Paterson for New York

January 27, 2010

Gov. David Paterson, apparently emboldened by recent successes, now is vowing to go around the state Legislature to accomplish his agenda if needed.

“When the Legislature won’t act, I will,” he said Tuesday at “Answering to Upstate,” an Editorial Board meeting with representatives from newspapers around upstate New York and held at WXXI’s studio.

It’s good to see Paterson determined to push his tough fiscal agenda, but the question remains on how much he can accomplish with both the Legislature and special interests lined up to do battle against him. That’s why citizens must be vocal about the need for fiscal reform. The fact that this is an election year shouldn’t matter; tough budget decisions will keep New York from going the way of California.

Paterson didn’t fully answer questions of how he can achieve his agenda, but he cited his work to close the budget deficit when legislators failed in December. In that case, Paterson delayed payments to local governments and stood strong against some fierce criticism.

With the Legislature refusing to raise the cap on the number of charter schools in the state, Paterson said he is looking into raising the cap himself by inserting the change into the state budget.

Paterson should continue to find ways to usurp the Legislature on matters that put the state on firmer fiscal footing, especially given that the state faces a $60 billion deficit over the next five years.

Paterson pointed out that legislators are caught between doing what’s right for the state and appeasing special interests such as school districts that have $1.5 billion in reserves but complain about budget cuts.

Some legislators recognize that tough choices must be made, Paterson acknowledged. More need to join their ranks, and citizens must keep on the pressure.