“It comes down to how you feel about the ends justifying the means,” says Albany watchdog E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center for Public Policy. “Think of the worst thing you can think of a governor trying to do, then picture him trying to do it through an appropriation bill.” Read More
As part of his plan for allocating $5.4 billion in one-shot windfall funds, Governor Cuomo wants to spend $500 million to expand the availability and capacity of broadband Internet access across New York. But given pressing traditional infrastructure needs, should broadband rate a high priority? Do we really need it? The governor's case, on closer inspection, is less than compelling. Read More
Governor Cuomo repeatedly has said that the state’s unprecedented $5.4 billion cash windfall is a “one shot” that should not be spent on recurring expenses such as school aid or agency operations. Yet his proposed budget language might allow him to do just that. Read More
There’s a key component missing from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to “cut” property taxes: It doesn’t cut them at all. Read More
Four years of on-time budgets is an accomplishment Governor Andrew Cuomo loves to mention, but this year could be different. Cuomo is pushing lawmakers to adopt stringent ethics legislation as part of the budget agreement. If they don't reach a deal by the April 1 deadline, a government shutdown is possible. Read More
School costs can’t be allowed to grow faster than the income of the taxpayers. That’s true of all government spending for every societal need. But when it comes to building roads, housing or protecting the environment, you don’t really hear a roar of influential voices making a perpetual argument that no matter how much we spend, it is nowhere near enough. With schools, you always do. But this year Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is trying to change that. Read More
School districts across New York are clamoring for a full restoration of state aid cuts known as the Gap Elimination Adjustment, or GEA. But a look at spending in the state's second-largest city illustrates how this battle is not necessarily all about the kids. Read More
A little-noticed section of Governor Cuomo’s State of the State “Opportunity Agenda” calls for investing another $100 million in state money in startup companies—even as federal auditors probe Innovate NY, the state’s original dalliance with venture capital (VC). Read More