Fight, Bloomberg, Fight!
Fresh off overwhelming victory and the notion that he has political capital to spend (thanks also to a post-election Quinnipiac poll stating his approval at 75%), Mayor Bloomberg has already begun his quest to balance the city's budget. Bloomberg has called for the revival of the commuter tax. Bloomberg's proposal, which would levy a tax of 0.45% on the wages of people that work in the city but live elsewhere, is almost certainly going to be struck down by the state government. When the commuter tax was abolished in 1999, state legislators promised to kill any attempt at revival.
Although that is destined to fail and may further enrage out-of-city commuters that already feel that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is treating them like second-class citizens due to hikes in their fares (Note to out-of-city commuters: We ALL got hit by the fare hikes!), this is not where the Mayor should focus his energies.
The current situation, especially given the Mayor's electoral victory and approval ratings, gives an option that the Mayor should possibly exploit:
Start a Battle of Albany.
The Mayor is fresh off his successes at winning a second (and last unless term limits are changed) term. Governor George Pataki will be out of that office at the end of 2006 as he chases a futile dream of being President. The push for reform in the state government is still out there. And there is still an entire year before the 2006 elections.
The Mayor should take a stand, a very public stand, to fight for the funding that New York City needs. Gifford Miller, the current City Council Speaker who is on his way out, tried to make the gap between tax revenues from the city and funding for the city a focal point of his campaign. However, that did not go very far because he did not go very far as a candidate. Bloomberg has the profile to raise awareness of this issue.
Fight for the city, Bloomberg!
Admittedly, this is likely to be a futile fight, at least in the short term. The Legislature and the Governor can tell Bloomberg to take a long walk off a short plank without any repercussions. After all, that's what Albany has been saying to New York City for years. And while New York City voters can't do anything to replace State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver represents Downtown and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, including the World Trade Center. Additionally, such a fight will send a signal to those seeking to become the next governor that they will have to deal with this issue. It can become an issue early in the campaign season.
Upstate voters will no doubt reject any such proposal since it will take away from the funding they get as a result of the New York City cash cow. However, the key to winning an election for Governor would rest on the unity of downstate New York. The state has seen all of downstate New York as a cash cow. The communities from Westchester County to Long Island and around the city, the very same ones targeted by the commuter tax, also face funding gaps, especially when it comes to providing adequate funding for the MTA, which serves these counties as well.
After being fed up with the ineffective state government in Albany, voters are likely to want change at the Governor's office. The favorite to win the Democratic nomination for Governor is current Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who is from the Bronx in New York City. The October 4th Quinnipiac Poll shows Spitzer leading the contenders for the Republican nomination by large margins. The potential main challenger to Spitzer for the Dem nomination is Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi. Nassau County borders New York City to the east on Long Island and would also be a part of any downstate coalition.
Mayor Bloomberg can be the voice of such a movement to at least close the gap between taxes sent to Albany and funding from the state. As Bloomberg testified on Governor Pataki's 2005-2006 executive budget:
"First of all, let me remind you that residents of the five boroughs already annually pay $11.1 billion a year more in State taxes than we receive in State spending."
The gap alone would cover at least 20 percent of the City's entire budget. It would eliminate budget shortfalls that are expected in the coming years. It would mean that Bloomberg wouldn't have to call for a commuter tax.
The state would benefit as well. Proper funding for things like mass transit will mean that people can cheaply and reliably commute to work or to commercial areas. Businesses will rest assured that employees and customers can easily access their offices and stores. It would mean that the City would not have to levy more taxes that might scare away some businesses and residents. All this would mean that there would be more business in the economic engine of the state. Even half of the funding gap would go a long way.
So, Mayor Bloomberg should fight for this. In fact, he should take a day to go to Albany and publicly argue the case. Maybe the mayor could campaign for this as if he were running for office again. This is how a mayor should stand up for his city. It is almost certain to fail. But maybe it will work by 2007. It is certainly worth a shot. With the funding gap from Albany, there is almost nothing to lose.
Fight for the City, Mayor Bloomberg!
Although that is destined to fail and may further enrage out-of-city commuters that already feel that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is treating them like second-class citizens due to hikes in their fares (Note to out-of-city commuters: We ALL got hit by the fare hikes!), this is not where the Mayor should focus his energies.
The current situation, especially given the Mayor's electoral victory and approval ratings, gives an option that the Mayor should possibly exploit:
Start a Battle of Albany.
The Mayor is fresh off his successes at winning a second (and last unless term limits are changed) term. Governor George Pataki will be out of that office at the end of 2006 as he chases a futile dream of being President. The push for reform in the state government is still out there. And there is still an entire year before the 2006 elections.
The Mayor should take a stand, a very public stand, to fight for the funding that New York City needs. Gifford Miller, the current City Council Speaker who is on his way out, tried to make the gap between tax revenues from the city and funding for the city a focal point of his campaign. However, that did not go very far because he did not go very far as a candidate. Bloomberg has the profile to raise awareness of this issue.
Fight for the city, Bloomberg!
Admittedly, this is likely to be a futile fight, at least in the short term. The Legislature and the Governor can tell Bloomberg to take a long walk off a short plank without any repercussions. After all, that's what Albany has been saying to New York City for years. And while New York City voters can't do anything to replace State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver represents Downtown and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, including the World Trade Center. Additionally, such a fight will send a signal to those seeking to become the next governor that they will have to deal with this issue. It can become an issue early in the campaign season.
Upstate voters will no doubt reject any such proposal since it will take away from the funding they get as a result of the New York City cash cow. However, the key to winning an election for Governor would rest on the unity of downstate New York. The state has seen all of downstate New York as a cash cow. The communities from Westchester County to Long Island and around the city, the very same ones targeted by the commuter tax, also face funding gaps, especially when it comes to providing adequate funding for the MTA, which serves these counties as well.
After being fed up with the ineffective state government in Albany, voters are likely to want change at the Governor's office. The favorite to win the Democratic nomination for Governor is current Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who is from the Bronx in New York City. The October 4th Quinnipiac Poll shows Spitzer leading the contenders for the Republican nomination by large margins. The potential main challenger to Spitzer for the Dem nomination is Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi. Nassau County borders New York City to the east on Long Island and would also be a part of any downstate coalition.
Mayor Bloomberg can be the voice of such a movement to at least close the gap between taxes sent to Albany and funding from the state. As Bloomberg testified on Governor Pataki's 2005-2006 executive budget:
"First of all, let me remind you that residents of the five boroughs already annually pay $11.1 billion a year more in State taxes than we receive in State spending."
The gap alone would cover at least 20 percent of the City's entire budget. It would eliminate budget shortfalls that are expected in the coming years. It would mean that Bloomberg wouldn't have to call for a commuter tax.
The state would benefit as well. Proper funding for things like mass transit will mean that people can cheaply and reliably commute to work or to commercial areas. Businesses will rest assured that employees and customers can easily access their offices and stores. It would mean that the City would not have to levy more taxes that might scare away some businesses and residents. All this would mean that there would be more business in the economic engine of the state. Even half of the funding gap would go a long way.
So, Mayor Bloomberg should fight for this. In fact, he should take a day to go to Albany and publicly argue the case. Maybe the mayor could campaign for this as if he were running for office again. This is how a mayor should stand up for his city. It is almost certain to fail. But maybe it will work by 2007. It is certainly worth a shot. With the funding gap from Albany, there is almost nothing to lose.
Fight for the City, Mayor Bloomberg!
posted by Will at 4:06 AM
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