The Remarks of Speaker Sheldon Silver

NYS Conference of Mayors & Municipal Officials
Annual Winter Legislative Meeting

The Crowne Plaza, Albany NY
Monday, February 27, 2006

Mayor Frank Pagano. Mayor Jerry Jennings. Executive Director Peter Baynes. Officers of NYCOM. Mayors. Municipal Officials. Ladies and Gentlemen.

On behalf of my colleagues in the State Assembly...

• The Chairman of our Committee on Local Governments, Assembly Member Bob Sweeney...

• And the new Chairman of our Committee on Cities, Assembly Member Jim Brennan...

I welcome this esteemed Conference back to our Capital City.

Let me begin by acknowledging your host, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings.

Ladies and gentlemen, Albany has been my "home away from home," so I have seen first hand the impact Jerry's leadership has had on the Capital District.

Mayor Jennings, Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, and Assemblyman Jack McEneny have been - and continue to be - key players in this City's rebirth.

In my humble opinion, Mayor, you're just a good, downtown kosher restaurant away from perfection.

I think we are at a point in this State - in this Nation - where there has been so much talk and so little action, the people no longer know what to believe.

There's a fundamental disconnect between the various levels of government and between government and the citizens it is morally obligated to serve.

Think about all that has transpired over the last decade and all of the speeches that you've heard.

Now ask yourselves these questions.

Nearly four-and-a-half years after September Eleventh - how can nothing be happening at Ground Zero?

Why are parents in court trying to force their state to properly educate our children?

How is it possible that our young people - the greatest asset we have - are fleeing their hometowns and leaving their families because there are more and better opportunities outside of the great Empire State.

Is that the New York you grew up with? It's surely not the New York I remember growing up not far from Wall Street.

It's more like a scene from the Wizard of Oz: big rhetoric, just don't look behind the curtain.

This the nature of "BIG TALK" politics.

I and my Assembly Majority colleagues recognize and appreciate the remarkable job you do in meeting the need for every-day government services.

To address this "disconnect," we have stepped up to provide the real leadership New Yorkers need and deserve from their state government.

We have a strong record of pushing through significant increases in unrestricted local aid, both "across-the-board" hikes in revenue sharing, as well as substantial increases in targeted aid to cities and to those municipalities most in need.

In 2006/2007 Executive Budget, the Governor proposes a modest increase in local aid of $50 million. In fact, he actually dictates how these additional local funds must be used.

That is why - on January 23rd of this year - the Assembly Majority unveiled a proposal to add $100 million to the Governor's $50 million, thereby tripling the increase to $150 million that would be added to the AIM program.

Under our plan, all towns, villages and cities - including the City of New York - receive an across-the-board aid increase of 11.8 percent. That's on top of the 11-percent increase the Governor is proposing.

In addition, we provide local governments with a full share of the increase, no strings attached.

When you add our proposals to the Governor's proposal, the largest aggregate increases (22.8 percent) go to the Big Four - Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers - and to distressed cities throughout Upstate New York. In fact, the 15-percent increase our towns and villages will receive would be the largest in recent history.

Speaking of recent history, less than two weeks ago, a high-ranking member of the Empire State Development Corporation testified at a public hearing that the economy is getting stronger and job growth is flourishing throughout the State.

As I said earlier, there is a fundamental disconnect.

We live in an age of information.

Knowledge and innovation are now the driving forces behind economic growth and job creation.

This is the time to be investing in education, higher education, and workforce training.

This is the time to be investing in technologies - such as stem-cell research - that hold the promise of not only curing disease and reducing health-care costs, but generating the cutting-edge jobs our children dream about.

This is the time to use technology to keep our manufacturers and businesses competitive in the global marketplace.

Let's face it, you can't run computers without clean, sufficient reliable and affordable power.

Ironically, it is the lack of energy this Administration has put into leading this state that is forcing New Yorkers to pay the highest utility rates in the continental United States.

For years, the Assembly Majority has been the only government body in this State to advance a comprehensive plan for reducing energy costs.

As part of that plan, last year the Assembly - with unanimous bipartisan support - passed legislation enabling municipalities to purchase their energy from renewable sources.

Soon we will unveil a new and broader energy package that if implemented, will reduce energy usage and thereby reduce energy costs incurred by public buildings, businesses, agricultural entities, as well as residences.

At the same time, we have never lost sight of the fact that energy is more than a job-creation tool. The fact is that heating a home has become too expensive for some New Yorkers to afford.

In January, the Assembly passed legislation to provide an additional $200 million in HEAP funds. This ultimately led to a compromise with the Senate to provide $100 million in emergency funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).

Even in an age of information, building sites and transportation infrastructure remain essential ingredients of a job-producing economy.

The Assembly led the way in creating the Brownfield Cleanup and Revitalization Program.

Most recently, the Assembly advanced legislation permitting localities to waive property tax interest and penalties on sites that participate in the Brownfield Cleanup Program.

Our legislation was subsequently picked up by the Senate and signed in to law in 2005, and should further encourage and assist municipalities in cleaning up brownfields.

In response to complaints from municipalities about the Governor's implementation of the Clean Water/ Clean Air Bond Act - Environmental Restoration Program, the Assembly Majority also initiated changes to make this program more attractive.

For example, we increased the State's share of the clean-up costs from seventy-five percent to ninety percent.

Consequently, the program, which had languished unused since 1996, is now in high demand.

The condition of our state and local transportation infrastructure is critical to well-being of New Yorkers and to the health of our state and local economies.

In the 2005-06 enacted State budget, the Legislature increased the amount of CHIPs capital aid by $6.6 million, for a CHIPs total of $283.3 million. When $39.7 million in Marchiselli aid for municipal streets and highways is included, the amount available in 2005-06 in State capital aid for local roads and bridges totaled $323 million.

This year, the Governor has proposed increasing CHIPs aid by $6.2 million, bringing the total in combined CHIPs and Marchiselli aid to $329.2 million.

I assure you, as we engage in the process of reviewing the Governor's budget proposal, we will keep in mind the ongoing needs of local roads and bridges.

As I have said, this is an information age, but it is also the age of terrorism.

The Assembly has been at the forefront in advocating and providing funding and assistance for our first responders.

In 2005, the Assembly led the charge to reject the Governor's attempt to take 911 surcharge revenues away from local governments. In fact, the Assembly published a report entitled, "First Responders: A Last Priority" to educate New Yorkers to the fact that since September 11th, our first responders have been required to increase their already substantial responsibilities by preparing for threats and emergencies on a scale we had never previously imagined.

Recognizing that, the Assembly has advanced several initiatives to address the most significant problems, including: inadequate federal funding, outdated or obsolete radio communication systems, equipment shortages, and insufficient first responder training.

Because the Governor will not pressure his friends in Washington, we have repeatedly called upon the federal government to provide New York State its fair allocation of federal Homeland Security funding.

The last five years have taught us the importance of being prepared.

On March 9th, the Assembly will holding a public hearing in Utica on disaster preparedness.

We want to know how well municipalities are working with each other and with the State to ensure a coordinated response to a disaster. We look forward to your participation at this public hearing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the question remains, DO YOU STILL BELIEVE IN NEW YORK?

Judging from the last census, thousands of our neighbors have lost their faith.

Believe this: we will bring this State back to life.

Three hundred and nine days from now, New Years Day 2007, our 54th governor will be sworn into office. Irrespective of political allegiances, we must work together to lay a solid foundation from which the new administration can begin its work.

We must work together to restore vibrancy and hope to every city, town and village in our State.

We must work together to re-establish New York as THE LEADERSHIP STATE;

The ACTION STATE;

The CAN DO AND WILL DO STATE.

That is the legacy we should be pursuing. That is the legacy we should leave to our children.

That is the legacy we can build together.

Thank you for listening, and make the most of your day here in Albany.