David Russell Moore

New York, NY

 
 

Projects & Notes, Semi-Abandoned WP Install

Created Jan. 2011, content is dated. Reachable at @ppolitics or @sanschain on micropublishing.

Micro-publishing

 

NYC and NYS Government Relationship

 
 

Liberating my just-published post on the dreaded commercial social networking service:

NYC folks, please read this important context on the tactically-fraught relationship between our city and state government. I’m glad this was published today in the great Gotham Gazette (their page is definitely worth a “like” if you’re in the area, or want to keep up with city news) -

- on how the city’s funding levels for MTA maintenance, homelessness programs, and more is dependent on Albany budget decisions. So keep in mind of the flow of resources as you’re on a crowded subway or passing a person in need – NYC pays 45% of NYS taxes and receives only 40% of the services, and that 5% difference means billions of tax dollars going to infrastructure (and some economic development programs) upstate. In short, Buffalo roads over Bushwick & Bed-Stuy train service, unless budget allocations happen differently or greater revenue is generated through various systems of tax changes (not necessarily increases on taxpayers). Keep in mind, NYC’s five boroughs have 51 council districts with an average of 165k residents each; Buffalo’s population is about 1.5x as big as Bed-Stuy alone, Rochester’s is 1.25x, etc., and a cost-benefit comparison of upstate road construction vs. NYC public transit can be made more accessible to understandably-frustrated Brooklyn residents who are affected.

And in addition to the political personalities of Albany leaders mentioned in this piece, there are the structural incentives of a state legislature whose ethics policies received a grade of D- in 2015 from the Center for Public Integrity (http://goo.gl/QF6M0d) and other good-gov watchdogs. So below is a first-pass on background from the past year, with many more public-interest steps for our Brooklyn community to take. For example, the Democratic-controlled Assembly’s “transparency workgroup” could push real reforms, Gov. Cuomo could sign a law to strengthen FOIL, and the legislature could close the obscene “LLC Loophole” in financial disclosure.

Eventually, money-in-politics organizers could push state legislators and their staffs to adopt NYC’s opt-in public financing system for more-fair elections, where qualifying candidates receive 6-1 matching funds from a city program (http://www.nyccfb.info/program). More info on latest ethics reforms recommendations from Common Cause NY (http://goo.gl/le8hxk), and use our non-profit Askthem platform to ask public questions – send anyone you know upstate a link to their Assemblymember’s profile page (http://goo.gl/VhcGxK), to petition them and Speaker Carl Heastie (of the Bronx) on real Albany ethics reforms.

 
 
 

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