Home Page > Editorial and Op-Ed
Real Steps Out Of The Chaos
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:01:00
The bizarre, unnerving ongoing situation in Albany has given New Yorkers quite a bit to worry about in regards to their state government.
Most laughable has been the perversion on all sides of the word “reform.” After 70 years of stasis, Senate Republicans have no credibility on reform, no matter the promises being made. Neither does Pedro Espada, who has yet to learn the meaning of campaign finance, district presence or constitutional residency requirements. Nor does Hiram Monserrate, who has his own history of questionable interaction with the law, from domestic violence to member-item funding while on the New York City Council. Nor do the Democrats, who followed up a decade of forecasting a revolution with reluctant baby steps.
But aside from the less-than-ideal personalities involved and the base lust for power that seems to be driving so much of what has happened and continues to unfold, there are several significant structural failings which facilitated the June disaster: the lack of a lieutenant governor, the obtuse gerrymandering of the state in every direction and the control over government property placed in partisan hands. No matter one’s take on the coup, there should be unanimous agreement on these.
For better or worse, the drama in the State Senate would not have been possible if a lieutenant governor was in place to break tied votes. But in the most technical bit of fallout from Eliot Spitzer’s departure, New York has been without one for 15 months, and will at this point continue to be without one for another 18. Amending the State Constitution to allow for the replacement of a lieutenant governor should be the most obvious and least controversial thing to do, and should really be a no-brainer for a state that has had two governors in the last 40 years resign. Procedures exist to fill vacancies in every other state office. The same should be true for New York’s second-highest officer. This is not for the sake of having a person at the ready for ribbon-cuttings and small-ticket fundraisers: we need a person whose job it is to be ready to assume command—and given the turmoil that has marked David Paterson’s long transition to the top spot, the size of this task could not be more obvious. Perhaps just as importantly, New York seems destined to need a chaperone for the State Senate for years to come—the only outlined duty of the lieutenant governor. The opportunity presented in changing the office, however, should not be lost: this would be the perfect time to weave more than just ad hoc duties into the lieutenant governor’s portfolio. Recognizing what has gone wrong, the senators should take up this cause, and Paterson, a man who used to speak of the importance of the lieutenant governor with great fervor, should be a natural ally.
Next, create a non-partisan redistricting commission. Visions of marauding donkeys and wheezing elephants have understandably become commonplace in senators’ dreams, with the questions of how the lines might be drawn after the next census at the heart of a lot of the agitation thanks to the antiquated, specifically bad government method of letting legislative leaders determine legislative representation. No more. Put the power in the hands of those without a directly vested interest and let the chips and elections fall where they may for the next 10 years and after.
And while things are being peeled away from politicians’ hands, so too should go control over the lights, the television feed and, of course, the mysterious keys to the chamber. Nothing has been more cartoonish amid this insanely cartoonish situation than the fight over these. No one can hear about how much hinged on these without realizing that the driving force behind all this turmoil is power, politics and a “Me! Me! Me!” attitude worthy of a four-year-old hopped up on Pixie Stix. Whatever else happens, everyone should be able to recognize that control over things like this—and e-mail and websites and all the rest—must be given to a responsible adult or two who cannot be ordered around by whoever is in charge at the moment.
There is already enough to do with all the time the coup has wasted this session. But that is no excuse not to start writing the bills that can put these measures into place next January. Planning ahead is not an Albany specialty. Neither is change, nor letting go of power. But among the many things this mess has made clear is the need to begin doing all three.
Most laughable has been the perversion on all sides of the word “reform.” After 70 years of stasis, Senate Republicans have no credibility on reform, no matter the promises being made. Neither does Pedro Espada, who has yet to learn the meaning of campaign finance, district presence or constitutional residency requirements. Nor does Hiram Monserrate, who has his own history of questionable interaction with the law, from domestic violence to member-item funding while on the New York City Council. Nor do the Democrats, who followed up a decade of forecasting a revolution with reluctant baby steps.
But aside from the less-than-ideal personalities involved and the base lust for power that seems to be driving so much of what has happened and continues to unfold, there are several significant structural failings which facilitated the June disaster: the lack of a lieutenant governor, the obtuse gerrymandering of the state in every direction and the control over government property placed in partisan hands. No matter one’s take on the coup, there should be unanimous agreement on these. For better or worse, the drama in the State Senate would not have been possible if a lieutenant governor was in place to break tied votes. But in the most technical bit of fallout from Eliot Spitzer’s departure, New York has been without one for 15 months, and will at this point continue to be without one for another 18. Amending the State Constitution to allow for the replacement of a lieutenant governor should be the most obvious and least controversial thing to do, and should really be a no-brainer for a state that has had two governors in the last 40 years resign. Procedures exist to fill vacancies in every other state office. The same should be true for New York’s second-highest officer. This is not for the sake of having a person at the ready for ribbon-cuttings and small-ticket fundraisers: we need a person whose job it is to be ready to assume command—and given the turmoil that has marked David Paterson’s long transition to the top spot, the size of this task could not be more obvious. Perhaps just as importantly, New York seems destined to need a chaperone for the State Senate for years to come—the only outlined duty of the lieutenant governor. The opportunity presented in changing the office, however, should not be lost: this would be the perfect time to weave more than just ad hoc duties into the lieutenant governor’s portfolio. Recognizing what has gone wrong, the senators should take up this cause, and Paterson, a man who used to speak of the importance of the lieutenant governor with great fervor, should be a natural ally.
Next, create a non-partisan redistricting commission. Visions of marauding donkeys and wheezing elephants have understandably become commonplace in senators’ dreams, with the questions of how the lines might be drawn after the next census at the heart of a lot of the agitation thanks to the antiquated, specifically bad government method of letting legislative leaders determine legislative representation. No more. Put the power in the hands of those without a directly vested interest and let the chips and elections fall where they may for the next 10 years and after.
And while things are being peeled away from politicians’ hands, so too should go control over the lights, the television feed and, of course, the mysterious keys to the chamber. Nothing has been more cartoonish amid this insanely cartoonish situation than the fight over these. No one can hear about how much hinged on these without realizing that the driving force behind all this turmoil is power, politics and a “Me! Me! Me!” attitude worthy of a four-year-old hopped up on Pixie Stix. Whatever else happens, everyone should be able to recognize that control over things like this—and e-mail and websites and all the rest—must be given to a responsible adult or two who cannot be ordered around by whoever is in charge at the moment.
There is already enough to do with all the time the coup has wasted this session. But that is no excuse not to start writing the bills that can put these measures into place next January. Planning ahead is not an Albany specialty. Neither is change, nor letting go of power. But among the many things this mess has made clear is the need to begin doing all three.
