Editorial

What wasn't in the State of the State

Posted

One thing that can be said about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State speech on Jan. 21 was that he didn’t shy away from most of the hard issues. He addressed topics ranging from teacher evaluations to school aid, airport modernization and other transportation infrastructure improvements, charter schools, the abortion provision of the Women’s Equality Act, and vertical parking structures on Long Island. He knew he would draw hostile fire from opponents.

There will be fierce battles in the Legislature over much of his “Opportunity Agenda” among Democrats, Republicans, social liberals, fiscal conservatives, New York City officials, upstate representatives, Long Island Assembly members and senators, teachers’ unions and business proponents.

Readers ought to focus on a few of the governor’s proposals and form their own opinions on their merits, costs and consequences. We’ll weigh in on topics most relevant to Long Island as the issues are debated.

But before evaluating what was in Cuomo’s speech, we must note what wasn’t there, because it soon eclipsed the discussion of his agenda. The arrest of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, on corruption charges on Jan. 22 revealed a critical omission from the governor’s presentation.

Many citizens wondered last March why Cuomo suddenly shut down the Moreland Commission that he created in July 2013 to investigate public corruption. After nine months, the commission’s work was clearly unfinished, as it seemed to just be getting its first whiff of the rotten, institutionalized sleaze in Albany when the governor announced that in return for some weak ethics legislation agreed to by the leaders of the Senate and the Assembly, all the investigators could go home.

Reasonable, honest people throughout the state knew right away that Cuomo never should have disbanded the commission, and knew that the public explanation was lame, but couldn’t figure out why he did it.

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