Will New York State ever pass the budget that was due more than a month ago? And how is New York City supposed to work out its own budget, which it’s legally required to balance and pass by the end of June, without knowing how much money the state is providing?
Podcast hosts Christina Greer, Katie Honan and Harry Siegel dig into that and much more, including a grim projection about New York City’s shrinking public school system.
https://feeds.fireside.fm/faqnyc/rss?ugly
Here’s a taste of Katie on Albany’s evidently endless ‘Big Ugly,’ which is a term of anything but endearment that journalists and politicians alike have given to the capital’s notorious budget close:
People I spoke with who know Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie very well said it was a complete shock for him to come out and say that “I’m never doing this again. There’s no deal. We spoke last night and I told her to say that ‘We’re close’ and she came out and did this” — I understand it’s a negotiation tactic on her part to kind of force the hand, but I see it as really embarrassing.
I’m just a simple person. I cover the city budget where we have a firm deadline of when a budget is due and drop dead day to be passed. I have never heard of a mayor coming out and saying, “We have a budget,” and then the Speaker of the City Council coming out shortly after saying, “No, we don’t.” It’s just very bizarre to me.
FAQ NYC comes out weekly, usually on Mondays. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, through RSS or wherever podcasts are found, or listen right here at The City.
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The post LISTEN: Albany’s Supersized ‘Big Ugly’ Is Ridiculously Late appeared first on THE CITY – NYC News.
