Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s agenda for the coming year is his most ambitious yet, we wrote in today’s editorial on his 2013 State of the State address, delivered Wednesday:
The governor so used to getting what he wants from state lawmakers asked for quite a bit more in his third State of the State address Wednesday — more school and government reform, more jobs and development, more gambling, more Superstorm Sandy-inspired improvements, more women’s rights, more money for low-wage earners. Perhaps the heaviest lift on his list: more gun-control measures, to help thwart more Newtown-like tragedies.
What follows is a roundup of what other New York newspapers had to say about Cuomo’s address.
Cuomo’s agenda is incomplete, argues the Times-Union in Albany:
That’s it? What happened to reforming or paying for the unfunded mandates the state imposes on governments? What about aid some may need just to stay afloat? And not a word about the financial straits school districts are in? What about the state’s now-forgotten promise to provide enough funds so that every child receives the sound, basic education required under its constitution?
The Poughkeepsie Journal appreciates the governor’s “soaring oratory” but is really waiting for the hard numbers in his budget message later this month:
The governor offered a strong, fairly comprehensive agenda, yet he still has not been nearly as forthcoming about what, exactly, the state intends to do to lessen the financial burdens of localities and school districts.
Cuomo’s plans to help the upstate region are sound, says the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:
And while it was also good to see Cuomo adamant about the need to make women “equal partners” and the wisdom of lengthening school calendars, it was most refreshing to see upstate get an unusual amount of attention.
Though Cuomo’s agenda is aggressive, says The Buffalo News, he’s pointing the state in the right direction:
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo laid out a broad and ambitious agenda in his third State of the State speech on Wednesday, putting New York on a path that simultaneously builds on his “open for business” mantra, seeks improvement in critical areas and moves to shore up support from liberals who have not always appreciated the priorities of his first two years in office.
More on the State of the State
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More coverage of the State of the State address can be found on the Politics on the Hudson blog.