Former Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Michael Cashman was elected to the New York State Assembly in a special election last November. As the rank-and-file state lawmakers await a final budget, the Democrat notes this is the seventh year in a row the state fiscal plan is late, and over the last 31 years it has been late two-thirds of the time. Cashman tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley part of the problem is the addition of policy items into the budget:
New York State budgets tend to be late and they shouldn't be. Budgets are a fiscal document and part of the reason that the budgets get marred down is that policies are being implemented, you know, or kind of shoehorned into this process. I remain cautiously optimistic that the North Country and the 115th District will receive its fair share. That's what I'm fighting for. But it's important to know that there is no perfect budget.
You mentioned policy items. I've read that policy items are slowing down the budget process, including a proposal to scale back the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act). Do you think policy items should be in New York's fiscal plan?
No, absolutely not.
So how do we fix that?
Well, part of the problem is the governor in New York State, and long has been, has a lot of different tools within the budgetary process to introduce things. So we have to deal within the landscape that we are dealt with and continue to fight for an equitable share for our schools and for agriculture and our seniors and small businesses. And we need to respond to the things that are laid forward. You know, as the Governor has made several proposals, we're still awaiting certain details to be able to even respond to.
Michael Cashman, you mentioned schools, agriculture, making sure that the budget is fair for the district. What are the critical items in the budget proposal that are must do's from your perspective?
Sure. I'll give you an example of something that is not equitable right now but we certainly need it: child care. The governor has rolled out this concept of universal child care. It fails to meet the needs of the North Country. We're talking about I think six kids per seat deficit on the child care desert in Franklin County alone. That is hurtful to families, being able to get people to work, spending exorbitant amount of money. But we also can't look in at things through the lens of singularity. We have housing needs and transportation needs and infrastructure needs for our municipalities. All of this is wedded together. So I'm punching above my weight trying to bring the whole needs of the North Country and the 115th district, not just one or two items.
Well, when you were town supervisor you always managed to create a balanced budget. And the governor's proposed budget was $252 billion. The Assembly version is $266 billion. Can the state afford whichever budget manages to go through?
Yeah, I think it's really important to note that the one-house budget that the Assembly adopted, it's similar to what the Senate does, is that sets forth aspirational priorities, knowing that there's a lot more work you know to go forward. It triangulates between the Senate and the Assembly and the governor and that's why we have budget testimonies and workshops and a number of things. And as a junior member, I've served on the economic development subgroup between the Senate and the Assembly, so my focus has been continuously trying to bring the district's needs as well as the North Country's needs down to Albany.
Another fiscal potential would be suspension of the state gas tax while prices are rising due to the war in Iran. Would you support a suspension of the gas tax?
I certainly would be open to reviewing it and looking at what the wide impacts are. We're facing an affordability crisis. You know, one of the things that disappoints me though Pat is you're talking about things that could be done here and now. The governor has not intervened on the electric rates which have been crushing people for months. So you're talking about the gas tax. What has the governor done about the electric rates? So we need action. We need something new, something now. And I'm very hopeful that this budget, even though I don't like the idea of policies being implemented in the budget, if there is going to be I'm hoping to see some real relief at the kitchen table for folks.
Assemblyman Michael Cashman has introduced a bill, currently in the energy committee, that would address utility bill costs and fees and is he cosponsoring other energy affordability bills. Another measure he has proposed would require regional equity when policies are implemented, especially in the energy, transportation and infrastructure sectors.
