Spitzer Planning To Overhaul State's Budget Timetable
By JACOB GERSHMAN,
Governor Spitzer is looking to get a running start on next year's budget battle by releasing major pieces of his 2008-09 fiscal plan in the fall, while lawmakers are out of session, sources say.
While governors in the past have offered the public limited previews of portions of their budget weeks before the mid-January budget deadline, Mr. Spitzer is looking to overhaul the budget timetable.
The governor may be betting that such a strategy will strengthen his hand by providing him an empty stage on which to promote his budget, instead of having to compete for public attention amid the din of the Legislature.
The aim among administration officials is that by the time lawmakers have returned from their holiday break in January, Mr. Spitzer will have taken the lead in the debate, giving the governor an edge in the public relations battle.
This year, Mr. Spitzer's first budget came under immediate and steady attack by Senate Republicans, who accused the governor of shortchanging hospitals and Long Island school districts. Mr. Spitzer, who had less than a month after he was inaugurated to craft his budget, ended up yielding to a number of legislative demands.
The governor, who was criticized for the secrecy of this year's negotiations, is also planning to hold public hearings on his proposals before the end of the year, according to a source familiar with his new budget strategy.
"The purpose is to avoid what happened this year," the source said.
The early release of the budget is just one component of a broader shift in strategy by the governor.
After railing against lawmakers for not passing his proposal to tighten campaign finance laws, Mr. Spitzer has recently sought to adopt a more conciliatory stance in his public appearances.
The governor was a model of politeness at last week's meeting with legislative leaders, maintaining his composure even while the Republican Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, complained that the whole meeting was a waste of his time.
Mr. Spitzer is aiming to score a bunch of legislative victories in coming weeks on issues ranging from power plant siting to family leave benefits to school food standards.
His administration is hoping that the victories will give Mr. Spitzer the political capital to spend in longer-term battles to achieve high priority goals, such as campaign finance reform, which is facing resistance by Senate Republicans.
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O'DONNELL TO INTRODUCE GAY MARRIAGE BILL
New York is inching closer to becoming the first state to legalize gay marriage through a legislative process.
A Democratic assemblyman, Daniel O'Donnell, this week is set to introduce a gay marriage bill put forward by the Spitzer administration. Mr. O'Donnell told The New York Sun that the bill has 53 co-sponsors, which is 23 lawmakers short of the number required for the bill to pass the 150-member, Democrat-controlled Assembly.
Mr. O'Donnell said 20 other lawmakers have privately told him they would support the bill if Speaker Sheldon Silver allows a floor vote. Mr. Silver has said he needs to better gauge the sentiment of his Democratic colleagues toward gay marriage before he decides whether to bring the legislation for a vote.
Mr. O'Donnell said the "chances are excellent" that the bill will pass the Assembly this year. The legislation has about 10 more sponsors than a similar bill that had been working its way through the Assembly before Mr. Spitzer came out with his own version.
Supporters of the legislation say Assembly Democrats are more likely to pass the bill this year than next, when they face re-election.
Even if the Assembly votes to legalize same-sex marriage, the bill has very little chance of becoming law this year, with Senate Republicans firmly opposed to its passage.
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SPITZER TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT AIPAC DINNER
Mr. Spitzer is slated to be the keynote speaker at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's young leadership gala dinner on June 21. Mr. Spitzer, who is Jewish but not observant, will be speaking along with Israel's ambassador to America, Sallai Meridor.
Attendees who donate to AIPAC at least $10,000 are to receive a private introduction and photo opportunity with Mr. Spitzer, according to a gala invitation form.
