Luke Martland announced his plan on Sept. 8 to revitalize the economy in New York state where he provided steps to fix the budget process, consolidate state agencies and authorities and reducing the salaries of state legislators.
The first step is to make sure we have a balanced budget, Martland, who is running against incumbent Sen. Neil Breslin, D-Delmar, for the 46th district senate seat, said in an interview with the Spotlight. `We need to make sure it’s transparent.`
He said the numbers the state legislators work with `are not accurate` and that the revenue projections are `riddled with gimmicks and math errors.`
In the past, he has proposed to create an independent budget office to provide analysis of legislation to make sure the cost of the bill is revealed and also how it will be funded, adopting the Generally Acceptable Accounting Principles, which are used by the Congressional Budget Office, end sweeps of funding from specific budget lines into a general fund and having an independent budget office or the New York State Comptroller sign-off on the budget, assuring the public that it is balanced.
He also proposed a ten percent pay cut for all legislators and added that if his legislation was not passed, he would take the pay cut anyways.
`Before you make a sacrifice,` he said, `your leaders must make a sacrifice.`
Cutting the salaries of political appointees is another proposal of his and in a press release he stressed that no state government employee would earn more than the governor `in total compensation.`
A reorganization of the state government is another idea prompted by Martland to combine or eliminate state agencies and public authorities that are considered redundant. These findings would be produced over a six to nine month study where the information would be given to the governor where he would carry out the actions of the reorganization, said Martland.
The governor’s power to perform such actions would sunset in two years.
Martland also proposed legislation to establish a temporary Office of Mandate Relief that would end regulations and rules that would be considered obsolete. He said the head of the office would be referred to as `The Repealer` and would be appointed by the governor.
`It’s a two year office,` he explained. `It can annul any rule or regulation.`
Martland said the state government lacks any leadership, which led to the budget being late by fourth months.
`There’s not an established leadership,` he said.
UPDATE:
A response from the Breslin Camp have come in via email from Campaign Spokeman Dan Hornick.
He said that Breslin has been committed to the economy and job creation in upstate New York by voting to reduce property taxes, increasing funding for public schools and highlighted the prior approval bill meant to protect small businesses from rate hikes made by health insurance agencies and HMO’s.
`While others talk about what they would do for the upstate economy,` said Hornick, `Senatore Breslin has been taking concrete steps to foster economic development in the region and continue to do so.“
