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"One New York": Spitzer's Big NY State Ideas
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 4, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 4, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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If you didn't catch it the first billion times Governor Eliot Spitzer mentioned "reform" during the campaign trail, his State of the State address brought it up 31 times according to the NY Times count. His address emphasized a "one New York" that would spend far less, and mentioned things like the lack of progress at Ground Zero, longer school years, a property tax cut, bringing health insurance to the uninsured and lots of reform for the way politicians work.
WNBC's Gabe Pressman has analysis of the speech. Pressman notes that there are echoes from other past first NY State of the States, but that "he outlined an agenda for change much richer in detail." The question is: "as he wrestles with the ages-old Albany afflictions of inertia and gridlock, will his super-confidence pay off?" Not to mention, will there be enough money to fund Spitzer's ambitious plans. There is still a $2.4 billion budget gap estimated for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, making Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez ask the Sun, "How do you not raise taxes and implement the major proposals?"
And how did the other politicians like it? From the NY Times:
The two legislative leaders who have ruled the state for the last decade alongside Mr. Pataki generally embraced the speech afterward.
“This is our agenda,” said the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, the state’s top Republican. “Tax cuts, no new taxes, job creation, education, health care for everyone, reform.”
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, long used to being Mr. Pataki’s Democratic foil, responded with relief.
“For the last 12 years, we have witnessed what happens when the two-party system becomes the too-petty system,” Mr. Silver said, adding that there was “very little I can disagree with” in the governor’s speech.
Mayor Bloomberg liked Spitzer's speech, saying it was "good for the people of New York City and very good for the people of New York state."
The Daily News reports that suddenly lots of men have man crushes on Spitzer, joining other man crush-able politicians like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. And here is a PDF of Spitzer's State of the State.
Top photograph of Eliot Spitzer (foreground), with Sheldon Silver, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Joseph Bruno behind him and lower photograph of Mayor Bloomberg grabbing Bruno's arm by Tim Roske/AP
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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