My last column, “Stop playing games with the budget deficit” (Feb. 3) was written one week before New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued his analysis of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget draft. The irrationality I outlined fell short of anticipating the following mea-culpa expressed in the comptroller’s analysis. “The SFY 2010-2011 enacted budget relied on $16.7 billion in non-recurring or temporary budget resources; and overly optimistic tax revenue projections, causing a dramatically worsened state structural deficit.” How dramatic? These tenuous entries constituted 30 percent of all the monies in the state’s operating fund. more

Mayor Mary Bossart, the Board of Trustees and village administrators met for an ad hoc public briefing session at Village Hall on Feb. 15, and Comptroller Mike Schussheim updated them on the village’s financial health leading into the 2011-12 fiscal year, which begins on June 1. more

There are times when I wish it was 2012. Not because I’m wishing my life away but because I’d love to see how today’s crop of politicians worked their way out of the worst financial crises in federal, state and local history. more

On Feb. 1, Governor Cuomo delivered his first budget address. It was a no-holds-barred speech in which he admitted that years of dysfunction and mismanagement has driven our state into “functional bankruptcy.” more

We are entering one of the most interesting times of the year: budget season. more

The mood was somber as school board trustees and Rockville Centre school district administrators sat down on Feb. 1 for the first of six public work sessions on the 2011-12 budget. more

I was disappointed by the decision of the state’s financial oversight board, the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority, to take over Nassau County’s finances. more

They say misery loves company, and if that’s the case, New York state has lots of company. It’s no secret that New York is faced with a budget deficit of at least $10 billion. But compared with some of the other big states, New York’s budget dilemma may be small change. Or is it? more

Recently, Nassau County superintendents of schools received literature from County Executive Ed Mangano regarding his 2011 “No Property Tax Increase Budget.” As part of this proposed budget, county legislators voted, strictly along party lines, to shift the financial expense of paying county assessment errors from Nassau County to the local school districts. We certainly agree that the assessment system is broken; however, shifting the responsibility to the school districts will not help fix it. more

For some unexplained reason, success in politics is measured by what happens in the first 100 days of a politician’s time in office. For Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo, his success or progress will be held to the same standard, however unrealistic it may be. more