Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bloomberg Blames Albany For City Layoffs, Budget Cuts
By
Jen Chung
Published May 7, 2010
Modified May 7, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published May 7, 2010
Modified May 7, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg revealed his "bleak," $62.9 billion budget which includes laying off 11,000 workers, closing fire companies, senior centers and pools and no new tax increases. And he laid much of the blame upstate, "We face a terrible price for Albany’s irresponsibility," accused the state government of "starving" the city, and added, "I will remind everybody who, unfortunately, may lose their jobs that it is because of Albany's fiscal irresponsibility."
Specifically, since the state reduced the city's education funding by $493 million, the city says it will have to lay off "6,414 teachers and other pedagogical positions in the coming school year - 4,419 through layoffs and 1,995 through attrition." Additionally, there's a $1.3 billion budget gap the city must close—$800 million of which expected to be due to loss in state aid. (Overall, the AP reports, "Forecasts for city tax revenues are up slightly, from $42.1 billion this fiscal year to projected $43.2 billion in fiscal 2011. They are still below the pre-recession level of $43.9 billion in fiscal 2008.")
Governor Paterson's budget director Robert Megna responded by emailing a statement to reporters, "The mayor's budget uses the state as a scapegoat to shirk responsibility for their own budget choices" and accused the mayor of using "selective accounting." When NBC New York's Melissa Russo read aloud Megna's words to the mayor, Bloomberg said, "He can say that, but I think you won't put it on television. It's the most outrageous thing he could say."
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was on Bloomberg's side, telling reporters, "If Albany doesn’t get their collective act together, they’re going to destroy this city. This is the equivalent of ‘Ford to New York: Drop Dead.’ This is ‘Albany to New York: Drop Dead.’"
Tagged
city budget
city workers
governor paterson
layoffs
mayor bloomberg
nyc budget
state budget
teachers
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .