ROUND TWO

Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivering his State of the State address. (credit: Andrew Schwartz)

Cuomo’s Blueprint for the 2012 Session Begins To Unfold

Year Two of the Cuomo era started out, surprisingly, with a bang.

Not content to rest on his laurels, Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled a list of big-ticket items in his State of the State speech last week. Among them: a plan to build the largest convention center in the United States, the legalization of casino gambling, a call to create a public campaign finance system and billions of dollars leveraged toward improving the state’s crumbling infrastructure.

“Last year, we learned to walk,” Cuomo said. “This year, we run.”

But in his quest to build on the successes of his first year in office, Cuomo is sure to run up against those entrenched interests he is so fond of deriding, the “cynics and naysayers” who regularly serve as straw men in the governor’s speeches. Already, some business leaders—and even the usually Cuomo-sympathetic New York Post opinion page—have cast a skeptical eye on the governor’s plan to build a convention center next to the Aqueduct racino in Queens. And backroom fights over redistricting and the state budget deficit may spill out into the open if Cuomo is unable to broker a deal with legislative leaders.

There are still many reasons to remain hopeful; Cuomo has already proven to be a master at coaxing the latent functionality out of New York’s government. How fast he can run with this new agenda will define what lies ahead for Albany and the rest of the state.

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The Energizer Cuomo – Cuomo’s energy super highway gets rave reviews.
The Not-So-Intractables – What got done last year, and what fell by the wayside.
Line Dancing – Tension mounts over redistricting.
Ready For The Race – The lines aren’t finished, but some candidates just can’t wait to run.
Fun and Games – Casino gaming in New York faces some hurdles.
Many, Many Mandates – What’s on the chopping block with mandate relief?
Back To School – Education drives a wedge between Cuomo and the Legislature.
SAGE Advice – Modest expectations for Cuomo’s government reorganization effort.
On The Road Again - Infrastructure spending is about to get a boost.
Master Of The House – Tenants and landlords skeptical of new enforcement unit.
Paying For Politics – Campaign finance reform closer, and further away, to reality.
The Body Politic – Very few references to healthcare in Cuomo’s speech.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – The word “jobs” appeared over 20 times in the State of the State.
The Battle for New York City – Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg at odds over much of the city’s agenda.