Dear friends of fiscal sanity,

There can be no sugarcoating it.

Last Tuesday was one of the worst days in electoral memory in New York. 

In addition to President Obama sweeping New York by a wide margin, as expected, fiscally responsible incumbents were defeated at the polling places all over the state, and promising fiscal conservatives who were expected to win or closely compete ended up losing in a presidential-year voting tsunami.

In a single night, many of the gains New Yorkers for Growth has helped achieve over the past four years were undone. 

Despite our best efforts -- and the extraordinary work of our endorsed candidates -- tens of millions of union dollars, coupled with party-line voters, proved to be too much.

Of New Yorkers for Growth's six endorsed Assembly candidates, only one, Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, was victorious. Our senate candidates fared slightly better, with two of five winning and one race still too close to call.  (A list of the candidates and outcomes is below.)

We are seeing in this state the same thing we are seeing across the country: Those feeding off government largesse electorally dominating ordinary Americans who pay government's bills. It is an unsustainable dynamic.

We at New Yorkers for Growth remain alarmed at the leftward tilt of the state and nation and can only pick ourselves up from Tuesday's losses and move on. As responsible Americans, we cannot give up.

Thank you for all your help and hard work throughout the 2012 election cycle. We did not achieve what we wanted to, but we held our flag high and put up a fight. Sometimes that's all you can do.

There will be other fights ahead and we need to re-gather our strength. 
Please feel free to go to our Facebook page and leave your comments and thoughts about the election!

NYS Assembly:

1. Dave Byrne, 106th A.D., Hudson Valley. (defeated)
2. Bob Castelli, 93rd A.D., Westchester. (defeated)
3. Kim Izzarelli, 95th A.D., Westchester. (defeated
4. Steve McLaughlin, 107th A.D., Capital Region. (won)
5. Bill Villanova, 91st A.D., Westchester. (defeated)
6. Jennifer Whalen, 110th A.D., Capital Region. (defeated)

NYS Senate:
1. George Amedore, 46th S.D., Capital Region. (too close to call)
2. Phil Boyle, 4th S.D., Suffolk County. (won)
3. Bob Cohen, 37th S.D., Westchester. (defeated)
4. Sean Hanna, 55th S.D., Rochester Region. (defeated)
5. Kathy Marchione, 43rd S.D., Rensselaer/Columbia/Saratoga. (won)

Are you considering your final checks to candidates? Remember the problem that is New York State. New Yorkers now live in THE MOST TAXED STATE in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation. See the article in the NY Torch.

Now, more than ever, New York needs to elect candidates who are deserving protectors of New York's taxpayers . NYFG has vetted these candidates' views on fiscal policies. Help us get them elected:

NYS Assembly:
1. Dave Byrne, 106th A.D., Hudson Valley. www.dave4ny.com
2. Bob Castelli, 93rd A.D., Westchester. www.bobcastelli.com
3. Kim Izzarelli, 95th A.D., Westchester. www.kimfor95th.com
4. Steve McLaughlin, 107th A.D., Capital Region. www.steve4ny.com
5. Bill Villanova, 91st A.D., Westchester. www.billvillanova.us
6. Jennifer Whalen, 110th A.D., Capital Region. www.whalenforassembly.com

NYS Senate:
1. George Amedore, 46th S.D., Capital Region. www.georgeamedore.com
2. Phil Boyle, 4th S.D., Suffolk County. www.boyleforsenate.com
3. Bob Cohen, 37th S.D., Westchester. www.bobcohen2012.com
4. Sean Hanna, 55th S.D., Rochester Region. www.hannaforsenate.com
5. Kathy Marchione, 43rd S.D., Rensselaer/Columbia. www.marchione2012.com

NYFG is the only group whose sole interest is to support candidates who believe in
reducing spending, lowering taxes, and not adding to debt and, if you send us your contributions, we can continue to represent the interests of taxpayers in Albany. Donate here.

Here's one of our endorsed candidates for Assembly, Kim Izzarelli, speaking the truth about Albany's recent hike on taxes for high earners, which her Democratic opponent -- and an incredible number of incumbents in Albany --straight-facedly describe as a tax cut for all.  She also goes after the Triborough Amendment, a law that heavily favors public unions against the taxpayers in union negotiations.

Read it here.

To help us help Kim Izzarelli and our other endorsed candidates for Assembly and Senate, please donate to New Yorkers for Growth here.

New Yorkers for Growth, an organization committed to bringing fiscal responsibility to New York State government, announced that it has endorsed six candidates for New York State Assembly.

Those candidates are:

1. David Byrne, candidate for the 106th A.D. in the Hudson Valley;
2. Bob Castelli, candidate for the 93rd A.D. in Westchester;
3. Kim Izzarelli, candidate for the 95th A.D. in Westchester;
4. Steve McLaughlin, candidate for the 107th A.D. in the Capital Region;
5. Bill Villanova, candidate for the 91st A.D. in Westchester; and
6. Jennifer Whalen, candidate for the 110th A.D. in the Capital Region.

Assemblymen Castelli and McLaughlin are incumbents we endorsed in the past. They are strong and much-needed voices for fiscal conservatism in an Assembly replete with spendthrift liberals.  Let's keep Castelli and McLaughlin working for New York!  Candidates Byrne, Izzarelli, Villanova, and Whalen will be new to the Assembly, but New Yorkers would be lucky to have them in office, given their stances and backgrounds as fiscal reformers.

New Yorkers for Growth is a fiscal watchdog group that supports candidates who, regardless of party, favor and vote for lower taxes, reduced reliance on debt, and reform of State and local spending. The group is particularly focused on candidates who support mandate relief and reform of the public pension system.
Carla Kerr, spokesman for New Yorkers for Growth, said, "The Assembly is a tough place for fiscal conservatives, so New Yorkers especially need office holders of strong character who will fight for the taxpayer.  We're proud to back these six candidates for Assembly. We're confident they will do right by the taxpayers of New York in the coming term."

David Byrne is a West Point grad and war hero with a Bronze Star who has served on his town board since 2008.  He wants to require a supermajority vote before Albany may impose unfunded mandates on localities, and to eliminate the many redundant State agencies.

Bob Castelli has served in the Assembly since 2010 and has been a committed budget hawk.  He is the prime sponsor of pending bills to repeal or suspend the Triborough law, which prevents taxpayers from having a meaningful voice in negotiations with public unions.

Kim Izzarelli is an internal auditor whose campaign slogan -- "If you can't pay for it, you can't afford it." -- sums things up nicely.  Kim, who seeks to represent the county with the highest property taxes in America, will bring to Albany the exact skill set our state government desperately needs.

Steve McLaughlin has served in the Assembly since 2010 and consistently leads the tough fights for fiscal conservatives.  He was a strong proponent of the tax cap and wants to lead the fight on unfunded mandates.  He also wants to reform NYS's Medicaid disaster, in which Albany spends $12 billion more than required by the federal government.

Bill Villanova has been Rye Town Deputy for two terms.  Among his fiscally-responsible proposals are elimination of the NYS estate tax, which helps send our retirees running to Florida, and repeal of the Wicks Law, which makes the State's construction projects much more difficult and expensive than they would be for the private sector.

Jennifer Whalen has served in both the public and private sector as a lawyer and as a business person.  She's someone who will tackle reform of the tax rates for businesses and will work to reduce the burdensome regulatory environment for businesses in the State.

Please help push all these candidates over the line.  They, and the state, needs your help!
 
To help us help these and our other endorsed candidates, please donate to New Yorkers for Growth at: http://www.newyorkersforgrowth.com/online-contribution.asp

New Yorkers for Growth, an organization committed to bringing fiscal responsibility to New York State government, today announced that it has endorsed four candidates for state senate in New York.

Those candidates are:

1. George Amedore, candidate for the 46th District in the Capital Region;
2. Phil Boyle, candidate for the 4th District in Suffolk County;
3. Bob Cohen, candidate for the 37th District in Westchester County; and
4. Sean Hanna, candidate for the 55th District in the Rochester region.

Messrs. Amedore, Boyle, and Hanna are sitting Assemblymen.  Mr. Cohen is a businessman who narrowly lost to the now-retiring Suzi Oppenheimer in the last election.

New Yorkers for Growth is a fiscal watchdog group that supports candidates who, regardless of party, favor and vote for lower taxes, reduced reliance on debt, and reform of State and local spending. The group is particularly focused on candidates who support mandate relief and reform of the public pension system.

Carla Kerr, spokesman for New Yorkers for Growth, said, "We're proud to back these four candidates for Senate. We're confident they will win and will do right by the taxpayers of New York in the coming term."

"George Amedore has served as Assemblyman since 2007. He believes in lowering personal income tax rates across the board, and lowering taxes and decreasing regulations for businesses, so that starting a business in New York does not continue to be prohibitively expensive. He has introduced specific legislation to lower spending, including by allowing school districts to consolidate administrative services.

"Phil Boyle has served in the Assembly since 2006. He supports the job creation plan proposed by Senate Republicans that includes eliminating taxes on manufacturers, cutting taxes 20% across the board for other small businesses, reducing the cost of energy, providing tax incentives for business to create jobs, and continuing the 2% property tax cap.

"Bob Cohen has been a small business owner for 25 years and he is keenly aware of the effects of over-regulation and excessive taxation.  Bob supports cutting the fees, regulations, and red-tape that suffocate small business. He also has unveiled a multipoint plan for mandate relief, including the State takeover of Medicaid administration and serious public pension reform, including introduction of a defined contribution plan for new hires.

"Sean Hanna has served in the Assembly since 2010. He boldly proposes to repeal all unfunded mandates, and to reduce the size of New York State government which,incredibly, currently includes 1,000 State government agencies.

New Yorkers for Growth will hold a fundraiser for these candidates on Wednesday, Oct 3.

We know the NYS public pension system is out of control when we're giving a state pension to a rich federal legislator. Double-dipping from the State pension system is commonplace, even among our elected officials!

Click here to read the article from The New York Post, where Carla Stearns of NYFG is quoted on this issue.

Click here for the YouTube video of Mark's opinion on The Mark Levin Show, aired on September 17, 2012.

Next among our favorites to run this year is Jennifer Whalen, who is running for Assembly in the 110th District, which now includes parts of Albany and Schenectady Counties.  She is seeking to replace Bob Reilly, who is retiring. She lost a close race to him last time, and this time there are four - count 'em - FOUR liberals running against each other to face off with her.  We'll take her every time.
 
 
NYFG: Jennifer, what's your background?
JW:  I have been in both the private and public sectors. I'm a lawyer with a degree from Albany Law School and, having started in private practice, I moved to public service in the NYS Attorney General's office.  There I helped tackle mismanaged State authorities and prosecuted Medicaid fraud.  After years of public service, I transitioned back to the private sector and opened my own real estate brokerage firm.  I also have volunteered for charities such as Tru-Life (Breast Cancer Awareness) and the Red Cross of Northeastern New York.
 
 
NYFG:  Why run for Assembly?
JW:  I have been watching friends and business associates move to more affordable states.  I can't sit on the sidelines and watch any longer.  Years of high taxes, excessive regulation and inaction have plagued New York.  Instead of the State being noted for its success, it has the dishonorable distinction of being ranked rock bottom for taxes and business-friendliness in national studies.  This is what is driving away our businesses and our residents.  I am confident I can make a difference.  I draw from my experience in the public sector as proof that we can rein in Medicaid costs, clean-up mismanagement in government and eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in our system - all of which cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year. 
 
 
NYFG:  What three things would you like to accomplish in office?
JW:  New York State has both a short- and long-term employment problem.  The first relates to the national economic downturn.  But the second problem is structural and New York-centered: namely, the taxes, regulations, and mandates pursued by anti-business, anti-growth politicians in Albany.  As Assemblywoman, I intend to, first, tackle the job of removing the regulations holding back small business job creators.  Next, the State must cut tax rates on productive behavior - e.g. starting a business, buying a home, investing in new equipment - in order to broaden the tax base and generate more revenue than the current anti-growth tax code.  Finally, I will reform our Medicaid program, for which we pay more than $1 billion per week.  That's more than any other large state, including California with nearly double the population.New York taxpayers pick up the tab for this reckless spending, and nothing has done more to swamp economic recovery than our taxes, regulations and mandates like our Medicaid program.  Albany has hung a "Going Out of Business" sign on the State. We deserve better.  I will focus on real economic recovery by cutting taxes, curbing Medicaid and wasteful spending, and removing the barriers to sustained economic growth.  
 
We hope you will support rising young fiscal conservatives like Jennifer Whalen for NYS Assembly. If you'd like to support Jennifer's campaign, click here.
 
Please help New Yorkers for Growth with your donation of $250, $500, $1,000 or $2,500 so we can support candidates who promise to bring REAL reform to Albany. Donate here today!
 
Many thanks for your continued good judgment and support,
 
New Yorkers for Growth
 
 
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Another welcome newcomer to our list of fiscally responsible candidates for NYS Assembly is David Byrne.  He's a war hero, a local hero on his town board, and, with your help, he'll become a hero of the Assembly for the 106th district in Dutchess and Columbia Counties. 
 
NYFG:  You went from West Point graduate to Iraq war veteran with a Bronze Star serving on your town board.  Why run for Assembly? 
 
DB:  I've served on the Milan Town Board for four years now.  As a conservative, I'm a big believer in individual responsibility, but nothing can happen in the military or in government without team-building.  I'm proud of the fact that we built our town board into a bi-partisan, efficient team and I hope to help affect that type of change in Albany as well. I also strongly believe in public service and feel a strong sense of urgency to help New York State in this critical time.  Families and senior citizens have been leaving NYS in droves, as they vote with their feet.  Politicians in Albany do not want to talk about this, but New York had a greater net domestic migration loss than any other state in the last census period.  We will not stop this hemorrhaging until we have representatives that can serve with courage and integrity and put the people's needs before their own reelection bids or personal interests.  As Abraham Lincoln said, in America the "ruling class" is the body of citizens--not the public servants whom they empower to represent them.      
 
NYFG:  What's job 1 for Assemblyman Byrne in Albany? 
 
DB: First of all, Albany needs hard spending caps to reign in the $61 billion in state debt.  NYS government has no fiscal discipline, so discipline should be imposed by legislation. Another piece of legislation that would impose discipline is the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act, which would require a supermajority to authorize unfunded mandates.  That's certainly something a fiscally-minded minority should embrace.  I also believe that the people of New York need to hold Albany accountable for what it spends by mandating that the level of government that mandates expenditures has to fund them as well -- not increase debt, not push it down to another level of government, but fund it or drop it. There are at least 27 states that have constitutional or statutory provisions restricting the imposition of new unfunded mandates on local governments and New York cannot afford to be the last to adopt such measures.  Finally, I have specific proposals to consolidate or eliminate the array of redundant and inefficient State agencies we have.  
 
NYFG:  What other State expenditures should be on the chopping block?
 
DB:  New York State has Medicaid expenditures that are 70% above the national average.  That's not surprising when you realize that we are the ONLY State to offer all 46 options on the Medicaid plan. We are a Medicaid paradise and we cannot afford to be.  Albany does nothing about it, because -- again --New York is one of few states that forces Medicaid costs down onto county government. Another big inefficiency being jammed down the throats of local governments is the requirement for prevailing wage to be paid for public works projects.  This significantly increases the cost of doing business for these municipalities and is a disservice to our taxpayers.  Local governments can get things done in much more efficient ways and Albany needs to get out of their way.  Local municipalities are facing decreasing mortgage and sales tax revenues and increasing pension costs and Albany needs to help set them up for success as they fight to stay under the 2% property tax cap.
 
We hope you will support rising young fiscal conservatives like David Byrne for NYS Assembly, often a first step on the way to the NYS Senate and U.S. Congress. If you'd like to support David Byrne's campaign, click here.
 
Please help New Yorkers for Growth with your donation of $250, $500, $1,000 or $2,500 so we can support candidates who promise to bring REAL reform to Albany. Donate here today!
 
Many thanks for your continued good judgment and support,
 
New Yorkers for Growth
 
 
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Meet Kim Izzarelli: Real Reformer v. Real Property Tax Chair

In our quest for fiscally responsible candidates, we have found several terrific newcomers.

Kim Izzarelli is running for NYS Assembly in the 95th district, which stretches from Briarcliff to Peekskill, Philipstown and Kent. 

We liked her as soon as we read her campaign slogan:  "If you can't pay for it, you can't afford it." 

NYFG:  Kim, what is your background for an Assembly seat?

KI:  I've spent my business career as an internal auditor making sure private sector pension plans and benefit packages were financially sound. In my spare time, I used my skills working with a Westchester school district, a housing task force, and a town finance committee, among other groups.  So I have an up-close-and-personal understanding of the financial problems local governments have in New York.  Our State legislators forget the problems of local government when they vote to spend money on programs they aren't paying for, and I aim to change that.

NYFG: What will your priorities be?

KI:  A big problem for citizens in the 95th is property taxes.  The tax cap was a start, but it isn't real reform if there is no similar cap on expenses.  We're on a financial collision course between exploding expenses and flat or falling revenue in a lot of towns and school districts.  I've spent my career studying pensions, and one of our biggest unfunded mandates from the State that is pushed down to locals is pension costs. We all want our public servants to have decent retirements, but we can't meet our obligations without requiring some contributions to pensions and to health care costs.  The public sector's benefits are going to have to look more like the private sector's benefits if we expect them to continue to be available at all. 

NYFG:  Your opponent claims that she's a reformer too. In what ways would you represent a difference?

KI:   My opponent has been in office for 20 years and is Chair of the Real Property Taxation Committee. It's on her watch that State spending and indebtedness have skyrocketed.  The result is that Westchester -- i.e. her very constituency -- is one of the highest taxed counties in the United States.  In some surveys it's THE highest taxed counties in the country.  And high taxes and irresponsible spending have driven businesses out of the State as well, taking good-paying jobs with them.  Meanwhile, my opponent pretends like the Governor's recent Tier VI legislation was real reform to our pension system, when it wasn't any such thing.  It was a very timid step in saving a very small amount in pension expense decades into the future.  I intend to be a real reformer, and real reformers know we have to make real cuts and we have to do it now.

If you'd like to support Kim Izzarelli's campaign for Assembly, click here.

Please help New Yorkers for Growth with your donation of $250, $500, $1,000 or $2,500 so we can support candidates who promise to bring REAL reform to Albany. Donate here today!
 
Many thanks for your continued good judgment and support,
 
New Yorkers for Growth

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Cocktails with Hon. Robert Castelli and Bob Cohen

New Yorkers for Growth cordially invites you for cocktails
with two favorite sons of Westchester County!

Hon. Robert Castelli, Member of Assembly - Westchester
&
Bob Cohen, Candidate for State Senate - Westchester

with special introduction by Hon. John Faso

Wednesday, June 27, 2012
6:30 - 8:30 pm

At the home of Cynthia and Jan van Eck
Rye, New York

$250 Minimum
$1,000 Campaign Friend

For more information or to officially RSVP, please email info@newyorkersforgrowth.com.

 

George Amedore: A New Star on the Horizon

In our series highlighting candidates for the NYS Legislature who pledge to be voices for fiscal sanity, we bring you George Amedore. We supported him in his run for the Assembly and, having served us well as an Assemblyman, he's now running for the Senate in the new 46th District, which includes parts of Ulster, Greene, Albany, Schenectady and Montgomery Counties.
 
 

Read more »

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Wisconsin is a Wake Up Call to New York State Government

"New York Lagging Behind in Essential Reforms" 
 
New York - June 6.  New York State legislators must take a lesson from Wisconsin and begin addressing the core problems afflicting the state's taxpayers and economic base -- unsustainable pension benefits, unfunded mandates, and irrational collective bargaining rights and binding arbitration rules, the fiscal reform group New Yorkers for Growth today said. 
 

"States like Wisconsin are now far ahead of New York in doing what is necessary to attract and grow jobs in the coming years," said New Yorkers for Growth spokesman Carla Kerr. "We have been tinkering around the problem in Albany while other states are facing the crisis head on, as it must be faced. New York government has been chasing business from the state for years. And guess where it's going? To states with rational tax policies and reasonable public employee union rules." 
 
Wisconsin now, at just over six percent, has one of the nation's lowest unemployment rates, while New York's economy is stalled. Lowering the cost of government is the key to private-sector job growth in New York. 
 
"If Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature don't forcefully challenge the unions in New York or enact meaningful mandate relief, municipalities across New York are going to go bankrupt in fairly short order," Ms. Kerr continued. "What we need in Albany is the leadership to prevent that from happening. We do not have it today."

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Kudos to Nassau County Executive Mangano

Dear Friends of Fiscal Sanity,

New Yorkers for Growth applauds Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano in his efforts to end Nassau's reliance on debt -- and for his efforts to begin paying it off. 

Nassau County carries the highest debt burden of all counties in New York State with $3 billion outstanding, about $2,000 per person!  The next highest is Suffolk County at $1.35 billion.

For more than a decade, Nassau County's broken tax assessment system led to the County borrowing an average of $101 million a year, as County officials stuck their heads in the sand on a bipartisan basis.  One of the nation's richest counties teetered on the verge of bankruptcy.

Successive County administrations had ignored obvious issues with the Nassau County assessment system which caused many homeowners and businesses to be paying higher taxes than necessary.  Taxpayers were forced to sue to reduce their assessments year after year, while the County did nothing to help.  Compounding the problem, the County Charter required the County to guarantee tax payments to school districts and town governments, justifying the County borrowing every year to cover the guarantees.  The County did not collect 83% of the underlying payments, creating an annual financial mess.

Until now that is.  Mangano proposed, and the County legislature passed, a plan to repeal the County guarantee, to freeze tax assessments, to resolve assessment disputes before demanding payment, and to require the assessor to enter corrected values so that over-assessments do nor recur year after year.  But much more needs to be done.  Mr. Mangano plans to pay off $1.6 billion of the County's debt and to end borrowing -- without raising property taxes -- by 2015.  Let's hope he can get that done.  Nassau is a tough fix, but County Executive Mangano is working overtime to address its challenges.  He deserves our help and encouragement for his efforts.

We also need to support him in his efforts to tame Nassau's out-of-control police union.  Prior County administrations have saddled Nassau taxpayers with police pay and benefits approaching an average of $250,000 a year per officer, six-weeks vacation, 3-day work weeks, and free health care.  To change the situation with County police, Nassau -- and indeed many other cities and counties throughout New York -- need the State legislature to reform laws governing public employee contract negotiations, specifically the Triborough Law and binding arbitration statutes.  Despite a lot of talk, Albany has done nothing on mandate relief, the biggest of which are all the State laws tilting the bargaining table in favor of public employee unions and against taxpayers.

To learn more about County Executive Mangano or to contribute to his campaign, please visit www.edmangano.com

If you can support New Yorkers for Growth with $250, $500, $1000 or $2500 so we can find candidates worthy of New York taxpayers, please click here.

Thank you,

New Yorkers for Growth

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Thursday, May 17, 2012

URGENT: New York's Tax Report Card

 

Dear Friends of Fiscal Responsibility,

 

Confirming your worst fears about being the last person left in New York State to pay the taxes before they have to turn the lights off, the website www.YourTaxCode.com came out with a report card on each of the 50 states last month.

 

Evaluating states on Cumulative Wealth Change and Population Change between 1994 and 2009, there are few states which managed to lose more than $5 billion of wealth over those years and few states which managed to lose more than 100,000 in population.

 

But guess what? New York manages to be the absolute worst state by far on both measures:

• New York lost a whopping $59 billion in wealth over those years. The next nearest wealth losers -- California and Illinois -- lost roughly HALF that much.
• New York lost 780,000 people to other states. Again, the next nearest population losers -- California, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey -- lost less than HALF that many.
• Where did New Yorkers go? Since New York ranks 3rd worst in terms of tax burden per capita, there are many states that look good to New Yorkers. Apart from our immediate neighbors, which also have atrocious taxes, it's no surprise that at least 5 states with dramatically better tax burdens per capita show New Yorkers as their No. 1 source of new wealth: Florida (ranked 22nd), Ohio (28th), North Carolina (29th), Georgia (33rd), and South Carolina (50th). 17 states ranked in the better half of the nation for taxes show New Yorkers as a top 5 source of wealth.

Help us change New York. Let's stop the bleed before it's too late. If you can help New Yorkers for Growth with $250, $500, $1000 or $2500 to support candidates this election year who pledge to bring us sane tax policy and keep the lights on, PLEASE DONATE HERE.

 

Thank you,

New Yorkers for Growth

 

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Monday, May 07, 2012

Astorino-Union Deal on Healthcare

Dear Friends of Fiscal Responsibility,
It's finally happening, even if in small ways.  The seeds of fiscal sanity are coming up in New York State.
 
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino just scored a major victory for fiscal sense.  He negotiated a groundbreaking contract with The Teamsters Union, which also deserves great credit, in which Teamster members will begin paying 10% of their healthcare costs in July, rising to 12.5% in 2015.  New hires will pay 20% toward their health care.  Hurrah!
 
The highest property-taxed county in America has been drowning in labor costs and the new Teamsters' contract now stands as a model for the seven other unions seeking new contracts with Westchester government. The County had been providing free health care to all unionized County workers, even though the average Westchester County worker makes $71,000 a year ($110,000 with benefits) while the average private sector worker in Westchester -- the guy paying the taxes -- makes $63,000. Free health care has been costing Westchester $140 million annually or almost 10% of its entire budget. 
 
The deal, which was announced last night in Mr. Astorino's State of the County address, is good for all parties. It will ease costs on beleaguered taxpayers and prevent the layoff of Teamster employees. 
 
With the cost of health care for public sector workers exploding all over the State, New Yorkers for Growth hopes this is a stone gathering moss.  Contributions to health care costs must be achieved across New York, where we have the most unionized public sector in the nation. Seven more unions in Westchester have yet to come to the table.  Let's encourage them -- and all public sector unions in New York -- to do the right thing.
 
Hats off to Rob Astorino and hats off to the Teamsters.  It's a start!
New Yorkers for Growth

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Best4NY Petition

Dear Friends of Fiscal Responsibility,

New Yorkers for Growth salutes the important work of Best4NY, a group of school board members and concerned citizens trying to draw attention to the disaster mounting for New York State schools. We ask that you consider signing an important petition the group is circulating.

At issue is the so-called Triborough Amendment and other unfunded mandates from Albany that are crushing local school districts with costs they cannot bear any longer. The effect of Triborough is fewer dollars for our classrooms and the elimination of important educational programs.

Facts:

• The Triborough Amendment requires that the perks of old public sector contracts continue until new ones are signed, which means all step increases to salary and perks like FREE health care, i.e. no co-pays and no premiums, continue whether or not schools can afford them.
• Pay hikes required by the Triborough Amendment cost the State $140 million a year, despite a "freeze" on base salaries.
• The Triborough Amendment guarantees pay increases for teachers that add almost $300 million a year to local school budgets across the State.

Best4NY is trying to do something to save our schools. Please sign its petition today. It calls for mandate relief for our schools and it has been signed by the New York State School Boards Association, representing some 700 school districts and 5,000 school board members. You can help their cause!

Please FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE MANDATE RELIEF PETITION.

Here is their website: http://best4ny.org/

Let's help them out by signing. And please ask your family and friends to do the same!

And if you could help our efforts, please do by clicking here.

Many thanks!

Sincerely,
New Yorkers for Growth

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Friday, March 09, 2012

Q&A with Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin

In our series highlighting "A Few Bright Lights" in the New York State Assembly, today we bring you Steve McLaughlin. New Yorkers for Growth endorsed Steve for office and contributed to his campaign in 2010. Since taking office in January 2011, he's made us proud. The Business Council recently awarded Assemblyman McLaughlin its highest rating for any Assembly member for the 2011 legislative session.

Assemblyman McLaughlin, you have a degree in business and, after working as a commercial pilot, you went to work for a regional bank that loans to small business. What made you run for office?

I speak to small business owners every day about the struggles of starting and growing a small business in New York. I couldn't stand on the sidelines any longer. First, business owners have to deal with absurd State agencies and regulations. How about the pizza shop owner in Albany who, despite running an excellent business, was fined $5535 by the State Department of Labor this month for not having a tee shirt for every last one of his part-time employees? (Story linked here) Is this what we want our public servants doing? And why do we need a State Department of Labor when we already have a federal one?

Business owners then have the privilege of paying for State bureaucracy with some of the highest property taxes, individual income taxes, and unemployment insurance taxes in the nation. I want to keep business owners in New York, rather than having them head to places like Florida to avoid New York taxes. That should be the goal of every State legislator.

You've been a champion of the property tax cap. What is it and why do we need it?

I sponsored legislation that would BOTH cap increases to property taxes by local governments at 2% AND place a moratorium on Albany's unfunded mandates on local governments. Albany has been playing a game with taxpayers where it comes up with programs that it can't pay for, and then passes the costs down to local governments, which are even less able to pay for the mandates other than by raising property taxes. The tax cap became law, which is a critical and important accomplishment if we're ever going to be able to break this cycle of irresponsible spending. But there's been no leadership from the Governor on stopping unfunded mandates. He's been kicking the can down the road. A year ago he appointed a 32-person Commission to study unfunded mandates. They disbanded quietly in the middle of the Christmas season, having accomplished nothing. This year, the Governor has given us a 12-person Task Force. Meanwhile, local governments are using up their reserve funds to fund the whims of Albany. It's a cowardly way to govern.

Do you see any relief from the Governor's recent budget, which touted an income tax cut?

Only in Albany could legislation that raised $3.5 billion in revenue from taxpayers be touted as a tax cut. Middle-income taxpayers were given back a couple of bucks a week, and the top end was gouged. There was not the slightest effort to rein in spending at all. Despite intense pressure from the Governor, I was one of few to vote against it.

How long will Albany keep going back to the well without doing anything about spending?

Only in Albany could legislation that raised $3.5 billion in revenue from taxpayers be touted as a tax cut. Middle-income taxpayers were given back a couple of bucks a week, and the top end was gouged. There was not the slightest effort to rein in spending at all. Despite intense pressure from the Governor, I was one of few to vote against it.

What's on your To Do List for 2012?

We don't need a Commission or a Task Force to tell us what needs to be done in Albany. The priority of New York State government right now is to get people back to work. To do that we need to reduce spending from last year -- not just reduce the rate we increase spending -- but reduce the bottom line number from year to year until the State is on more solid footing. If we cut State government, we can cut the costs to taxpayers and get government out of the way of the private sector so it can get people back to work. I will do everything in my power to further that cause.

NYFG commends Assemblyman McLaughlin and asks that you support him by clicking here.

Many thanks for your continued good judgment and support,

New Yorkers for Growth

P.S. New Yorkers for Growth has made significant achievements on a shoestring budget. To help us achieve more, please contribute here today!

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Friday, February 10, 2012

Q&A with Assemblyman Robert Castelli

Dear friends of fiscal sanity,

Among New York State legislators there are A Few Bright Lights willing to take steps towards fiscal responsibility in budget matters. New Yorkers for Growth is pleased to highlight an Assemblyman who, despite winning his seat with only a narrow margin of victory (with our help), had the guts to introduce a major piece of reform legislation: repeal of the infamous Triborough Amendment.

We've told you that NYS taxpayers can't afford a law stacking the deck in favor of public sector unions one minute longer. New York State has the most unionized public sector in the country, and public sector pay and benefits continue climbing while our State's economy and revenue fall. Our out-of-control public sector costs are largely due to the Triborough Amendment, a uniquely insane piece of legislation which requires that the lucrative terms of old union contracts continue in effect until new contracts are signed. Triborough forces cash-strapped local governments to keep paying for benefits like annual step increases to salary and full health insurance coverage without any employee premiums or copays. For New York's public sector, the old contract is always effectively the baseline in union negotiations. True fiscal reform isn't possible with the Triborough Amendment as the law.

Assemblyman Robert Castelli was an upset victor for the 89th Assembly District in a Special Election in February 2010. And then, with great political courage, Assemblyman Castelli ignored the nervous whispers and admonishment of many of his colleagues and proposed legislation to repeal the Triborough Amendment. As a result of the backlash, he only won narrow reelection by 112 votes in November 2010.

On January 5, 2011, he reintroduced the bill to repeal the Triborough Amendment. NYFG is proud to say that we endorsed Assemblyman Castelli and provided him with financial support in both his campaigns. Here's a little bit about him and his effort.

NYFG: You fought in Vietnam, you fought organized crime as a member of the State Police, and then you went to the Kennedy School and started teaching college students about criminal justice and security. That seems an unlikely background for State office. What made you run?

R.C.: I've spent the entirety of my adult life in the service of my country, and my community. I view this as simply an extension of my previous service. Right now, I think New York is in fiscal crisis and needs creative thinkers with strong voices to achieve real reform. I hope my background gives me both the creativity and the political will to move the State forward. I don't want to be another career politician whose number one priority is the preservation of his seat.

We need people who aren't afraid to upset New York's status quo. We in elected office need to stop viewing our taxpayers, whether on Main Street or Wall Street, as the State's private ATM. We tax and spent ourselves into a problem. Now, it its time to scrimp and save ourselves out of it.

NYFG: Why repeal Triborough and why now?

R.C.: New York's taxpayers are currently at an extreme disadvantage due to State mandates like Triborough. Any comprehensive solution which provides tax relief must include reforms to the most challenging unfunded and under-funded State mandates by granting our municipalities greater flexibility.

Triborough was passed in 1986, with the intent of codifying the Triborough Doctrine, a judicial precedent, established over time, that protected certain benefits that had been collectively bargained for. However, the Triborough Amendment itself went far beyond the Triborough Doctrine, to include benefits that were not covered by the Triborough Doctrine, such as step-increases, and we simply can't afford it anymore.

Now that our economy is suffering, we need to be able to reel back in some of these costs and bring unions to the table for compromises that we can all live with.

Triborough undermines the collective bargaining process and discourages those at the negotiating table from making givebacks or concessions, putting New York's taxpayers at an extreme disadvantage. No other state has anything like the Triborough law.

Public employers and employees should be encouraged to work together, to achieve labor contracts that are both fair and affordable.

NYFG: How many supporters do you have now for repeal of Triborough, real or potential?

R.C.: I've got 8 co-sponsors: Jane Corwin, Dan Burling, Dr. Steve Katz, Steve Hawley, Steve McLaughlin, Joel Miller, Al Graf, and Claudia Tenney; and 4 multi-sponsors: Ken Blankenbush, Andy Goodell, Phil Palmesano and Bill Reilich. Everything in the Assembly needs to be done on a very bipartisan basis, and this issue is no different.

Assuming we had all the Republicans, we'd need 1/3rd of the Democratic Members to reach the 76 votes needed to pass it.

The only way we can get these votes is with the Governor's backing. The Governor's Mandate Relief Team, which has been reestablished as the Mandate Relief Council, initially expressed a willingness to reexamine Triborough. The group's Chair, Larry Schwarz, said that "maybe there's something for the next two or three years that can be done and revert back. We have to be at least willing to discuss them."

In response to that, I authored legislation to suspend Triborough for two years, believing that initial step might be easier to accomplish.

I applaud the stakeholders from business, labor, education and government who comprise the Council, for their willingness to take this issue on, and hope that they will show the type of courage necessary to use the Council's authority to recommend it to the Governor as a program bill. I will continue to work with my colleagues to advocate for these and other reforms to reduce both the size and cost of government.

NYFG: Short of the Governor's backing, is there anything else the taxpayers can do to push the wait-and-see Members of the Assembly into supporting your bill?

R.C.: I've also introduced a bill to identify and quantify mandates from the State that are pushed down to local governments and drive up costs. There's little transparency on these costs now and everyone needs to know exactly how costly these mandates are, including Triborough.

Apart from that, getting the word out to people to support candidates with the intestinal fortitude to fight these fights is key.

NYFG commends Assemblyman Castelli and asks you to support him at www.castelli2012.com. and NYFG in this effort.

Many thanks for your continued good judgement and support,

New Yorkers for Growth

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By New Yorkers for Growth  ·  Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Changing the New York Business Environment in 2012

Dear friends of fiscal sanity,

New York's business environment ranks at the bottom of the nation for 2012. Thanks to our State's lack of political will to reform its dismal tax policies, the Tax Foundation just ranked New York 49th out of the 50 states in its 2012 State Business Tax Climate Index. New York policymakers should thank places like California and New Jersey for keeping them off of rock bottom. How does a State get to be this bad for business relative to other states? New York levies every tax in the taxing arsenal -- the best states forego at least one tax -- and makes them all exceedingly high.

Here are New York State's rankings among the 50 states:

• Individual Income Tax: 49th
• Unemployment Insurance Tax: 46th
• Property Tax: 45th
• Sales Tax: 37th
• Corporate Tax: 23rd

First, for individual income tax, New York State ranks second only to California for high and progressive rates. The Tax Foundation views flat-taxes as more neutral and favorable to business. And we rank second to the bottom only when you don't take into account New York City taxes which, when added in, make New York City residents the highest taxed people in the country at 12.7%. See EJ McMahon's excellent article for the Manhattan Institute.

The Tax Foundation notes that its rankings pre-date Governor Cuomo's changes to the tax code at year-end 2011, but that any advantage created by Governor Cuomo's teensy .4% tax cut for joint filers making up to $150,000 and teensier .20% tax cut for those making between $150,000 and $300,000 was "offset" by the 6.85% rate for filers between $300,000 and $2 million, and the addition of the new top rate of 8.82% for joint filers making over $2 million, a whopping 29% increase over the pre-Patterson "temporary" increase at the top end. The Tax Foundation was not impressed by Cuomo's argument -- reminiscent of the Occupy Wall Street insanity -- that there was something unfair in the prior plan that needed to be rectified by top earners paying more. What sleight of hand does it take to argue this when the highest-earning 1% paid 25% of the State's taxes in 1994, and paid 43% of State's taxes in 2007? New York income taxes punished success before, and they are more punishing to it now.

Then there's high unemployment insurance tax and property taxes (highest for commercial properties), in which we rank 46th and 45th, respectively; a sales tax in which we rank in the bottom third; and a corporate tax rate in which we rank 23rd, our best score in the dead middle of the country. While unemployment taxes and property taxes are levied in every state, there are several states that do without one or more major taxes, i.e. the corporate tax, the individual income tax, or the sales tax. Having all these taxes, and getting greedy with all of them, is New York's recipe for disaster in terms of the business environment.

If Governor Cuomo were really interested in job creation, shouldn't we consider dropping corporate taxes, the only tax we haven't already hiked up to the max?

The Tax Foundation notes what should be obvious to our policy makers: business today is characterized by mobile capital and labor, and it goes where it has the greatest competitive advantage. Just last week the Wall Street Street Journal reported that HSBC is closing its New York City fund-administration office and potentially laying off 200 employees. Where is HSBC going? It's saving costs -- including seeking a more favorable corporate tax environment -- by moving to Ireland. See WSJ, 2/2/12.

Yet New York's greatest competition doesn't come from other countries. The Tax Foundation cites a Department of Labor report that most mass job relocations are from one U.S. state to another, rather than to another country. While one in eight jobs (down from one in six) in New York City and 13% (down from 20%) of State revenue depend on Wall Street, New York policymakers do nothing to keep the securities industry in New York. The Wall Street Journal today reports that the 10 largest investment banks have shrunk their office space in New York City by 15% since 2008. UBS, with 17,000 employees locally, looked at office space in the City last spring --- and renewed its lease in Stamford.With fewer banks here, we can already hear the cries from Albany to tax them more.

New Yorkers for Growth is the state's leading voice for fiscal reason. With your help, we can continue our fight to point out and change inane and counterproductive policies that are killing economic growth in this state. Please contribute to our efforts to save New York State from Albany. Contributions can be made online by clicking here.

Thank you,

New Yorkers for Growth

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