New York City’s struggles with the blue model have been well-documented on this blog, but the rest of the state has not been immune from these problems either. The New York Post reports today that Yonkers, Syracuse and Rochester are all asking the state government for a major bailout to avert looming bankruptcies driven by labor and pension costs.
This is not the first time these cities have come to Albany with hat in hand, and Governor Cuomo is preparing to take a tougher stance to ensure that they don’t come back:
Aides to Cuomo are working on a new plan to link any future aid to the ailing cities to “workout plans’’ that reduce local costs, the source said.
“The mayors have got to come to the state with a plan that explains what’s causing their problems and how they plan to solve it. To come to us year after year for a handout as they have been doing, only to come back next year asking for the same handout, is a nonstarter. It doesn’t work,’’ said a Cuomo administration source.
This is a step in the right direction, but it will not be enough on its own. The blue model policies destroying New York City are even worse for the rest of the state, which lacks the large financial sector and ultra-wealthy residents that keep the Big Apple above water.
New York needs to change directions—and fast.
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