Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York began barnstorming the state last week to rally support for three of his campaign promises: ethics reform, same-sex marriage and, unfortunately, his misguided cap on property taxes. He advised voters upstate to tell their representatives: “pass these bills or don’t come home.”
The Legislature plans to end work on June 20. Lawmakers should not be allowed to show their faces — anywhere — if they fail to pass serious ethics reform legislation to end Albany’s corrupt pay-to-play culture.
The state needs an independent ethics commission to oversee both the Legislature and the governor. Self-policing — the Legislature’s method — clearly does not do the job. Outside work by legislators can no longer be a state secret, especially lawyers whose firms have business with the state. Campaign finance laws need to be tightened — and enforced, with real penalties that rise sharply the longer they are not paid. Legislators from both houses are stalling on these vital reforms.
Lawmakers should be shunned if they fail to approve same-sex marriage before the end of the term. Polls show that most New Yorkers support marriage equality, and in recent weeks, two dozen top New York business leaders have spoken out forcefully on the need to pass this bill. There can be no more excuses.
Mr. Cuomo is right to push both of these issues hard. And we would urge him to start barnstorming for two more: creating an independent redistricting commission and strengthening regulations that limit rent increases for more than one million apartments in New York City. Redistricting must be done this year; rent regulations — essential protection for middle- and working-class New Yorkers — expire in mid-June.
At the same time Mr. Cuomo should drop his campaign to cap local property taxes. This one is popular with local homeowners and in many towns taxes are burdensomely high. At a time when Albany is cutting back on education aid and other support for communities, a cap would mean many towns would have to slash basic services — teachers, police officers and firefighters.
The argument that voters can always choose to override the cap is flawed. The only places where that is likely to happen are wealthy communities.
Mr. Cuomo and the Legislature have a month before the summer recess — not a lot of time to get things right. The state needs ethics reform, redistricting reform and marriage equality. The city needs rent regulations. What isn’t needed is a property-tax cap.
