Dawidziak: Gov. Cuomo made skeptics believe

Today, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo delivers his second State of the State address, and speculation is rampant as to what he'll say. On fiscal matters, many believe he will have to tackle pension reform and speak about his support for wider legalization of casino gaming. On energy and the environment, he's expected to address hydrofracking. And on the reform front, education, ethics and the state's redistricting plan will be hot topics.

Last year's speech painted an accurate but grim picture of the condition of state government. The description of an Albany paralyzed by partisan gridlock and fiscal irresponsibility certainly rang true to New York residents.

What didn't ring true last January was his optimism for transforming state government. After years of hearing big promises for change -- many delivered in grandiloquent State of the State addresses by Cuomo's predecessors -- nobody could blame New Yorkers for being skeptical. Polls taken after last year's speech showed that while Cuomo's personal approval ratings were soaring, just a small percentage of voters believed he would be able to fix Albany's problems.

What also seemed improbable was his call for cooperation between the state's houses of government, regions and political parties. After years of self-interested bickering between Senate and Assembly, upstate and downstate, and Republicans and Democrats, cooperation seemed implausible.

One year full of accomplishments later, many of the skeptics -- myself included, and they don't come much more cynical than political consultants -- have become believers.

State of the State (or County or Union) addresses are typically short on details and long on rhetoric. The main goal is to be inspiring and uplifting, not to give a bunch of technical minutiae that can immediately be dissected by opponents. So today we can expect the governor to identify problems, promote solutions in broad terms, and leave out specific details -- smartly leaving room for future compromise and consensus building.

In his 2011 speech, Cuomo accurately articulated the depths of the crisis facing the state and in general terms outlined what would have to be done to meet this challenge. And he threw down the gauntlet on a controversial issue that he easily could have ducked in light of the heavy emphasis on fiscal issues, proclaiming, "We believe in justice for all, then let's pass marriage equality this year once and for all."

In retrospect, Cuomo's 2011 speech forecast the breadth of the accomplishments and the spirit of change in Albany we saw over the past 12 months. The address set the tone for what became a highly successful style of governing. For one thing, he doesn't negotiate in the press. This gives the wrangling behind closed doors a chance to work out, without bruised egos and lines being drawn in the sand. Cuomo has also been perfectly willing to share the spotlight and give credit where it belongs, especially to his partners in state government, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan).

In his speech today, Cuomo will undoubtedly tout his impressive accomplishments, but say that while much has been done, much is left to do. That's right. While the state made a promising start on ethics reform last year, much more should be done. And this should also be the year that Albany finally tackles mandate reform. Most critically, Albany needs to get much more aggressive with economic development, and making New York a business friendly state.

Like last year, Cuomo will articulate the large challenges yet to be met. The difference is, this year, few will be skeptical that they'll actually get done.

Michael Dawidziak is a political consultant and pollster.