Albany lawmakers disagreeing is nothing new, but Governor Paterson's opposition to his own lieutenant governor's budget plan—one that includes borrowing to balance the budget—is interesting, given how Paterson fought to have LG Richard Ravitch as his number two. The NY Times reports that Paterson's stance, "announced at a public meeting of state leaders in the Capitol, underscored the growing tension between Mr. Ravitch and the rest of the Paterson administration, who are fundamentally divided over how to close the state’s $9.2 billion deficit."
This morning, Paterson explained, "My budget plan was released Jan. 19th and his savings plan was released in the end of February. So at the time he wrote it, he knew that I had made it clear that I didn’t want to borrow." He added, "He was quoted as saying that the legislature can't cut all of that in this budget plan. We’re going to find out in the next 10 days that the Legislature can cut without borrowing." Keep in mind, the budget was due on April 1; Paterson wants lawmakers to agree (to something) by June 28.
Ravitch, who has been credited with helping fix things in financial trouble (the MTA, NYC, etc.), told the Times he cares about making sure the state's fiscal health is in good standing, "My recommendations are absolutely as important in my mind as they were when I made the recommendations four months ago. I’m not the budget director; I’m not the counsel. I’m fully aware of that, and I’m not complaining about it. All I can do is offer advice... Would I like to see them do what I suggested or some equivalent things? Yes, of course. I have 12 grandchildren here, who live in this state and in this city."
