No one should be surprised that Proposition One, the so-called budget reform package went down in flames last Tuesday. The measure was not reform, but an out and out blatant power grab by the Legislature. It deserved to be killed by the public, that saw it for the ruse it was.
A year after the “Reform Election” that was supposed to prod incumbents towards change, only baby steps have been taken.
Proposition One, drafted before last year's defeat of several incumbents, wasn't really a reform, as much as a way to act like reformers. It should never have been put on the ballot as it was formulated. It is now time to start anew.
While the window for reform by referendum has passed for at least two years (two different sessions of the state Legislature have to pass a measure before it can go on the ballot), the state needs to fix its budget process. There are steps that may be accomplished prior to another referendum being put on the ballot.
Some of the better parts of the defeated measure can be adopted in part or whole. For example the creation of an organization like the Congressional Budget Office at the state level is long overdue. An organization that independently looks at revenue estimates and the costs of programs would go a long way in putting better budgets together.
One of the current problems with the budget process is that separate revenue estimates are made by the Assembly, Senate and governor and often are at odds with each other.
Another item that should be adopted is to make the budget figures that make up the individual department budgets for the executive branch available to the press and public.
A greater degree of financial transparency is long overdue.
By the way these incremental changes, should not suggest that the Legislature not move on another referendum that will fix New York's budget process. The Legislature must put together a reform package and pass it by this time next year, prior to next fall's elections. Voters will get a chance to vote for the 212 members of the New York State Legislature next fall and we should be able to see a detailed referendum that has had an up or down vote by legislators before Election Day, to show us what they are proposing. It has to be more than just talk, as some are contemplating in Albany, since last Tuesday.
Just because Proposition One went down to defeat, does not mean that the Legislature can say, “well we tried and the voters don't really want reform.”
Such an interpretation might be good spin, but would underestimate the capacity of the public to act on getting rid of a handful more legislators in the Fall of 2006 believing that it might just work wonders when it comes to getting real reform.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com
Proposition One, drafted before last year's defeat of several incumbents, wasn't really a reform, as much as a way to act like reformers. It should never have been put on the ballot as it was formulated. It is now time to start anew.
While the window for reform by referendum has passed for at least two years (two different sessions of the state Legislature have to pass a measure before it can go on the ballot), the state needs to fix its budget process. There are steps that may be accomplished prior to another referendum being put on the ballot.
Some of the better parts of the defeated measure can be adopted in part or whole. For example the creation of an organization like the Congressional Budget Office at the state level is long overdue. An organization that independently looks at revenue estimates and the costs of programs would go a long way in putting better budgets together.
One of the current problems with the budget process is that separate revenue estimates are made by the Assembly, Senate and governor and often are at odds with each other.
Another item that should be adopted is to make the budget figures that make up the individual department budgets for the executive branch available to the press and public.
A greater degree of financial transparency is long overdue.
By the way these incremental changes, should not suggest that the Legislature not move on another referendum that will fix New York's budget process. The Legislature must put together a reform package and pass it by this time next year, prior to next fall's elections. Voters will get a chance to vote for the 212 members of the New York State Legislature next fall and we should be able to see a detailed referendum that has had an up or down vote by legislators before Election Day, to show us what they are proposing. It has to be more than just talk, as some are contemplating in Albany, since last Tuesday.
Just because Proposition One went down to defeat, does not mean that the Legislature can say, “well we tried and the voters don't really want reform.”
Such an interpretation might be good spin, but would underestimate the capacity of the public to act on getting rid of a handful more legislators in the Fall of 2006 believing that it might just work wonders when it comes to getting real reform.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com
The Citizens' Say
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