EDITORIAL: Keep up the conversation on how to reform Albany

Voters are angry and frustrated, and they ache for real leadership in New York. Those feelings, captured by the Newsday-Hofstra University poll, are likely to show up in November at the polling booth. Until then, we must demand that candidates tell us specifically and realistically what can be done to make Albany functional.

The poll report's title, "Little Common Ground," is a good indicator of how tough that will be. To find that common ground, Newsday, News 12 Long Island and Hofstra formed a partnership called Renew New York. Its first forum yesterday was the opening step in what needs to become a sustained, civil, productive conversation about how we can create jobs and moderate taxes while still supplying needed services.

The poll found that seven of 10 said state government needs major structural reform. They liked such ideas as imposing term limits, lowering campaign spending, and letting voters make policy directly, by initiative and referendum. But they rejected a constitutional convention. All these need a thorough airing.

On the budget deficit, those polled wanted it fixed - but they didn't like any of the proposed cuts or tax increases. To dispel that magical thinking, candidates have to lead, showing both the nerve and the brains to choose wisely among those sour-tasting fiscal medicines. Yesterday's discussion on cutting Medicaid spending got at some of that, but shied away from nursing homes, a big slice of the overall costs.

To calm our poisonous politics and fix our broken government, candidates must say plainly what we need to change, then lead us there. Yesterday was a useful start. hN