Gov. Cuomo’s combined State of the State Address and budget presentation Wednesday left us wondering: What’s really on his agenda? It’s not even clear if he knows.
The hyperactive 90-minute ramble touched on just about everything, much in big ways: from his $100 billion worth of transportation upgrades to his plans for the homeless, $15 minimum wage and ethics reforms. Oh, yeah: The gov also rolled out a $145 billion budget for the year.
You could say he was all over the map, but the map would have to be pretty big.
Indeed, the speech seemed to have something to please everyone — except maybe blowhard Assemblyman Charles Barron, who got kicked out for heckling.
Cuomo wants voters to see his plans as big, bold leadership. It’s more a giant cry for attention — because it’s impossible to know which proposals he means to fight for.
Sure, some of his ideas have potential: Force all corrupt lawmakers to forfeit their state pensions (a fix the Assembly welshed on last year). Limit lawmakers’ outside income to 15 percent of their pay. Those steps might help start to clean up Albany.
And, Lord knows, the Empire State needs to rebuild its roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and train stations. But even in Albany, $100 billion is real money.
How will Cuomo pay for it all? Volume?
He even hopes to set aside $10 billion over the next five years for 100,000 “affordable housing” units across the state. What’s up with that? It seems like an ill-advised bid to best Mayor de Blasio’s promise of 80,000 new units in the city over 10 years.
All this raises a question: Does Cuomo even care if his ideas work?
Last week, he bragged about Rochester’s economic comeback. But when a reporter noted Rochester has 40,000 fewer jobs today than in the ’90s, the gov dismissed her as a “cynic.”
“When was the last time you heard the state” say it was going to invest $500 million in Rochester? he asked. “Never. So these are tangible, evidentiary facts that say Rochester is on the way back.”
Memo to the gov: New York needs results — not big, bold plans that help no one . . . except, maybe, you.