ALBANY -- The battle over state aid cuts quickly turned “north” against “south” today, as localities from all over New York testified before a joint finance committee hearing on the impacts of the Governor's budget.
The Melee of Municipalities is no "Rumble in the Jungle", but by plenty of measures, the stakes are even higher.
The budget gap is pitting New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg against the state's other cities, such as Buffalo, and its Mayor Byron Brown. Their weapons of choice? Words.. Each politician giving voice to why the Governor's cuts to their cities are especially out of whack.
Michael Bloomberg, New York City Mayor said, "Here's another way of looking at it. The Executive Budget cuts revenue sharing statewide by 320 million dollars. NYC would absorb 94 percent of that".
Mayor Byron Brown, the Buffalo Mayor said, "28% of Buffalo residents live in poverty".
There were plenty of similarities in their testimony. Both mayors asked for mandate relief, but simple "need" brought the upstate-downstate divide into sharp relief. Mayor Bloomberg was clear in his testimony that he wants legislators on both sides of the aisle "stick together" to ensure the City gets what it deserves…
Said Bloomburg, "City residents shouldn't be punished for doing what was right, while other refused to accept responsibility for their future."
Bloomberg may not have been referencing Buffalo which Mayor Byron Brown noted has one of the highest credit ratings in the state, But the City is in dire need of State Aid, thanks to upstate's gloomy economy, and the city's aging infrastructure.
Brown said, "We have a tremendous dependency on state aid. Our older city infrastructure costs so much to maintain".
Rochester's Acting Mayor is also expected to testify today.
