Archive: Opinions

New York State voters have placed their hopes in Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo's favorability rating jumped to 70% after his State of the State address on Jan. 5, when he outlined his plans to cut state spending, cap property taxes and impose strict new ethics reforms, a Siena College poll found. "After two weeks as governor, Cuomo's honeymoon is in full swing," said Siena poll spokesman Steven Greenberg.

Gov. Cuomo will need all the support he can get as he braces for his first budget war against the State Legislature in Albany. Cuomo's popularity, his highest since June 2009 when he was attorney general, spans the political spectrum, with an unprecedented 60% of Republicans viewing him favorably. Only 17% of those questioned viewed him unfavorably.

The majority of New Yorkers see him as a moderate. Nearly 68% say they trust Cuomo to do the right thing for the state, compared to just 17% who have confidence in the Legislature's ability to achieve a meaningful financial recovery according to the Siena poll.

Some 70% of respondents said Cuomo's decision to reduce his salary and the pay of several top aides by 5% sets a good example that will help him negotiate other reductions in the state budget. About 29% viewed this 5% reduction in salary as a political stunt adding that he was grandstanding to make himself look good. All politics aside, it is a good sign, and a first for any governmental official in Albany.

Governor Cuomo's real problem is not with the minority of those polled who dislike him and his policies, but with the majority in the Legislature. Albany's dysfunction seems to be a formidable stumbling block for most politicians. Both former Governors Patterson and Pataki discovered this the hard way when they attempted to trim our state's budget and reign in spending by implementing across the board cuts in state jobs.

If history is an indicator of success, Governor Cuomo will have a real battle with those in Albany. About half believe that Cuomo will succeed in uniting Republicans and Democrats to work together for the benefit of the state, while 46% said Albany is still too dysfunctional to fix in 12 months.

The Governor has already laid out some startling numbers with a proposal to cut 15,000 state jobs. Unions and their backers will not stand by idly and allow any cuts. In fact, they will launch their own barrage of commercials, billboards, and other ads depicting near apocalyptic outcomes if jobs are cut in any sector of government. This barrage against anyone who would suggest a cut in jobs worked well in previous administrations, and might prove the greatest obstacle facing the Cuomo administration.

With an ever decreasing state census and businesses choosing to relocate to states with friendlier tax laws, we face a truly uncertain future. I wish the Governor well in his attempt to reform Albany. If he can straighten out our financial mess estimated at 9 billion dollars, reign in spending, and teach our elected officials basic economics, he won't have to worry about his ranking in any poll. He will be the hero for all of New York. And that is to the point.

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