Things have gotten so bad in Albany, Gov. David Paterson is desperate to find lawmakers who will even meet with him to talk about the budget.
“I’m ready to meet at any time,” the embattled governor complained yesterday morning on WOR’s John Gambling show. “It wouldn’t be bad to have some leaders’ meetings, but they’re resisting that.”
It’s his own fault, say many. If Paterson, under not one, but two ethics investigations, didn’t have such a tarnished reputation, there may be more progress made on the overdue 2010-2011 budget.
“He’s more than a lame duck, he’s a dead duck. The Legislature is ignoring him,” said Doug Muzzio of Baruch College.
Lawmakers flatly reject some of Paterson’s revenue-raising ideas, such as a tax on sugary sodas, intended to cover a $9 billion deficit.
This past winter’s firestorm “delegitimized Paterson,” said Muzzio. “He’s been left out of the budget process.”
To pay the bills, Paterson has delayed billions for school aid and rehabs to the Gowanus Expressway and Grand Central Parkway in Queens. The city could lose $2 billion from the state under the current budget plan.
