Editorial
Cautious Optimism Greets Spitzer's Proposals

In his first address to the state legislature last week, Governor Eliot Spitzer, still riding the crest of an election victory of mandate proportions, continued to lay out his ambitious vision of state government, which he had started to describe earlier in the week after being sworn in as the state's 54th governor.

In the hour-long speech, the new governor touched on every facet within his official purview, from the state legislature to the courts, health care, the educational system and the economy.

At times, there appeared to be apparent contradictions, but these were understandable when one considers the huge area being covered and its complexity. Understandable, too, because these were exploratory gambits from the new chief executive, which must be followed up later on with detailed proposals.

Overall, we found much to agree with- the ethics reforms proposed for elected officials $6 billion in tax relief for homeowners and calls to improve the state's business climate and economy.

Spitzer also proposed improvements for schools, health insurance coverage for young and old alike and reductions in wasteful spending.

In about a month, when Spitzer presents his first budget proposal, hopefully we will get a clearer idea of how he plans to carry out the new and changed policies he has presented.

Clearly, there is an urgent need to change some of the long-established ways that govern how state officials operate, which has led to several probes of alleged criminal activities. Faulty methods of alleged appropriations and dispersal of millions of dollars in state funds by these few lawmakers must be dealt with to change the public perception of the vast majority of other honest officials.

Of particular importance to the New York City school system is Spitzer's call for a revised and new, transparent school funding formula. The present formula favors suburban districts represented by Republican lawmakers. The changes proposed are intended to help New York City's educational establishment.

The call for more education spending and making pre-K classes available to every 4-year-old in the state was coupled with Spitzer's proposal to give homeowners whose taxes pay for these programs $6 billion in real estate tax relief over the next three years.

Reacting to Thursday's oration, Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stated, as he had following the speech two days earlier: "There was very little I could disagree with."

Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno was likewise conciliatory in his reaction, saying, "There are things to get things done that you have to kind of swallow hard on, but that's the business we're in."

But the reality of it is that very much of what Spitzer wants to get done will depend on how well he can persuade Silver and Bruno to agree with him. As we all know, this can be very difficult. We'll have to see if Spitzer will be more successful than previous governors.