Budget is not a “bad” word. But when it comes to politics,
it’s often treated like one. At his most recent State of the State (yes that is
a thing), Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced his proposed budget for
2016-2017. With instantly mixed and polarized reviews, Governor Cuomo has a
long battle in front of him if he hopes to pass his fiscal plan. The budget
ultimately must pass the state legislature, a daunting task when the diversity
of New York State interests is taken into consideration. From the smaller
cities of Albany and Utica to the millions living in and around New York City
to the environmentalists concerned with the future of the largest park in the United
States, a single budget controls public education, transportation, healthcare,
and infrastructure.
So what does this mean for the Adirondacks? According to
William Janeway, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council in Elizabethtown,
the proposed budget is a huge victory for the state park. The Environmental
Protection Fund (EPF) will receive a $133 million increase, pushing its total
capital to over $300 million for the first time ever. Among other things, the
umbrella of the EPF includes funds to support invasive species control, purchase
new park land, and create a new “Climate Resilient Farms” program. If passed by
the legislature, Governor Cuomo’s budget would be an unprecedented step in
recent history for government attention towards the Adirondacks.
For better or worse however, major political decisions do
not revolve only around the best interests of the Park. And plenty of New
Yorkers are not excited about a budget that will put Public College funding at
risk and essentially increased financial strain on NYC. Maria Doulis of the
nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission, said “For New York City, I think this
is one of the worst budgets that it’s seen in a long time.” The Daily News wished
Mayor de Blasio luck in winning the Powerball (maybe then he could afford the
bill).
It’s clear that there isn’t unanimous support behind the budget,
but when do legislative moves ever have unanimity in todays political
landscape? Pass or fail on the State floor, this budget represents at least a
new vested interest in the Adirondacks. New interest can be good, but from a
political perspective it can also represent opportunism. It is impossible to
guess what Governor Cuomo’s agenda behind prioritizing the Adirondacks is… but
for now it’s nice to know someone is willing to go for bat for the ever
important park.
This is really interesting, I wonder what encouraged the increased interest in protecting the park? The Climate Resilience Farms sound especially cool, it would be interesting to look more into those. It is too bad that more protection for the park means sacrificing funding for New York City. This definitely emphasizes the contrast between the city and the park, and how they're such separate worlds but still in the same state.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I have never written a budget before and I cannot imagine how hard it is to convince people with different priorities to come to an agreement. I am happy knowing that Governor Cuomo is setting aside more money for the Adirondacks, but I do feel sympathy for Maria Doulis. The public college education in NYC is going to be negatively impacted, but unfortunately it is a reality that money allocated to one entity means that it is simultaneously taken from another. After all, money does not grow from trees...
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you brought in the comparison between the funding of the state park and the funding of the education system. It sets up an interesting debate over what is more important: The future of the planet to which we will give our children, or the future of our children. Which one is more important? Sure, both can receive funding, but an increase in funding to one will show partiality over what the state believes is more important. I do find it a little crazy that they have nearly doubled the funding that the Adirondack park received. Maybe they should have started their budget increase in a smaller increment.
ReplyDelete