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Op Ed
City Budget
Vote yes on a rainy day fund for New York City
New York Daily News
October 21, 2019
When New Yorkers head to the polls to vote, they will find five important ballot proposals, but one in particular is worth supporting because it would make an important change to how the city manages its budget.
Op Ed
City Budget
The Rainy Day Fund New York Needs
The Gotham Gazette
June 10, 2019
Most New Yorkers are unaware they will have the opportunity this fall to vote to dramatically change their city government.
Op Ed
City Budget
What de Blasio, City Council should do with $800 million
Crain’s New York Business
May 22, 2019
While de Blasio and Council Speaker Corey Johnson have both stressed the importance of preparing for an eventual economic downturn, the mayor's proposal falls short of what's needed.
Op Ed
City Budget
How Queens Residents Rate City Services And Quality Of Life
August 11, 2017
The Citizens Budget Commission recently released the results of a citywide survey of residents’ satisfaction with municipal services and the quality of life in their neighborhoods and across the city.
Op Ed
City Budget
Inside New Yorkers’ Satisfaction, or Lack Thereof, with City Services
June 01, 2017
New Yorkers are notoriously opinionated, but how often do they get to tell city leaders what they think?
Op Ed
City Budget
End de Blasio’s giveaway to bus companies
May 09, 2017
The program was bad policy from the outset-- and was extended for a third year. The City Council should defund it when the budget is adopted.
Op Ed
Transportation
Funding Fares Should Be the City's Responsiblity
April 02, 2017
If the mayor supports the policy, it should be a priority that is accommodated within the city’s financial plan.
Op Ed
City Budget
Why we're asking New Yorkers to assess the quality of life in their neighborhoods
January 24, 2017
We're asking New Yorkers all over the city to fill out a survey on public services and quality of life in NYC.
Op Ed
Transportation
Make the MetroCard a gateway to opportunity, not a barrier
Transit should be half-price for the working poor
January 08, 2017
Half-priced metrocards for low-income adults should be paid for by the City, not the MTA. The City already supports reduced fares for the elderly and disabled.
Op Ed
City Budget
The “20-20-20-20” Dilemma
The Need to Curtail New York City’s Legacy Costs
August 03, 2016
A giant and rapidly growing slice of the New York City budget pays for "legacy costs" - pensions, retiree health benefits, and debt service - which already exceed 20 percent of the budget and will expand by 20 percent to more than $20 billion in annual spending by fiscal year 2020. But the City can take steps to deal with it.
Op Ed
City Budget
The Rapidly Rising Cost of City Workers
New York City Employees Get $138,000 in Pay and Benefits, and Rising
June 09, 2016
The mayor and City Council quickly came to an agreement on the details of an adopted budget for fiscal year 2017, but little attention has been paid to spending projected over the course of the five-year financial plan. We ought to focus, and hold onto our wallets.
Op Ed
City Budget
Make NYC’s Retiree Health Benefit Trust More Trustworthy
May 25, 2016
The City of New York has a $70 billion liability for retiree health insurance costs and other post-employment benefits (OPEB), not including pensions. These benefits are contractually owed to retired city employees and are largely unfunded.
Op Ed
City Budget
A Mixed Budget Message
May 02, 2016
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s executive budget and accompanying four-year financial plan send a mixed message about New York City’s fiscal outlook. For the short term, economic performance and local revenues are exceeding expectations this year.
Op Ed
City Budget
Mayor de Blasio's Citywide Savings Program: Too Little of the Really Good Stuff
February 24, 2016
In his second year de Blasio reestablished the practice under the new name of Citywide Savings Program (CSP). The resurrection has been uninspired; the CSP in the latest plan, released last month, is too small and includes too few efficiency initiatives.
Op Ed
City Budget
Reducing Organic Waste Without Increasing Costs
February 03, 2016
The Department of Sanitation's focus on organic waste is merited by the size of the waste stream (more than 1 million tons annually) and environmental benefits of reducing greenhouse gases through use of alternative disposal strategies, such as composting, rather than transport to distant landfills.
Op Ed
City Budget
What de Blasio’s Budget is Missing
January 21, 2016
The mayor’s plan increases spending without any increases to tax rates, thanks to rising property values and continued economic growth: Employment has reached an all-time high, real wages are growing and tourists are still flocking to the city in record numbers.
Op Ed
City Budget
Cleaning Up NY's Garbage Disposal
June 03, 2012
New York City generates more than 25 tons of garbage per minute. That's 14 million tons per year, and the city's Department of Sanitation spends $2 billion annually to collect and dispose of about a third of it.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
Sneak Labor Giveaway
May 05, 2012
Across New York, the cost of health benefits for retired government employees is growing so rapidly that it threatens to crowd out funding for essential government services. Rather than lay off police or close libraries, public officials may want to use their discretion to alter retiree health insurance — but some state legislators are trying to take away that discretion.
Op Ed
City Budget
Fix NYC’s ‘Prevailing Wage’ Law
March 27, 2012
The City Council is set to take up a bill to expand the prevailing-wage law to cover building-service workers in buildings and projects that get financial assistance from the city. Whatever the merits of that expansion, we urgently need much greater transparency in how the “prevailing wage” is determined.
Op Ed
City Budget
The Big Difference in Next Year's New York City Budget
February 23, 2012
Earlier this month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented New York City's Financial Plan for the next four years. It demonstrates a stark new reality: there is no large surplus of revenues, as there has been in past years, to help balance the budget.