Lessons in NYS governance
I wonder how many other people, like me, are starting to pay closer attention to the way our state is governed as a consequence of the drivers licenses for illegals debacle?
I’ve learned, for instance, that our state government sets aside discretionary funds — called “member items” or local grants. They’re controlled by the heads of various state agencies. And are used to twist arms during political fights.
It’s an issue now because Spitzer has apparently changed his mind about how $100,000 from one such fund, under the control of the state health commissioner, is going to be spent.
A little over a month ago, an email from Spitzer’s administration seemed to promise that the money would go to a health clinic for the poor in a Republican-controlled state district outside of Schenectady.
Now, in the wake of the Republican rebellion against the drivers license scheme, the money has been pulled.
Here’s a thorough article article about it from the Albany Times-Union.
In past years, the health clinic got money from a discretionary fund controlled by the state health commissioner. But as part of what he said was an effort to make spending more transparent, Spitzer, who took office in January, did away with these multimillion-dollar pots of money controlled by agency heads and put them in the state budget as line items.
The governor said he would use money left over from 2006 to fund some requests from local lawmakers, which is what Tedisco sought in August, after he realized the clinic’s traditional funding source no longer existed.
Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco claims the funds were cut to retaliate against Republicans who oppose drivers licenses for illegals. And he’s produced a Sept. 6 email from Spitzer’s office that states “we’re prepared to process this project along with the other items.”
So what have we learned here?
First, Eliot “Steamroller” Spitzer is busy punishing people who disagree with him on the license for illegals issue — despite the fact that it’s Spitzer who is out of step with the majority of New Yorkers.
Which is fine. All’s fair in love & politics etc. etc.
But what doesn’t sit so well is that it appears Spitzer’s been caught in a lie:
Spitzer officials said they told Tedisco earlier this year that his district wouldn’t receive additional funding for new projects and the Republican had an opportunity to designate money for the cause if he wanted to.
“There was no effort to retaliate against Mr. Tedisco,” said Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson.
Suuuuure there wasn’t.
That isn’t going to prop Spitzer’s standing any.
The other thing we’ve learned here is that the government of the heaviest-taxed state in the US plays budget games to hide its pork spending.
It’s one thing for the health commissioner to budget money to a clinic — a clinic staffed by retired physician volunteers btw. But here are some other tidbits about these member items, from the Times-Union piece:
The other items included additional grants requested by Tedisco, including $90,000 for a bicentennial celebration in Ballston Spa; $10,000 to buy boats for the Scotia Glenville Rowing Association; and $50,000 toward an elevator at the Italian American Heritage Association. None of the items, totaling $482,548, was approved for funding.
Isn’t it nice to know that the money sent to Albany by the most heavily taxed citizens in the country are going to fund rowboats and parades?
I’m pleased that Spitzer moved these funds items to the state budget. And I’m not terribly sympathetic to pols who find themselves vulnerable, now, to having their 2006 money cut.
They put themselves in that position when they latched onto the teat in the first place.
But I also have to wonder how eager Spitzer will be to give up this political weapon now that he’s had need to use it.
I, for one, will be paying close attention.
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