The ad war over state priorities

A couple we know have stopped going to the polls in school budget elections. She always voted yes and he always voted no; once they realized they were canceling each other out, they decided they might as well stay home.

We were reminded of this couple by the media battle brewing over New York's ailing finances. For years, unions whose members are the beneficiaries of the state's loosened purse-strings have spent heavily on TV commercials warning of the dire consequences if politicians cut back.

Since New York's new governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, is determined to rein in spending, and since he did not just fall off the political turnip truck, he understands that this advertising can be effective. So he's apparently fostered the formation of a group that now stands ready to spend millions on TV commercials warning of the dire consequences if politicians don't cut back.

The nonprofit Committee to Save New York, whose commercials have already begun airing around the state, is dominated by powerful business interests, including some major figures in real estate. Its board includes Kevin S. Law, president of the Long Island Association, a business advocacy group.

The committee, which has just registered as a lobbyist under state law, is expected to spend $10 million or more in support of Cuomo's fiscally conservative agenda, which includes a cap on local property taxes and limits on state spending. Cuomo has even urged people to join.

It would be nice if none of this were necessary - if New York politicians decided how to spend taxpayer dollars entirely on the merits, and the governor could get his viewpoint across to the voters without seeming to get into bed with one group of powerful interests or another.

Then again, it would be nice if New York weren't facing a projected $9.3-billion budget deficit. For years now, health care workers (and the hospitals that employ them) spent millions advertising on behalf of Medicaid spending. The teachers union has spent millions on behalf of school aid. Is it any wonder the governor has decided it was time for a little countervailing power in the court of public opinion?

Cuomo also has roughly $4 million in campaign money left that he can use to persuade voters to embrace his reform agenda. He reportedly plans to raise millions more as well.

In running for office, Cuomo pledged to reduce the power of special interests in Albany, but clearly he's decided he'll have to fight fire with fire. We'll be watching closely to see if the new governor can use the Committee to Save New York's powerful business interests to advance his worthwhile agenda without becoming beholden to them.

In the coming media maelstrom, unions and business might just cancel one another out, like our nonvoting couple. Then again, Albany's coming budget cuts will hurt, and voter support could be bolstered by a vigorous, fact-based debate. Who knows? We might even get one. hN