Colonie Supervisor Paula Mahan said Gov. David Paterson had a poignant message in his Wednesday, Jan. 6, State of the State address, but ultimately results are all that matters.
The address covered jobs, ethics, tax incentives and a number of other issues facing the state.
We need to see plans that are actually going to make this work. That’s what the public is looking for, she said. `The people ultimately decide.`
Paterson discussed hopes to revitalize the state and highlighted a plan to replace the Empire Zone tax credit, which he said is no longer the best plan for New York.
`Unfortunately, the Empire Zone program has outlived its usefulness, which is why we are replacing it with a program that is focused, strategic, accountable, cost-effective and transparent,` Paterson said. `To develop the Excelsior Jobs Program, we spent the last year reaching out to hundreds of businesses and communities across our state to find out how we can best build a program that delivers what it promises.
Paterson said the Excelsior program is the most aggressive job creation program in state history.
Mahan said she supports any initiative to bring high-tech, clean and green jobs to the Capital District, and recalled President Barack Obama’s visit last year, where he spoke about how community colleges and two-year programs can be a good starting point to train people for those jobs.
`Upstate is becoming more and more attractive for that,` Mahan said. `I think we’re on the right path with technology jobs. We’re in a whole new era here.`
Paterson also said New York state has to rein in its spending, as it has not done in recent years.
`Cultures of addiction to spending, power and approval have ruined empires and now they threaten the Empire State,` he said in the State of the State address.
Paterson called a four-year plan, headed by his second in command Richard Ravitch, is `the most reasonable way that we can actually bring state spending into line and government into the right size. It is also the only way to eliminate unnecessary, unfair and unexpected mandates on local governments, hospitals, school districts, and mass transit.`
Mahan agreed with Paterson, and said patience and fiscal discipline are vital to an economic recovery.
`After viewing the whole State of the State address, I definitely agree with the fact that the spending has been out of control,` Mahan said. `We all know the effect that has had on our government. We need some sort of a spending cap.`
Mahan was onboard with Paterson’s plan to reform ethics in Albany, but again noted that results are what counts.
`The Reform Albany Act will have as its centerpiece an independent ethics commission that will have jurisdiction over state government. This commission will have the power to enforce campaign finance and end pay-to-play and bring jurisdiction and oversight to so-called good government groups, who hide their donors behind walls of sanctimony,` Paterson said in his address.
Mahan said ultimately the key to ethics reform is to put people in place who are looking out for the public interest, and not merely for the sake of furthering their own power.
`You have to have people with good integrity and good intentions. These are people who serve the public,` Mahan said.
Although Mahan said she concurred with much Paterson said, the public will expect an end to the `same old` politics. The goals of Paterson’s plan must be closely monitored and if progress is not made soon, the public should expect a new game plan, Mahan said.
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