At first glance, it has the look and sound of a cliché: “taking government to the people,” putting “people first” and trying to turn Albany into a “people friendly” capital.
But if you take New York State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith at his word, the terms wouldn’t be seen as the usual words from an elected official but a pledge to be followed in the months and the years ahead. That’s provided, of course, that he gets his wish.
For as one of the most powerful elected officials in the Empire State articulated it, his goal and that of the Democratic leadership of the legislature is to draw a line in the sand, making a sharp departure from the politics and “gridlock” of the past decade, when the Republicans controlled the executive branch and the State Senate and the Democrats maintained their grip on the Assembly.
“We want to put the people first and I am very optimistic about that,” was the way the new Majority Leader put it. “We will pass legislation that will be very people friendly and show people that we are putting them first and cutting out special interests.”
With Democrats holding the key leadership positions in Albany – Governor David Paterson now in the Governor’s mansion; Sheldon Silver, the long-standing Assembly Speaker; and Smith, the representative of the 14th Senatorial District in Queens now leading the upper chamber – Smith, the son of a Jamaican father, Clifford Smith, and a Kittitian mother, Dorothy Smith, is confident it wouldn’t be business as usual.
“There is no question that there would be times when the Governor, myself and the Speaker will not be in the same place,” he said. “But, unlike what happened in the past, we will continue to negotiate and discuss and try to get to a place that we can come to a resolution that may not give everybody what they want, but by putting the people first that’s what the alliance of Democrats would do.”
However, Senator Smith, a member of the legislature since the turn of the 21st century would be the first to admit that the state’s pressing economic problems, specifically the looming $18 billion budget deficit, will put his goals to the test.
That’s because of the “pain” of budget cuts, which must be shared by almost everyone. The need to cut state funding for vital services in order to meet the legal mandate of balancing the state budget would require sacrifices.
“We will make some cuts, no question,” he said. “But we don’t want to be penny wise and pound foolish. We want to be pretty clear about where we make the cuts.”
Take the case of education, a driving force that enables New Yorkers, whether immigrant or native born, to achieve a better life for themselves and their children.
Talk to people in the 14th Senate District and they would be the first to credit the Majority Leader with bringing home the bacon, helping to spur economic growth and social development in his constituency and that occurred long before he won the Senate seat in 2000.
For instance, he channeled millions of state funds to the District to help improve its schools, upgrade and expand affordable housing and boost economic activity.
But with the gap between the rising costs of delivering state services and the declining revenues a major impediment, Smith contends cuts are inevitable, including in education.
“Education is going to require a great deal of effort and looking into,” he said. “We went ahead and for fought for education programs and funding in New York City. We finally got a lawsuit resolved and completed so we can get education back on track. But when we finally should get the money from the lawsuit there is the issue of cuts in funding for education. That’s going to take quite a lot of work.”
The lawsuit to which he referred was a court battle that basically charged Albany with under funding New York City schools. A State Supreme Court judge ruled several years ago that the suit had merit and ordered Albany to change course and provide the funds for the City’s schools.
The Majority Leader considers education to be a vital service and points with pride to his backing for charter schools and his founding of Peninsula Preparatory Academy in the Rockaways as evidence of what can be done and his commitment to it. He also cited his own track record in Fordham University’s classrooms, his Bachelor of Science degree and his Master’s in Business Administration awarded by Adelphi University as evidence of what can be achieved.
“Education is essential if you are to succeed in society,” he said.
Even so with, the size of the state’s deficit, few areas, if any, would remain untouched.
Like education, health services are also going to feel some of the pain and the crucial question is where the reductions would occur.
“Education and health are two areas that would be cut, there is no question,” he said. “But it can’t simply be a matter of five or 10 percent cut straight across the board. There will be shared sacrifices.”
To instance, State Senator Smith has cut the State Senate’s budget in order to “send a signal to the rest of the government that we plan to lead by example,” pure and simple.
“So whether it is three percent in education or in health, it has to be done surgically,” the Majority Leader argued. “These are tough times and we all have to share the pain right now. If we share in the pain in the right way and make the right and smart decisions on how we spend out money, when prosperous times come back around and we know they will we can all share in the benefits.”
And when will the good times return?
He is betting that they would be back by next year or in two years. Smith struck a note of caution, insisting the money New York should receive in 2009 from Washington and the Barack Obama Administration wouldn’t be a continuous stream of funds every year that would avoid any budget reductions. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“That’s a one shot deal. We are not going to get a stimulus package every year,” he warned. “We have to get used to the reality when it comes to the size of our budget and what we will be able to spend.”
Apart form balancing the budget, what are Smith’s priorities?
