TRANSITION OFFICE OF THE
NEW YORK
STATE GOVERNOR-ELECT ELIOT
SPITZER AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR-ELECT DAVID PATERSON
 
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE CONTACT: Christine Anderson canderson@spitzer2006.com 917.981.2725
GOVERNOR-ELECT ELIOT SPITZER AND LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR-ELECT DAVID PATERSON ANNOUNCE EXECUTIVE ACTIONS TO FURTHER REFORM IN
ALBANY
Albany, NY (November 30, 2006) –
Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer announced today a series of executive actions he
and the Lieutenant Governor-Elect intend to take as first steps in implementing
a broader reform agenda. These reforms will be implemented through voluntary
actions or the issuance of executive orders upon taking office.The
executive actions are aimed at instituting ethical reforms, restoring non
partisanship, fixing the budget process, promoting openness and instituting
greater accountability. "If we are to reverse our state's decline, we
must first reform our state government to make it more accountable and
effective," said Governor-Elect Spitzer. "Reform must begin at the highest
levels of government, which is why David and I personally plan to take the
following actions on January 1 st.  These reforms are the first
step in a comprehensive reform agenda that we plan to actively pursue."
 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS
The following executive actions
that will be instituted immediately upon the Governor-Elect and Lieutenant
Governor-Elect taking office, either through voluntary actions or through the
issuance of Executive Orders.
Ethical Reforms

Ø
Prohibit campaign contributions from at-will
State employees to
the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor
Whenever State employees make campaign
contributions to their superiors, it  creates the impression that they are
required to do so in order to retain their  government jobs.  As a
result, neither Governor-Elect Spitzer nor Lieutenant  Governor-Elect
Paterson will accept campaign contributions from at-will State employees.
 Ø Neither the
Governor nor the Lieutenant Governor will hold or participate in any fundraisers
within the Capitol Region during the legislative session
Numerous political fundraising events are held
in the Albany
area during the legislative session.  Lobbyists and others seeking to
influence legislation can make campaign contributions to elected officials at
these fundraisers, and then meet with these same officials, requesting favorable
treatment on legislation.   This creates at least an appearance of the
undue influence of money over government decision making, and neither
Governor-Elect Spitzer nor Lieutenant Governor-Elect will hold any such
fundraisers in the Capital Region while the Legislature is in session.
Restoring
Nonpartisanship ØProhibit any
hiring or contracting official from inquiring about the political affiliation of
a prospective employee or contractor The Civil Service Law currently
prohibits inquiries regarding the political  affiliation of positions under
the Civil Service Law.  This same rule will now be extended to higher-level
"exempt"  positions, and also to individuals seeking  government
contracts.  The only exceptions will be positions on those boards and
commissions where the number of appointees in a particular party is
limited. Ø End
the practice of having individuals change their party affiliation to meet the
requirements for appointment. Several state boards and commissions (such
as the Civil Service Commission, State Investigation Commission and PERB) are
intended to be "non-partisan," and the Legislature sought to implement that
intent by limiting the number of board members who can be from the same party.
 However, that intent has been subverted by recent practices, in which
individuals have been asked to change or drop their party affiliation in order
to avoid violating the statute. That practice will end. Fixing the Broken Budget Process Ø Bring both
houses of the Legislature into the budget making process as early as possible,
and share with them as much information as possible about both expected revenues
and plans for spending. One of the best ways to ensure enactment of an
on-time budget is to start the process earlier.  By starting the process
sooner and facilitating a free flow of communication, we will more quickly learn
about disagreements, and will be better equipped to address them. Ø
Seek to reach a quick consensus with both houses on revenue projections, and if
no consensus can be reached, agree to be bound by the projections issued by the
Comptroller's Office, whose non-partisan professionals are widely recognized as
issuing reliable estimates of State revenues, uninfluenced by politics.
One of the main causes of delay every year is the inability of the
Governor, Assembly and Senate to agree on the amount of revenue that is
available to be spent.   It is impossible to agree on how to spend money
until you agree on how much can be spent.  We will try to reach that
consensus sooner, and if we are unable to do  so, we will agree to be bound
by the revenue projections of the professional staff of  the Comptroller's
Office. Ø Require that all member item appropriations be set forth
as separate line items in the budget Traditionally, "member item"
appropriations have been set forth as separate line items, so that the public
could see the specific spending proposals before the budget bills were voted on.
 More recently, however, the Governor and the Legislature have agreed to
enact large "lump sum" appropriations, with the understanding that after the
budget is passed, each side would be able to parcel out its share of the funding
to its favored projects.  We need to end these secretive practices, and
instead require that the budget specify each recipient of such "member item"
funding. Promote
Openness Ø Hold
regular news conferences and media interviews, both to ensure that the public is
informed, and to promote a vigorous public debate on the issues The
public has a right to know about the activities of the government, and the best
way to achieve that goal is to make sure that the press has frequent access to
the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Ø Have an
open-door policy for all members of the Legislature, so that they have the
opportunity to discuss the concerns of their local constituencies
Providing easy access for individual legislators of both parties to meet
with the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and their staffs will help restore the
public's confidence that their concerns will be considered and addressed.
Ø Make the Executive Mansion and State Capitol more
accessible, while still maintaining security The Executive Mansion and
the State Capitol belong to the people, but unfortunately have become barricaded
symbols of an unresponsive government.  There should be a full assessment
of ways that these buildings can be made more accessible without compromising
security, with a special emphasis on facilitating access for members of the
press. Ø Expand the use of the Internet to communicate with New
York 's residents, including by making meetings of the MTA, the Public Service
Commission and other State entities available on real-time webcasts New
York has an "Open Meetings Law," but the vast majority of New Yorkers don't have
the time or the money to travel to Albany to attend such meetings.  So
instead, we will bring the meetings to the people, by having real-time webcasts
of the meetings of major public boards and commissions. Institute Accountability Ø Institute
regular and rigorous evaluations of the Executive agencies, including requiring
that agencies adopt performance measurements, establish goals, and track their
performance over time. Measuring performance is a routine practice in
the business world, because business leaders know that you cannot improve the
bottom line if you do not have established performance goals.   The State
government should adopt these same practices, so that we can make government
more efficient and cost-effective,  thereby reducing the need for
additional taxpayer dollars. ØAppoint a
first-rate Inspector General, and give that office the resources it needs to
pursue corruption in government without fear or favor. The State
Inspector General is one of the most important officials in State government,
because the IG is responsible for investigating corruption, fraud and waste
throughout the Executive Branch of government, including the power to appoint
deputy inspectors general assigned to individual agencies. No administration can
claim that it is serious about reform unless it is willing to give the IG's
Office the resources needed to do its job effectively .
 
 
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