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Putting the empire back in the Empire State

Gov. Eliot Spitzer was hitting on all cylinders last week in his State of the State address. He was also hitting on all the familiar themes: education, health care, energy, crime, technology, economic development and the biggest bugaboo of all ­ skyrocketing property taxes.

But his plan to offer tax relief ­ creating a commission to study the problem ­ is the exact opposite of what his political nemesis Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has called for.

This speech was more inclusive than his first as governor, reaching out to both sides of the aisle in addressing the pressing needs of the state. It rang friendlier than the harsh and near-insulting tone of last year’s “Day one everything changes.”

While the economic problems of upstate and western New York received a lot of play, he threw down a couple of bones to us here in the Hudson Valley.

In proposing $100 million in capital spending to revive the state’s aging park system, Spitzer said the initial major investment will go to transforming the long dormant Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge into “an awe inspiring historic park.”

That should bring a smile to Fred Schaeffer, Amy Husten and Rob Dyson, major supporters of turning the bridge into a world-class tourist attraction and an economic engine for the region.

Spitzer also mentioned Stewart International Airport for its “green” initiative.

“With a $500 million Port Authority investment and environmental know-how from RPI, we’re turning Stewart Airport into an economic engine for the Hudson Valley and an environmental model for the world: the very first carbon-negative airport.”

Before launching into his plan on addressing high property taxes, Spitzer said, “we must break gridlock and break ground on key infrastructure projects and invest in building livable communities.”

Even though he didn’t mention the Tappan Zee Bridge by name, we’re hopeful the gridlock he mentioned includes the long-discussed transportation plans for the 52-year-old span, which have hamstrung growth along the clogged I-287 corridor.

The governor focused on reducing New York’s tax burden. “First, we must rein in New York’s high cost of living and doing business ­ that perfect storm of unaffordability that is battering so many hard working New Yorkers.”

His plan to study the tax problem is not expected to be embraced by GOP lawmakers.

The Republicans launched a two-prong offensive prior to the State of the State address.

Just after the new year was rung in, Bruno offered a multibillion-dollar property tax relief plan. It would in part double the size of the STAR rebate for most homeowners and triple the size of the STAR rebate for seniors next year, while getting rid of the income eligibility limits begun by Spitzer.

STAR, short for School Tax Relief, provides benefits to taxpayers on a sliding scale based on income, with benefits declining as income exceeds $90,000 for upstate homeowners and $120,000 for homeowners in the New York City metropolitan region.

Bruno’s plan also includes NY-STOP (Stop Taxing Our Property), which aims for the elimination of residential school property taxes in school districts that vote to phase out property taxes for STAR-eligible properties over five years. The revenue would be replaced by state funding, according to Bruno’s proposal.

Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco said prior to the speech that if Spitzer were to call for another commission to study property tax relief, he should “just stay home.” Tedisco and colleagues have introduced Assembly Bill A.8775, the New York State Property Taxpayers Protection Act, which is similar to Bruno’s proposal and calls for a property tax cap.

The only ones who don’t benefit directly from these initiatives are businesses.

In an apparent acknowledgement of the Republican proposals, Spitzer said in his address: “A tax cap is a blunt instrument, but it forces hard choices and discipline when nothing else works. When combined with real reform of unfunded mandates and a blueprint for providing a high quality education at a more affordable cost, a cap will allow us to invest wisely in our schools while achieving the goal of controlling property taxes. Let’s finally get real about property taxes. That is what our taxpayers demand, and that is what we must deliver.”

Spitzer named his former Democratic rival in the governor’s race, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi to head the commission. Spitzer invested the commission with Moreland Act powers, which is unusual since the law is generally invoked in corruption cases.

Perhaps to bolster his call for the commission, he cited the work of the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, which includes Alfred DelBello, chairman of the Westchester County Association; Jonathan Drapkin, president and chief executive officer of Pattern for Progress; and Gerald Benjamin, dean of SUNY New Paltz’s College of Liberal Arts and Science.

Spitzer said the commission has already advanced 150 proposals. “They range from forming regional jails and pooling towns’ health coverage, to even eliminating one county in its entirety.” Breaking from his prepared text, Spitzer said, “I’m not gonna tell you whose,” as laughter erupted in the Assembly chamber.

Perhaps Republican lawmakers will consider the positive aspects and fast work of this commission before dismissing “another” commission.

In fact, by offering proposals to pare down the number of taxing entities in the state, the work done by the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness should dovetail nicely for the bipartisan panel that will examine the property tax monster.

And while the buffet the governor served was expansive ­ from creating a $400 million Housing Opportunity Fund that would provide money for homes for teachers and police to fast-tracking the building of power plants to reduce energy costs ­ it still needs meat. We’ll be watching and waiting for the details to see if Spitzer’s call for conciliation and reinvigorating the state materialize.

Don’t wait too long governor, otherwise the promise of a better future could turn into one of empty promises.

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