Spitzer Vows To Carry Out License Policy

Governor Spitzer said he has no intention of retreating from his contentious effort to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, insisting that the new policy would be more widely embraced if New Yorkers had a better understanding of its benefits.

In an interview with The New York Sun, Mr. Spitzer said he is satisfied with the way his administration rolled out the license policy, saying his staff had prepared for the hostile response to his plan from lawmakers, county officials, and the majority of New Yorkers.

Republicans, as well as a smaller number of Democrats in Albany, say they are strongly opposed to issuing licenses and state identification cards to residents who cannot demonstrate their legal presence in the country. Many have also questioned the governor's decision to change the rules starting next year without first convening a public hearing or other forum for debate, and without seeking the support of the Legislature.

In recent weeks, a high-volume debate has erupted over Mr. Spitzer's license policy, with Republican lawmakers vowing to overturn the rules either by legislation or by lawsuit and with at least a dozen county clerks threatening to defy orders handed down by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

On the national scene, the issue has become a rallying cry for anti-immigration activists, who accuse the governor of encouraging law-breakers and jeopardizing public safety. Among the most persistent critics has been a CNN news anchor, Lou Dobbs, who in a Wednesday evening broadcast called Mr. Spitzer a "spoiled, rich kid brat" for carrying out the policy in the face of heavy public disapproval.

Nearly three-quarters of New Yorkers say they oppose issuing licenses to undocumented residents, according to a Siena College poll released on Monday.

"I'm not sure that the number accurately reflects the true public sentiment if it were presented in questions that reflected the underlying facts," Mr. Spitzer told the Sun. "Because when I explain to people that it would require a valid foreign passport and other documentation that could be verified and validated and we will have fewer accidents, lower insurance premiums, and safer streets, people say they support it."

The administration is increasingly trying to make that case to more people.

In early October, the governor devoted a speech to defending the policy. His office has also sought endorsements from terrorism safety experts to try to counter the claim that giving licenses to illegal immigrants presents a security threat. Some speculate that Mr. Spitzer may also turn to television advertisements to further steer public opinion in his favor.

Mr. Spitzer, who in August delivered a lecture on the importance of tempering passion with humility in politics, said the source of his electoral success has been his refusal to be guided by poll results.

"I stand and govern based upon principle, not poll numbers. Humility has nothing to do with caving to poll numbers," he said. "Principle is what I've stood for, for nine years, and that's why I was elected by the largest margin by any governor in history."

The immigrant license issue is just the latest source of tension between the executive chamber and lawmakers, who are scheduled to return to Albany next week for a special legislative session.

The gathering of lawmakers will test Mr. Spitzer's ability to overcome months of deepening political strife and secure agreements on major pieces of his agenda.

Despite the bad blood between Senate Republicans and the executive chamber, the two sides yesterday were negotiating with Assembly Democrats agreements on a range of issues, including a $1 billion capital spending bill, the passage of new campaign finance restrictions, and pay raises for legislators, judges, and statewide officials.

In mid-July, lawmakers and the governor came to a tentative agreement on those issues. It immediately collapsed after the Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, claimed that the governor had backed away from a promise to grant the conference $300 million in capital aid and to approve a $200 million property tax rebate package for elderly New Yorkers.

Brokering the negotiations between the warring parties has been the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, whose aides said he was engaged in "shuttle diplomacy." Sources said Mr. Silver is circulating a new pay raise bill that would grant lawmakers their first salary increase since 1999.

Next week's session could be the last time that lawmakers meet until they reconvene in January, the start of a legislative election year with the potential for more conflict between the governor and Senate Republicans, who are trying to preserve their two-seat majority.

"I said to New Yorkers all through the campaign that moving a status quo that had led to the decline in the state would be noisy and would be bruising. That is exactly what it has been," Mr. Spitzer said.

"That is exactly what I will continue to do, so that I can transform a state that has been on a downward descent," he said. "As I said during the campaign, you don't change the world by whispering."