Whether it’s Washington, D.C., or Albany, taxpayers are sending a message loud and clear. They want the cost of government reduced, and they want their taxes to go down. more

The U.S. government faces a historic choice over the next very few years: get our fiscal house in order or see our status as a world economic power permanently lost in an avalanche of debt. Fiscal responsibility knows no party or ideological bounds. It is neither Democratic nor Republican, liberal or conservative. If our economy falters, the consequences will be dire for us all. Our children and grandchildren will face the very real prospect of living less well off than previous generations. The American Dream of ever-growing prosperity will evaporate. Our future will look more like that of bankrupt Greece. more

West Hempstead residents Gary Port and Owen Rumelt are taking on town government... more

West Hempstead resident Gary Port is challenging Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray for her seat this year... more

As part of his effort to crack down on corruption and restore the public’s trust in government, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the appointments of public integrity officers … more

This is Sunshine Week, a national initiative to increase government transparency. Since its inception in 2005, it has helped raise awareness of the importance of open government and freedom of information. more

During his campaign, Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo’s transition team released a detailed and well-annotated report outlining plans for “Rightsizing Government.” The report’s findings and recommendations reiterate much of what the previous columns in this series have suggested: that New York state’s Public Authorities and agencies have “become too big, too expensive, and too ineffective — an ever proliferating tangle of boards, commissions, councils, departments, divisions, offices, task forces and public authorities, [that] the taxpaying public can no longer afford.“ Amen. more

Back in early August, I began to consider writing a series of columns on reforming New York’s dysfunctional state government. Friends and neighbors were not aware of my interest in this subject; others suggested that no amount of disclosure and transparency could possibly make a difference. more

Back in early August, I began to consider writing a series of columns on reforming New York’s dysfunctional state government. Friends and neighbors were not aware of my interest in this subject; others suggested that no amount of disclosure and transparency could possibly make a difference. more

As I’ve mentioned in my four prior columns, our state authorities and agencies are not sufficiently accountable to the public. In the past decade alone there have been multiple reports by the state Comptroller’s office, governors’ commissions and public sector watchdog groups about this. Efforts to legislate greater accountability by officials who have focused their attention on authorities have met with limited success. more