Are you better off today than you were four years ago? That’s a tough question for New Yorkers to answer yes to.
Under Gov. Cuomo, the economic needle has barely moved, with growth that ranks well below the national average and was 46th among states last year.
By contrast, his opponent offers a bold platform the Empire State desperately needs. So today, The Post heartily endorses GOP challenger Rob Astorino for governor.
Yes, Cuomo’s done some good: He slowed Albany spending growth, passed a property-tax cap and cut some taxes. New York’s perennially late budgets, a symbol of Albany dysfunction, now seem like history. And he recently stood up for kids over unions by backing charter public schools.
Yet too often Cuomo undermined his own gains. He failed, for instance, to offer local mandate relief to make his property-tax cap work. He broke his vow to let the upper-income-tax surcharge fully expire.
Then there’s corruption. New Yorkers hoped the governor’s Moreland Commission would clean up Albany. Instead, the governor ditched the panel and changed his story about its independence. Now a US attorney is probing the governor’s actions.
Meanwhile, Astorino as Westchester county executive has done much to rein in spending, cutting operating costs 3.4 percent over his first four years. That helped him hold down property taxes — and win re-election in a heavily Democratic bastion.
Astorino wants to slash New York’s top income-tax rate, reduce the number of tax brackets from eight to two and make the property-tax cap permanent.
To pay for this, he’d grant mandate relief, end corporate welfare, reform Medicaid and offer public workers 401(k)-style pensions. And he’s not afraid to say he would OK fracking.
How sad Cuomo refused to debate Astorino one-on-one, denying voters a chance to hear them spell out their sharp differences and how exactly they intend to help New Yorkers better their lives.
All the more reason to pull the lever for Rob Astorino next Tuesday.