Yogi Berra, who caught for the New York Yankees for more than 19 years, is known for his sage advice. more

A good friend who is a retired attorney recommended I take a look at the new “Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011” (PIRA) that was a dominant theme of the governor’s pre-election ethics reform campaign. more

This column reviews the “Annual Report on Public Authorities in New York State,” just released by the Authorities Budget Office (ABO). Its publication is probably one of Albany’s best kept secrets. more

My last two columns, “As promised: keeping tabs” (June 30 – July 6) and “Is the bloom off the rose?” (July 21-27) provided information to evaluate the session-ending accomplishments of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Two fundamental questions were raised. Has there been a real transformation in addressing the way the “people’s business” is being managed in Albany? Do our political leaders really understand that the state of New York is still headed down a path of fiscal instability and requires levels of real reform hardly evident to date? more

In 2004, the Brennan Center for Justice and New York University’s School of Law released a report describing the New York Legislature as “the most dysfunctional state [government] in the nation.” It was an excellent critique and its findings were well founded. more

Months of research for 13 Herald columns focusing on fiscal reform culminated on April 14 when their author, Hal Peterson of Rockville Centre, was joined by experts charged with the oversight of New … more

On April 14 from 10 a.m. - noon at the Rockville Centre Public Library, the public is invited to join Herald guest columnist Hal Peterson as he leads a forum on returning New York state to a path of meaningful fiscal reform. more

On April 14 I will host a meeting in the Rockville Centre Public Library to discuss the need for meaningful reform with representatives from two state agencies and former Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman. more

In his State of the State address, Gov. Andrew Cuomo authorized two committees, one reviewing Medicaid spending; the second, needed relief from costly and burdensome state mandates. more

I have to admit, I’m having a problem understanding how, in just 33 working days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team was able to recommend 79 cost cutting measures to save $2.3 billion in the upcoming budget. I’ll address this concern from three viewpoints. 
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