The Post reports State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is backing Governor Paterson's unilateral budget cutting:
The remarks by the powerful Assembly speaker stood in stark contrast
with those by Democratic leaders in the state Senate, who called the
aid freeze dangerous and argue it could force schools and local
governments to lay off workers or raise taxes. "It is the job of
the budget director, through the governor to manage cash as they see
fit," Silver said. "My argument originally was to make the 2 percent
cut and avoid the state coming and saying we have no money.
Unfortunately, that did not carry the day and we were left to do what
we could do and leave the governor in charge of managing cash." Silver's remarks came in response to a reporter's question New York
Stock Exchange after Paterson announced a new report on building
partnerships between businesses and universities to spur growth.
The Board of Regents urges the Legislature to lift the charter school cap to 400.
The City Council voted 45-1 today to reject a plan to turn the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx into a shopping Mall. Last week, LES activists used the Bronx controversy as a cautionary tale. In discussing the redevelopment of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area, some CB3 members pointed out that the city green-lighted the project, ignoring the wishes of the local community board. Their point: let's find a way of preventing the same thing from happening on the Lower East Side.
