Much of our attention will no doubt be focused on the same general issues that preoccupied us in 2015 — issues such as the economy, taxes, government wages and pensions, population shifts and pork barrel spending.
And so, with best wishes to all for a Happy New Year, here’s a last look back at the Empire Center’s web traffic highlights for the year just ended — including updates to our popular government transparency website, SeeThroughNY.net.
The 5 most popular EmpireCenter.org pages in 2015:
Higher Pay, Fewer Jobs – Video features and articles explaining what’s at stake for New York in the proposal to jack up the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The Empire Center’s Pension Calculator – We’ve made it simple to estimate the retirement income for a state and local government worker and to see what it would cost a private-sector worker to buy an equivalent annuity in the open market.
What They Make—2015 Edition – The Empire Center’s unique annual compendium of average pay for every county, city, town and village government in New York State.
New York households pay some of the highest electricity prices in the nation, raising affordability concerns, according to the Empire Center's and the U.S. Energy Information Administration . Read More
In response to Governor Hochul’s State of the State address and policy book, Empire Center experts issued the following reactions:
On taxes:
"Governor Hochul's promise to hold the line against tax hikes is crucial to restoring New Read More
For a third time the state Health Department has postponed releasing records related to a disputed $1 billion Medicaid contract, saying it needs another six weeks or more to locate and redact the materials in question. Read More
Ninety employees from New York’s school districts (outside New York City) received more than $300,000 during fiscal year 2025, according to , the Empire Center’s transparency website.
The public educator pay data are based on salary information rep Read More
Pension payments to during fiscal year 2025 were added today to the Empire Center’s transparency website. The data primarily cover school support staff and administrative personnel.
The BERS paid a total of $351 million in pension payments Read More
State officials met with the ultimate winner of a $1 billion Medicaid contract two weeks before the Legislature authorized bidding on the job as part of the state's 2024-25 budget, an email obtained by the Empire Center sho Read More
K-12 SOS is a pilot project of the Empire Center to inform parents, politicians, and decision-makers about the state of K-12 education in New York State. Determining why certain schools perform better than others is beyond the scope of this research. Read More