ALBANY – One would expect Democratic public officials to support Governor Andrew Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, but that was not necessarily the case in the case of the governor’s state of the state address on Wednesday.
Republican Senators John Bonacic and William Larkin are standing with the governor. Bonacic said “now is the time for Republicans and Democrats to come together to do the peoples’ work.” Bonacic was “particularly glad to hear” the proposal to spend $34 million to upgrade facility at Stewart Airport.
Larkin said he will work with the governor “on issues that I believe will make our state a better place to live, work and visit.”
Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Cahill has concerns about what the governor had to say.
“His discussion about the finances was, to me, the most troubling because he talked about addressing the financial crisis; converting taxes to a charitable contribution,” Cahill said. “That’s the kind of gimmick that the federal government would see right through and disallow immediately. The idea is that we have to come up with real solutions and we haven’t heard of any so far.”
Democratic Assemblyman James Skoufis said he supports efforts to shift the state’s income tax structure to a system that will preserve federal deductions. “Capping state and local tax (SALT) deductions hits middle-class districts like the one I represent square in the nose and I’ll fight to do everything I can to enact a workaround.”
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus, a Republican, said the next major Cuomo speech will be even more important.
“I look at the governor’s budget address, which will be coming out in three or four weeks, which will really outline the meat and potatoes of how you are going to make this all work in his own mind,” Neuhaus said.
Republican Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor kept up his criticism of the governor.
“Something I would have liked to hear in his speech, desperately needed in New York State – two words- spend less,” Lalor said. “I didn’t hear that. I heard about the $4 billion budget gap that we are going to be facing – could be bigger by the time we get to it – but I didn’t hear any ideas to close that gap. How are we going to spend less? How are we going to be more efficient?”
Another Republican, Assemblyman Karl Brabenec, said, “It has become increasingly clear as the months roll on that Governor Cuomo is using the office of the governor to run for the office of president.” Brabenec said the governor’s lost of proposals “is more of the same circus we are accustomed to seeing, posturing of empty promises with no known legislative backing or funding mechanisms.”
