For far too long, Albany has ignored any calls for reform, preferring to take orders from one special interest after another. In fact, five years ago, the Brennan Center at NYU called New York’s Legislature the “most dysfunctional” legislature in America. Business leaders read it. Labor leaders read it. Voters and politicians read it. Statewide elections came and went. And nothing changed.
That is why I created Responsible New York — a group pledged to support challengers who promised to enact reforms and support fiscally responsible policies.
In fact, things got worse.
The 2009 budget process was the most secretive in history and resulted in huge, irresponsible tax increases on New Yorkers at a time when they already faced remarkable economic conditions.
Those tax hikes — without any serious attempts to reign in spending, reform the budget process or change the way Albany does business — is what drove me to move my residency to Florida.
Nonetheless, I love New York and remained committed to finding a better way. Responsible New York continued our dialogue with senators from both parties. We found when these senators talked not about politics but about the state and their districts that they shared the same goals of creating jobs, improving education and providing opportunity for their constituents. We found two brave Democratic senators who were willing to put people above party and results ahead of rhetoric.
As a result, this week, for the first time since that report appeared, something happened. Something changed. Reform has come to the New York state Senate.
The media has focused on the individual legislators and their motives. I understand — and to some extent share — the public’s doubts, but they need to be judged first on what came before (nothing) and also over time to truly judge their impact.
The reforms themselves are both sweeping and meaningful. They range from term limits for the majority leader and committee chairs, to an independent Budget Office, to a true C-SPAN type network with access for independent groups to critique and criticize leadership as well as many more substantive changes. Overall, these reforms will make the Senate more democratic, encourage new and better ideas and actually involve all 62 senators in governing.
These reforms languished for years when Republicans controlled the Senate, and continued to be delayed after Democrats took control of the Senate. That these reforms passed after years of failure was remarkable. How they passed was truly revolutionary.
These reforms were ushered in by a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans who put the people above partisan politics. Amazing.
As with any true reform, not everyone is happy. When the process of changing the Senate began it was met by attempts to close down the motion, a failed attempt to adjourn, the turning off of lights, the cessation of the live video feed and finally an attempt to get state troopers to clear the room. These were disappointing reactions to the will of 32 democratically elected senators finally doing the right thing. Any other subsequent legal action will be nothing but a distraction from doing the people’s business. Rather than attack this coalition, the press and public should give them an opportunity to deliver on these promises.
Responsible New York was founded to fight for reform without regard to party. We did that by helping to bring together an historical coalition that passed remarkable reforms. Of course, this coalition is fragile and there are strong special interests pushing back to protect the status quo.
I have made only one promise to these legislators. It is the same promise I made when we began Responsible New York: to stand with anyone who will fight for reform. Politicians make promises. But I am proud to stand with this bipartisan coalition because they are actually doing something real and tangible about it.
New York has the highest rate of migration of any state in the nation. In fact, people are leaving New York at a rate that is 50% higher than Massachusetts, which has the second highest rate. When more people are leaving than coming in, even politicians should recognize something is wrong. This is a first step — a small but important step — in changing that.
After the headlines and sensational reporting about control and legislative maneuvering there are to key things that happened:
n The New York State Senate now has a bipartisan government unique in our history for putting ideas above partisanship.
n This coalition already delivered real reform that promotes democracy, encouraging new and smarter ideas and an opportunity to change New York.
Together, this has a real chance to break the political stranglehold that special interests have in Albany. These changes are revolutionary by Albany standards but only, in truth, a beginning. But it is a beginning that may lead to a more responsive government.
One important concrete change is that with these rules, reforms and coalition government, all 62 senators will play a role in negotiating the next budget. That means in one fell swoop one of the infamous “three men in the room” is gone. Who’s next? Hopefully there are some members of the state Assembly who are willing to put reform above party and the people above politics.
Tom Golisano is a former candidate for governor, co-owner of the Buffalo Sabres and founder of Responsible New York.