Paterson Standing By Unilateral Cuts

By Karen DeWitt

Albany, New York – Governor Paterson continues to stand by his decision to unilaterally withhold $750 million dollars in payments to schools and local governments, saying "chaos" would ensue if he did not act. Meanwhile, a new poll finds that the governor's tough talk on the budget has gained him some credit with voters.

Paterson says if he had not acted unilaterally to cut a scheduled payment to schools and local governments by 10% and a STAR property tax reimbursement payment by another 19%, the state would have been insolvent by December 29th.

"We are actually saving the people of the State of New York from absolute chaos," said Paterson. "Where there's no government at all."

Paterson seemed prepared for any legal action that schools or municipalities may take, saying he's spent down the state's rainy day fund and taken other actions to prove to any court that the withholding of the promised school and local aid payments was necessary. The governor, at an event announcing the cuts, said without the actions, he'd be "kiting" checks, and so he was left with no other option.

The Governor was joined by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Monday, at an event to announce an economic development program, Silver backed Paterson's unilateral cuts, saying it's the governor's job to manage the state's cash as "he sees fit".

The Speaker says Assembly Democrats had supported Paterson's initial plan to cut aid to schools and health care during a month of special sessions held to address the fiscal crisis. Senate Democrats did not back that proposal, and the final agreement between the governor and the legislature fell short by half a billion dollars.

The Leader of the State Senate, John Sampson, did not attend the event, the third time in recent days that the Senator has been absent from a Paterson press conference.

While Paterson refrained from criticizing the legislature Monday, he's had harsh words for lawmakers in recent weeks, and did not hesitate to castigate them when he made the announcement of the unilateral cuts, saying they made the "wrong choice" and "walked away" from the hard decisions.

The governor's tough stance on the budget cuts may be helping his image with New Yorkers. A Siena College poll released Monday finds that, for the first time in months, Paterson's favorability rating has increased, to 36%.

"That's the good news for the governor," said Siena's Steve Greenberg, who says the bad news is that the governor's job performance numbers have only "inched up" to 22%.

At the same time that Paterson's poll numbers are rising slightly, the Siena survey finds that more New Yorkers, by a 59% to 37% margin, agree with state legislators who blocked the governor's proposal to deeply cut school aid and health care programs in the deficit reduction package.

Paterson still trails far behind State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, the most popular politician in the state with a 67% approval rating, is expected to be a candidate for governor in 2010.