states have done, such as laying off state workers, instituting unpaid weeks off or even eliminating programs, such as early childhood programs and pre-kindergarten classes.

“I’ve been telling you what happened in the other states,” Paterson told reporters this morning. “That’s what we’re going to have to do. I told you that 26 states shut down their early childhood education and pre-kindergarten programs, and that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

Paterson said he spoke to legislative leaders this morning to advise them of the dire predictions. But he said lawmakers have so far offered no cuts to schools and only about $100 million in cuts to health care. Paterson has proposed about $1.3 billion in cuts.

“I think this is a lot more serious than the interest of some of the legislators who would rather go home and be heroes saying look I didn’t cut school aid or look I didn’t cut health care,” Paterson said.

Nys Go Report 1109

Some, though, took issue with the way the poll was conducted, pointing out it didn’t sample the entire Congressional district and it oversampled Putnam County, where Ball lives and where his Assembly seat is based.

Two more items related to this whole thing –
1. Here’s a defense of the poll sent out last night by Ball’s Congressional campaign.

Todd Vitale of Vitale & Associates dismissed the criticisms of the poll.

“We’re on solid ground.  Sounds like DC insiders trying to muddy the waters in order to avoid having to explain the incumbent congressman’s vulnerability to Greg.  Our poll shows that Greg is strong in the most competitive parts of the district, and Putnam and Westchester are indeed porportioned as they should be based on projected turnout in 2010,” Vitale said.

“When we do a full CD19 poll later in the campaign, our N=300 sample will include n=44 in Putnam (15%), and n=79 in Westchester (26%), based on estimated 2010 turnout contribution by county – the same county vs. county ratio of interviews in the poll we just released.   The only difference will be that in a full CD19 poll, we will also include a full set of interviews to include Orange, Rockland and Dutchess—which have traditionally been Republican strongholds – and therefore which will only IMPROVE the results for Ball,” Vitale said. “Thus, we should stand by our poll, which has presented a proportionally accurate snap-shot picture of voter attitudes in the most competitive parts of the district.”

Jim Coleman, a spokesperson for the Ball campaign, concurred.

“Fearful of an Independent Republican like Greg Ball, Washington insiders are trying to manufacture a candidate. But that candidate’s 2% name recognition shows they are failing miserably, despite enlisting rival vendors to question the methodology of a national pollster with fifteen years experience working on national campaigns,” Coleman said. “New Yorkers have abundant evidence of Washington insiders stepping in to throw their weight around, and we know what the result was: the Democrats won.”

DiNapoli said his office will release a report that shows New York faces a cash-flow deficit of up to $1.4 billion in late December, higher than projections from Gov. David Paterson’s budget office.

It means the state is running out of money to pay its bills, DiNapoli warned. Paterson’s office last month predicted a $1.1 billion cash-flow deficit in late December.

“The state does run the risk of running out of cash in a significant way in December,” DiNapoli told Gannett’s Albany bureau. “It really underscores the need for the governor and the Legislature to come together on a deficit-reduction plan.”

DiNapoli urged that spending cuts need to be part of the budget deal, which so far lawmakers have resisted.

Without a budget-cutting plan, state officials said New York may have to delay payments to schools and local governments or borrow to pay its bills, which would hurt the state’s credit rating and its ability to borrow money.

The state has been dipping into a fund controlled by the comptroller called a Short Term Investment Pool, which mainly invests in short-term treasury bills and allows the state to borrow from it to pay monthly bills. But even that fund faces being almost depleted by the end of the year, officials said.

“We’re on a razor’s edge when it comes to cash flow in December in terms of the resources of the Short Term Investment Pool,” said Paterson’s budget spokesman Matt Anderson.

The town of Philipstown, which includes the lush hamlet of Garrison, is dedicating a sign, Let’s Take a Hike,  to the past state leader “for his love of the great outdoors,” said Amber Stickle. Director of Recreation and Parks at Philipstown Recreation Department.

The ceremony and reception is at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24 at the Claudio Marzollo Community Center on Route 9D, just south of Route 403.

Currently, Pataki is involved in private legal practice, so he said at a forum Nov. 16 at the New-York Historical Society on Central Park West. He was a panelist talking about the future of New York.  He was optimistic about New York City saying that it remains a cultural and economic epicenter for many.  Apparently, his neighbors want to honor him  for his appreciation of the scenic landscape in Putnam County.

“Mr. Ryan is quoted today as saying that accountants aren’t capable of being ‘qualitative’ in their thinking,” Mooney said. “That statement alone clearly shows how far removed he is from the realities of the business world.”

Mooney challenged Ryan’s assumption that WCA has no public policy focus. He said he hoped Ryan would take a “less antagonistic approach and seek to work collaboratively to assure Westchester’s future viability as a business location and place to live.”

In a story published today, Ryan said the budget matter wasn’t an accounting problem, but a public policy one. He said the tough choices aren’t what dollars to cut, but rather what services to slash. Read the story here.

Ryan, through the county board’s press secretary, declined comment.

Central to the talks were the federal housing settlement and the county’s $1.8 billion budget proposal, which legislators are now reviewing — they must approve it by the end of the year. Outgoing County Executive Andrew Spano pitched his budget earlier this week; it raises taxes by 4.9 percent.

The two men met at Astorino’s transition headquarters in White Plains. They previously served together on the  county board when Astorino was a legislator.

Ryan and Astorino also talked about future of county government, developing a bipartisan working relationship and brainstorming on opportunities to streamline, cut costs and improve county government operation, county board spokeswoman Tara Martin said.

Martin said the meeting, a first in-person since the election, was “cordial and productive.”

   Among registered voters, Giuliani would get 60 percent to Paterson’s 35 percent, according to the poll. But Cuomo would get 53 percent and Giuliani would garner 43 percent of the vote in a hypothetical matchup.

   If Giuliani ran for U.S. Senate, which he has not ruled out as a possibility, he would have more of a chance of success. Fifty-four percent of voters said they would vote for Giuliani, a Republican, over freshman Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat. One-third of Democrats surveyed said they would opt for Giuliani.

   Marist found that if a GOP primary for U.S. Senate were held today, 71 percent of voters would choose Giuliani, compared to 24 percent for former Gov. George Pataki, who has also been talked about as a potential candidate.

   Republican Rick Lazio is considering a run for governor, so not having Giuliani in the picture would help Lazio. Lazio, a former U.S. representative, would garner 13 percent of the GOP vote compared to 84 percent for Giuliani, according to Marist.

   “It’s good news for Andrew Cuomo and Rick Lazio but potentially a huge problem for Kirsten Gillibrand,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Poll, said in a statement. “If Giuliani were to capture the U.S. Senate seat from heavily Democratic New York State, it would return him to the national spotlight big time.”

Senator Gillibrand will have a conversation with local business and community leaders on  economic development and how she can assist and promote local growth.

   Senate Majority Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, set the next session for 10 a.m. Monday.

   “We fully expect that a three-way agreement will be reached by Monday morning,” said Travis Proulx, a spokesman for Senate Democrats.

   Senate Republicans, who hold 30 of the chamber’s 62 seats, held a news conference this afternoon to present a compromise plan for closing the budget gap by $3.15 billion. 

   “Rather than continuing to try to reach an agreement, the Democrats have gone home,” Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said at a news conference.

   Silver blamed the lack of progress on the Senate GOP.

   “The major holdup is Senator Skelos refuses to participate, refuses to provide one Republican vote,” Silver said.

   Skelos said that is not true.

The New York Times reported Giuliani will not run for governor, and the Daily News is reporting he’s going to run for Senate.

There is no official word from Giuliani’s camp, but a spokeswoman said a statement is expected soon. On Sunday, Giuliani wouldn’t say what he would do.

A top Republican official confirmed Giuliani’s decision not to run for governor, saying instead that Giuliani is considering running for U.S. Senate next year against Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand.

“He is clearly not interested in running for governor, but he is seriously looking at running for the Senate,” the source said.

The news was not surprising to Republican leaders across the state, who long believed that Giuliani was not poised to run for governor.

On Monday night, Giuliani gave a speech to the Molinari Republican Club in Staten Island. Attendees said the speech was geared toward national politics.

“In all honesty, his speech that he gave, which was very good, was more of a national speech, like he was going to run for United States Senate or president again,” said Conservative Party chairman Michael Long.

“It was clear he was not going to run for governor.”

Some county GOP chairmen said they hadn’t heard directly yet that Giuliani wasn’t going to run, but said they are pleased he’s deciding now so the party can focus in on other candidates.

“If this is actually true, I’m delighted it’s now and not a few months in the future,” said Monroe County GOP chairman Bill Reilich.

Rockland County GOP chairman Vincent Reda said the party will have strong candidates on its statewide ticket next year.

Rick “Lazio has already announced, and I’m sure there will be some others looking for the top spot,” Reda said. “I think things look a little brighter for us in the state since this last election period.”

As for Lazio, the only announced GOP candidate, he’s focused on his campaign, a spokesman said.

“we don’t what mayor Giuliani’s plans are,” said spokesman Barney Keller. “We just know that Rick Lazio is running for governor and if elected, he will enact sweeping fundamental changes to state government.”

Paterson said he continues to get pushback from state senators, Democrats and Republicans, over his plan to cut aid to schools and health care.

Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said he’s telling his conference to return to Albany on Monday – signaling that a deal is not near.

“It’s likely we’ll be back next week,” Silver said on WGDJ-AM (1300) in Albany.

Paterson has kept lawmakers in Albany every day this week to get a budget deal in advance of about $6 billion in payments due in December to schools and local governments. Paterson said the state only has about $3 billion to pay the bills.

“Some of the legislators, I must say, do understand this crisis,” Paterson said on WOR-AM (710) in Manhattan. “They tell it to me. They want to get out of here and balance the budget. Others think of excuses.”

The trouble, Paterson suggested, lies in the state Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow 32-30 seat majority. A number of Democratic senators oppose cuts in school spending, while Republicans have not indicated a willingness to go along with Paterson’s budget plan. Paterson has proposed about $1.3 billion in cuts, mainly to schools and health care.

Paterson said some lawmakers want to link cuts to a cap on state spending, which Senate Republicans support but is not backed by Assembly Democrats. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, want no cuts to schools and are proposing inflated revenue projections from the potential collection of taxes on Native American reservations, Paterson charged.

“You wonder how you get a negotiation going on with that kind of element injecting itself in the process, obviously trying to placate other interests,” Paterson said.

Senate Democrats have proposed about $650 million in cuts, mainly to health care, but would leave schools harmless. Legislative officials contend that Paterson is seeking about $850 million in cuts as a compromise.

Silver put the blame on Senate Republicans, suggesting that Democrats don’t have the 32 votes in its conference to pass a budget agreement.

“The Republicans are not interested in governing. They’re all about politics,” he said. “They are all about rhetoric and the people will not be fooled by that.”

Senate Republicans countered that Silver hasn’t offered any proposals publicly to close the budget gap, while the other legislative conferences have.

“The speaker has not put anything on the table,” said John McArdle, spokesman for Senate Republicans. “What the speaker has admitted is what everyone has known that he has no proposals to close the deficit.”

The state Court of Appeals rejected a Christian legal group’s claim that the extension of benefits to gay couples was illegal based on current state law.

But the court stopped short of declaring same-sex marriage in New York legal, saying that such a decision should be left to the state Legislature. The state Senate has yet to pass the measure.

“We end … expressing our hope that the Legislature will address this controversy,” the ruling found.

The Alliance Defense Fund of Scottsdale, Ariz. argued that since same-sex marriage is not legal in New York, state and local governments should not extend equal benefits to gay couples.

The group lost in lower courts, which ruled that extending the benefits does not conflict with current laws.

In June 2006, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano issued an executive order that the county would recognize out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples. In 2007, the state agreed to allow gay couples married out of state and employed by New York and some local governments to receive health benefits for their families.

The Court of Appeals rejected the challenges by the Alliance Defense Fund, but was split on their
reasons why.

In a written opinion, Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick warned that the patchwork regulations by different state and local government are unwieldy.

“The effect of the majority’s rationale in affirming these orders,” she wrote, “will be to permit an unworkable pattern of conflicting executive and administrative directives promulgated pursuant to the individual discretion of each agency head.”

Marriage Ruling

   Faced with pressure from county clerks and residents, Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders agreed over the weekend that the state would not require the old plates to be replaced. However, production of the new Empire Gold plates is still on track, which prompted 31 county clerks to send a letter to the governor today.

   The governor’s administration had said new plates were necessary because reflectivity was wearing off on the current ones. Paterson admitted this week that the real reason for the plate replacement program was to raise money for the state. The measure was passed as part of the current budget. The governor and legislative leaders said they would make up the money the state will not get elsewhere in the budget.

   The clerks submitted petitions with more than 100,000 signatures collected from people who oppose the new program.

   Counties whose clerks signed the letter include Broome,  Chemung, Cortland, Dutchess, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins.

   This is a copy of the letter they sent today: 

Dear Governor Paterson:

We were greatly troubled to read published reports that the State, at your direction, plans to proceed with the manufacture of the new Empire Gold license plates, despite commitments by you and legislative leaders on both sides of the political aisle to scrap the controversial reissuance plan (“Paterson admits license fee was a ‘revenue grab,’ ” Democrat and Chronicle, Nov. 18).

County Clerks from across the State have gathered more than 100,000 names of New Yorkers who are opposed to the license plate reissue, through online and paper petitions that were delivered to you and legislative supporters of the original plan. The people of the state have spoken up that and said that they don’t want the Empire Gold plates, nor do they feel that the reissuance plan was justified by Albany’s desire for more revenue.

Facing a $3.2 billion budget gap, and in light of the Legislature’s pledge to undo the license plate mandate, it makes no sense that you should continue to produce these plates, at a cost to the state that you have placed at $32 million.

County Clerks respectfully ask that you rescind the order to begin manufacturing the new plates pending legislative action on the repeal of this ill-advised plan.

County Clerks have proposed additional ways to cut state spending and improve government efficiency to help deal with the budget deficit, and we await your response to our request for a meeting to discuss these and other ideas.

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Ritchie

St. Lawrence County Clerk, President, NYS Association of County Clerks

Richard R. Blythe, Broome County Clerk

James Griffith, Cattaraugus County Clerk

Susan Dwyer, Cayuga County Clerk

Sandra K. Sopak, Chautauqua County Clerk

Catherine K. Hughes, Chemung County Clerk

John H. Zurlo, Clinton County Clerk

Elizabeth Larkin, Cortland County Clerk

Bradford Kendall, Dutchess County Clerk

Kathleen Hochul, Erie County Clerk

Joseph Provoncha, Essex County Clerk

Don M. Read, Genesee County Clerk

Michael Flynn, Greene County Clerk

Jane S. Zarecki, Hamilton County Clerk

Sylvia M. Rowan, Herkimer County Clerk

JoAnn Wilder, Jefferson County Clerk

Douglas P. Hanno, Lewis County Clerk

James A. Culberston, Livingston County Clerk

Cheryl Dinolfo, Monroe County Clerk

Wayne F. Jagow, Niagara County Clerk

Sandra J. DePerno, Oneida County Clerk

M. Ann Ciarpelli, Onondaga County Clerk

John H. Cooley, Ontario County Clerk

George J. Williams, Oswego County Clerk

Frank Merola, Rensselaer County Clerk

Kathleen Marchione, Saratoga County Clerk

Indy Jaycox, Schoharie County Clerk

Judith M. Hunter, Steuben County Clerk

Robert Woodburn, Tioga County Clerk

Aurora R. Valenti, Tompkins County Clerk

Dona Crandall, Washington County Clerk

“I feel that we are continuing to negotiate and we are just going to have to lock this down as soon as we can,” Paterson told reporters after announcing a deal on public authorities reform.

As for whether he’ll keep the Legislature in town until a deal is reached: “I’m not going to make any long-term threats, but as you’ve noticed although it has not been done, we continue to work.

“Some officials said the sides are about $200 million apart, but Paterson urged that it’s not about hitting the $3.2 billion target as much as it is establishing recurring budget savings.

He has proposed cutting $1.3 billion in state spending, mainly through cuts to schools and health care. Senate Democrats have balked at the cuts, instead offering about $600 million in cuts to areas other than education.

“To me, it isn’t the quantitative agreement on a number,” the Democratic governor said. “It’s the quality of actually hitting the target in ways that will be real and recurring.”

He said the bill removes some of his initial concerns, such as requiring authorities to sell land at fair market value no matter the use and not giving authority board members autonomy on local issues.

“Our state representatives in Albany deserve a lot of credit for dramatically improving a public authorities reform bill that, as initially drafted, would have done more harm than good,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

“We have always supported reform of the public authorities, but we had major concerns about the consequences the original bill would have produced.”

They’ve passed legislation that would let local governments make it easier to form cooperative health-benefit plans and other consolidations and eliminated a loophole that allows certain serious felons to become eligible for parole earlier than intended.  And they have passed a municipal energy-loan program to help homeowners make energy efficiency improvements.

Today, Paterson signed “Leandra’s Law,” a tougher DWI law. It is named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who died last month in an accident in Manhattan as a passenger in a vehicle whose driver was drunk, police said.

“We have now given law-enforcement officials the tools they need to keep people who act with such reckless disregard for human life off the roadways of our state,” Paterson said at the bill signing.

Assemblyman David Koon, D-Perinton, Monroe County, said he submitted legislation 6 1/2 years ago to make DWI with a child in a car a felony, which the new law does. Koon, whose daughter was murdered in 1993, said he was frustrated that it took so long for the measure to become law.

“You know how I feel about kids and losing a child and it just tries me nuts,” Koon said outside the Assembly chambers. “Nobody would even touch” the bill.

Paterson and legislative leaders are now announcing a deal to reform the state’s public authorities. They are scheduled to go into session tonight to pass the bill.

But still no deal on a deficit-reduction plan. And Paterson’s other major agenda item—legalizing same-sex marriage—remains on hold.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, also an organizer, said members will discuss how Rob Astorino’s election as county executive will affect the movement.

Feiner also said the goal is to come up with a legislative plan to make it easier to lower taxes in Westchester. Consolidating government services and supporting local petition initiatives will also be discussed, he said.

The meeting will be held at Mount Vernon City Hall, 1 Roosevelt Square.

Spano on Monday released his proposal, which would increase taxes by 4.9 percent, if approved.

The county board is in the midst of reviewing the proposal and will likely make changes. They have until the end of the year to sign off on it.

A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

For more information, log onto www.LWVwestchester.org.

   The legislation will strengthen and expand the powers of the authorities budget office, including providing the power to issue subpoenas and report criminal activities; require that the state comptroller review any contracts of more than $1 million, and ones under $1 million upon request; create strict rules to control public-authority debt; limit the creation of authority subsidiaries; and implement whistle-blower protections for employees of authorities.

   Brodsky said public authorities are a “rogue” system and have been run like a  “Soviet-style bureaucracy.” Some of the larger ones include the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Thruway Authority. 

   “This is the end of that era,” he said.

   A public-authority reform bill signed in 2005 by then-Gov. George Pataki  was about one-third of what he and other lawmakers wanted, Brodsky said.

   Another provision of the bill would require anyone convicted of drunken driving to install an ignition-interlock system on their car, which prevents intoxicated drivers from starting a vehicle. They would have to have the systems in their vehicles for at least six months.

   Leandra’s Law, as the legislation is called, is named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who died in a car accident in Manhattan last month while a passenger in a vehicle whose driver was drunk, police have said.

   Also cited in passing the law was a fatal crash on the Taconic Parkway in Westchester County last July. Diane Schuler of Long Island drove the wrong way on the parkway and killed herself, four of the five children in her vehicle and three men in an SUV. The autopsy found she was drunk and high on marijuana.

   Under the legislation, which Gov. David Paterson has said he will sign, it would be a felony to drive with a passenger under 15 while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol-content level of .08 (the legal limit) or above.

   Under current law, there is no additional penalty if a drunk driver has a child passenger. The penalty would be higher if a child passenger was injured in a drunken-driving accident.

   When asked if New York’s $3.2 billion budget shortfall is a major problem, 88 percent said yes and 11 percent said they believe it is a minor problem. Only 1 percent said it’s not an issue at all.

   “Voters are paying attention to the budget problems in Albany and they’re not happy with what they’re seeing,” Marist Poll Director Lee Miringoff said in a statement.

   Gov. David Paterson called lawmakers back to Albany last week and this week to deal with the state’s $3.2 billion shortfall. Paterson has warned that if the problem is not taken care of very soon, New York could be short on money to pay its bills next month. They are still trying to negotiate a deal.

   Seventy percent of voters told Marist they blamed the state Legislature for the state’s fiscal woes, while 21 percent said Paterson was at fault. But, 64 percent of voters disapprove of how Paterson is dealing with the budget and 28 percent approve. The split was similar in September, the last time Marist asked voters that question.

   As for how Paterson is handling the state’s economic crisis, 63 percent said they disapprove and 30 percent gave him the thumbs up, similar to how voters answered that question in September, the poll found.

   Marist surveyed 805 voters last Thursday and Monday and Tuesday of this week. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent.

Such a practice is uncommon, according to Hall’s campaign.

“The Ball campaign has intentionally misled people with a poll that is not districtwide,” Hall campaign pollster Jef Pollock of Global Strategy Group said in an e-mail to Roll Call. “In all my years of polling, I can’t recall an incident where a person did a poll in only of PART of the district and attempted to call it valid.”

An internal poll released this week by New York Assemblyman Greg Ball’s® campaign that showed him in a competitive position in his challenge to Rep. John Hall (D) did not represent a cross section of voters from the entire 19th district but rather two-thirds of the district — Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, in the east.
The poll excluded Orange County and the portion of Rockland County in the district. Hall defeated challenger Kieran Michael Lalor (R ) by about 8,000 votes in that western segment of the district in 2008. The poll also oversampled Putnam County, which accounts for about 15 percent of the district’s voters but accounted for 33 percent in the poll. The survey undersampled Dutchess County and to a lesser degree Westchester County.
Hall’s campaign cried foul because it is uncommon for campaigns to release polls that aren’t a reflection of the entire district.
“The Ball campaign has intentionally misled people with a poll that is not districtwide,” Hall campaign pollster Jef Pollock of Global Strategy Group said in an e-mail. “In all my years of polling, I can’t recall an incident where a person did a poll in only of PART of the district and attempted to call it valid.”
Pollock also hypothesized that perhaps the reason the poll did not cover the entire Congressional district is because the questions related to the 19th district were added to a poll being conducted for another campaign, such as a state Senate candidate’s.
“I would hope that all [Federal Election Commission] laws were adhered to and this wasn’t an in kind contribution from a state poll,” he said.
Todd Vitale of Vitale & Associates, the firm that conducted the poll, said the Ball campaign commissioned it but chose to focus only on what he deemed the most historically competitive areas of the district out of a “desire to conserve resources at this stage of the campaign.”
“As the campaign progresses, we’ll do a more traditional poll,” he said.
Jim Coleman, a spokesman for Ball’s campaign, also defended the poll.
“We wanted to see where we stood and we specifically wanted to see how close the race was on the eastern side of the Hudson, because we consider that to be the toughest area,” Coleman said in an e-mail. “That said, these are just the early results of our first wave of polling, we should have more in depth analysis next week, and we are extremely encouraged.”

   Since state and local governments cannot run a deficit, as the federal government can, they have to make up the other $331 billion in spending cuts and tax increases. Those actions depress consumer demand, cause job losses (mostly in the private sector) and create  a “drag on the economy,” the report said. 

   States have drawn down their rainy day funds and face a $357 billion total budget shortfall for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years. Local governments are dealing with an $80 billion shortfall, the group found.

   New York faces a mid-year budget deficit of $3.2 billion, and lawmakers are in Albany this week trying to figure out how to remedy that. Gov. David Paterson has said he is against using the state’s $1.2 billion rainy day fund. Lawmakers and the governor have agreed they don’t want to increase any taxes or fees.

   The Economic Policy Institute said spending cuts would be harmful to the economy, in part because they hit low-income individuals disproportionately. Those individuals cut their spending, which results in lower sales for businesses, which then cut wages or lay off workers. Each dollar of spending reduction by state and local governments leads to $1.41 in lost economic activity, the group said.

   According to the institute, current and future budget shortfalls will lead to millions of job losses and likely contribute to a drawn-out and painful recovery.