County clerks who protested the state’s plans to issue new license plates and charge drivers $25 each to get them said tonight they are not happy that the state is moving forward with production of the new plates.

   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, Read more of this entry »

Gov. David Paterson wouldn’t predict when he and lawmakers will reach a deal on the budget—maybe tomorrow he said. And thus he wouldn’t say how long he plans to keep them in town.

“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.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had opposed the initial legislation to reform the state’s scandal-scarred public authorities, said this afternoon that he supports the modified bill.

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.”

Lawmakers are still without agreement on a budget deal, but they are making their way through Gov. David Paterson’s legislative agenda that he put on the special session calendar since last week.

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.

A group that wants to reconsider, and possibly eliminate, Westchester County government is meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Rethinking Westchester County government will hold a meeting at Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Ave.

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 Westchester County Board of Legislators is holding its first public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday on County Executive Andrew Spano’s $1.8 billion budget proposal.

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.

The League of Women Voters of Westchester is sponsoring a meeting Thursday to help taxpayers understand the 2010 proposed Westchester County budget.

The meeting will take place 1 p.m. Thursday at the Scarsdale Congregational Church, 1 Heathcote Road, Scarsdale.

County Executive Andrew Spano released his $1.8 billion budget proposal Monday and the Westchester County Board of Legislators will hold public hearings before approving a final budget.

At the league’s meeting, there will be an explanation of the budget process and services by Budget Director Ann Reasoner, First Deputy Budget Director John J. Delaney, and Deputy Budget Director Arthur Vietro.

A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

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

   Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, said the Asssembly, Senate and Gov. David Paterson have reached an agreement to pass legislation that will reform the state’s public-authority system. Brodsky said that bill, plus one passed earlier this year that the governor has said he will sign, will change the culture of what has been called New York’s “shadow government” because of the power the 700 authorities have.

   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.

   The Senate just passed legislation that would strengthen drunken-driving laws in New York by making it a felony for someone to be driving while impaired and have a child passenger. The vote was 58-0.

   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.

   Nearly 70 percent of registered voters in New York fear the state will run out of money in December, according to a Marist Poll released this afternoon. Twenty-one percent of voters said they are not very worried about that and 10 percent are not worried at all, the poll found.

   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.