I’m sure you’re well aware that I’ve become a bit smitten with judging Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s performance over the past few months. Why? It’s not that I don’t like the guy. He has shown a lot of cheek since he took office, which seems to be reflected in recent polls. On Jan. 1 his public relations staff issued a press release claiming that, “in the 12 months since his inauguration, he has transformed Albany and made government work once again for the people, passing a balanced (on time) budget, capping property taxes, driving innovative regional economic development and enacting historic, fair tax rates etc.” more

Although Thursday’s interfaith forum on economic justice featured an eclectic group of religious leaders from a variety of faiths, the message each provided was surprisingly similar. more

Nine-nine-nine. Sounds like a card game. Unfortunately for me, it’s not. But if you’re like me, you’re totally confused by the Republican presidential candidates’ plans for tax reform. more

On Jan. 5, 2011, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a ceremonial oath of office, promised “to restore New Yorkers’ faith in a capital racked by fiscal turmoil and ethical lapses.” In his State of the State … more

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, of Elmont, is known by many community residents for running for the State Assembly’s 21st District in the 2010 election. The seat was previously held by Assemblyman Tom Alfano, and Pierre-Johnson lost in the primary race to Pat Nicolosi, who was defeated by Assemblyman Ed Ra. 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

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