Yonkers needs tens of millions in state aid to balance its budget and to avoid steep property tax hikes or painful spending cuts. Buffalo, after years of fiscal mismanagement, is flat on its back and openly seeks a state bailout.
Governor Kathy Hochul happens to come from Buffalo and wants an additional $40 million in aid for her hometown. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins happens to come from Yonkers, and she wants $40 million for her city. There’s symmetry here!
On paper, this looks like an easy deal – fund both and move on. But Albany doesn’t work that way. Not when bigger fights are still unresolved…