Perhaps the Boss should’ve been governor

The passing of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner brought to mind two words: tough love. Steinbrenner succeeded in the world of sports because he wasn’t willing to follow the traditional ways of all the other team owners. He spent money, but he dished out lots of tough love to his managers, his players and his very limited partners.

The one thing that seems to be lacking in government, whether it’s in the White House, in Albany or here on Long Island, is a public official who is willing to provide tough love to the rest of the political establishment. Occasionally a local official makes an effort at austerity, but that isn’t proof of long-term leadership.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has upset a lot of entrenched interests with his version of tough love. Christie has won quite a few victories in a short time by successfully battling for a cap on real estate taxes and insisting that local governments hold down spending and tax increases. Christie may wind up as a one-term governor, but sometimes the price of getting things done may well be worth it.

What New York state desperately needs next year is a governor who is willing to dispense some serious tough love to a whole bunch of people and special interests. Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer started out in that direction, but he was unable to win over any significant allies, and tough love without legislative successes is a hollow victory.

New York has been operating on automatic pilot for years. Despite growing deficits and all kinds of warning signs, there hasn’t been a governor willing to fight the good fight since the days of Hugh Carey. The state Legislature has used every gimmick on the books to avoid serious budget cuts and has gone unchallenged over all these years.

Governor after governor has been content to give in to the Legislature in return for pet projects or some temporary peace. The result of years of political horse-trading is that the state now faces continuing deficits and no new legitimate sources of revenue to plug up the gaping holes in the annual budget.

Some people may argue that Gov. David Paterson has forced the Legislature to follow his orders by approving a series of emergency budget extenders as a way to get the unfinished budget approved. But Paterson’s success is based on the fact that the Legislature has been hopelessly gridlocked, and once there’s no budget for three months, the sitting governor can dictate how the money can be spent. It may have happened this year, but it is unlikely to happen again in years to come.

The state will eventually get a new budget, but there hasn’t been any real sacrifice on the part of the groups that can help wipe out the deficits. In January Paterson proposed a series of tax proposals in such areas as sweetened drinks, wine in supermarkets and lots of nuisance taxes. Every one of these proposals, right or wrong, was beaten down by massive lobbying campaigns.

The proposed casino project at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens that would have produced over $300 million in upfront money for the state, and billions after that, has floundered due to the lack of a strong voice to push it through. Requiring motorists to buy new yellow license plates is a one-time money-raiser, but it doesn’t create a long-term revenue stream.

The year 2011 will be the make-or-break year for the state. If it can’t dig itself out of the next big deficit, it will teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. New York needs a governor who will dispense some tough love and be willing to fight for real results. Hopefully, the next governor will be someone in the mold of the late George Steinbrenner.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? JKremer@liherald.com.