Gothamist: Mayor Mike to Spitzer: Show NYC the Money!

January 29, 2008

Mayor Mike to Spitzer: Show NYC the Money!

Mayor Bloomberg traveled to Albany yesterday with a delicately phrased but succinct query: Where is our cash you deadbeats? Bloomberg recently explained all city agencies had to undergo belt-tightening in preparation of a downturn of the city's economy. He wasn't prepared to be short-shrifted by Albany, from where the city depends on a certain level of budgetary support.

"We are not asking for anything other than our fair share. But our fair share is what we deserve." Mayor Mike said, inquiring where a half-billion of promised funds had disappeared to with the introduction of Spitzer's budget. Money earmarked for different city agencies have been diverted to other districts in the state, leaving NYC in the unwelcome position of having to slash certain services. The Mayor testified before the state's Ways and Means Committee that reneging on certain budgetary promises would result in the reconsideration of promised municipal tax cuts and school construction. "A deal is a deal...We just can't create money out of thin air."

Half of the state's revenue comes from NYC, but the city only represents 40% of the state population. Bloomberg tried to soft-pedal his criticism, describing Spitzer has a nice guy who was doing the best he could with limited resources. Still, the mayor hit the governor for trying to pit upstate against downstate and said that his budget plans were undemocratic.