Gianaris: Massive Budget Cuts Are Imminent

“Sure enough, we’re out of money and have to go back [to Albany] next week and cut $3 billion,” Gianaris said at the October meeting of Community Board 1. Staring at a $3 billion deficit this year, the New York state legislature is in session this week dealing with Governor David Paterson’s proposal to cut $2 billion and raise $1 billion in new revenues. Among the cuts is a midyear slashing of $223.2 million from New York City schools.

“Extremely harmful,” Assemblymember Michael Gianaris said about the education cuts. The city would also lose $26.2 million in other state funding.

Last April, the legislature passed a $131 billion budget, heavily reliant on federal stimulus money, that increased spending by more than 9 percent.

Gianaris voted against that budget, supporting state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s position that it was short-sighted. “Sure enough, we’re out of money and have to go back [to Albany] next week and cut $3 billion,” Gianaris said at the October meeting of Community Board 1.

Statewide, school aid would be cut by $686 million (including the $223.2 million from the city) for the rest of the school year. Medicaid and other health and mental health programs will be reduced by $471 million. The governor has also proposed a $500 million cut to state agencies, including $53 million from the City University of New York and $90 million from the State University of New York. The state Department of Health was cut by $36.9 million and the state Department of Correction by $69.3 million. In addition, the MTA will lose $113 million.

In response to a question regarding state Senator Hiram Monserrate, Gianaris said a committee was established earlier in the day to look into the matter. “There’s a lot of people calling for [Monserrate] to be removed,” Gianaris said.

Senate Majority Leader John Sampson announced that a nine-member (five Democrats, four Republicans) “special committee of inquiry” would hold public hearings to consider whether Monserrate should be removed from his seat in the aftermath of a misdemeanor conviction for assault on a female companion.

Acquitted of felony charges that would have required him to step down from his senate seat, Monserrate could now be forced to testify, along with the female companion. The committee could expel, censor, or take no action against him. Monserrate is also scheduled for sentencing in Queens State Supreme Court by Justice William M. Erlbaum on December 4, when he could get one year in jail, although that is thought to be unlikely.

Democrats currently hold a one-seat majority in the senate. Should Monserrate be removed, the margin, even if only temporarily, disappears. During this past summer, the senate was embroiled in a legislative gridlock until Governor David Paterson appointed Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor.

Gianaris, a prime mover behind the idea to have Paterson appoint a lieutenant governor to succeed him, explained that it had never been done before. With the state’s highest court recently upholding the appointment, Gianaris said, “If the senate ever gets stuck again, we have a process.”