“The State budget this year set an aggressive agenda to deal with the myriad issues facing New Yorkers. My
omo goal is twofold during this process: to make progress and to actually expose the differences where progress cannot be made. We have agreed on all primary issues in the budget except one — public financing of elections.
“The items agreed to promise a robust agenda for the State: a permanent property tax cap, criminal justice reform, a plastic bag ban, MTA reform, ACA healthcare protections, women’s fertility coverage and more.
“The only remaining open item is public financing. Many Senators and Assemblymembers have pledged their support for public financing for years. However now the choice is real. Political rhetoric and supporting an issue is easy when a politician knows it can’t pass anyway. That has been the case with public financing for many years as the Republican Senate opposed it. But today legislators must provide results and make it a reality. There are no scapegoats or excuses. Some legislators oppose public financing and I respect their opinion. However, many more legislators have unequivocally pledged support and now they must act.
“New Yorkers deserve truth and clarity and now they will have it on this important issue. New Yorkers are watching and will now know whether their elected officials are truly progressive or great pretenders.”
