Faso: ‘Upstate is withering away’
Gubernatorial hopeful paints grim picture of state’s status
by Kevin Tampone, Journal Staff

: • Editor’s note: Republican New York State gubernatorial candidate John Faso met with The Central New York Business Journal Aug. 18. Here are some of his thoughts on issues in this year’s race for governor.

On upstate New York:

“I’m convinced that many of our upstate cities are in a death spiral. There’s no way you can sugarcoat it, gloss over it, or avert our eyes and pretend that it’s anything other than that. The cost of government in these places is outstripping the ability of the private-sector economy to pay for the government. And we need to have wholesale changes in that structure. We need wholesale changes in the mandate system that has driven a lot of that cost.

“Upstate is withering away. It is withering on the vine,” Faso says.

One of the mandates Faso spoke about was the Wicks Law, which governs certain public-building projects and includes requirements for multiple contractors on those projects. Faso advocated abolishing the law.

On the state’s business climate:

“We lead the nation in the outmigration of people from our state to other states and we’re [number] 49 or 50, depending on who’s calculating, in the business-tax climate. Right down the line, we are [uncompetitive] with other states. I hear over and over and over again from individuals in business that the tax and regulatory burden is oppressive, and it’s driving jobs away and it’s driving people away. We need wholesale change in New York.”

On pension reform:

“I’ve proposed that we give school districts and local governments the option for new employees to create 401(k) plans rather than a traditional defined-benefit plan. From a policy perspective, it would be much better going forward. It would give the taxpayers predictability as to what the costs will be, and it also gives employees portability without tying them to the 10- or 20-year dictates of qualifying for a pension.

“That option for school districts and local governments is one of the things that could permanently change the cost structure. We’re not talking about anyone who’s currently in the system. We’re talking about new employees. Of course the union leaders hate it. It means the membership is not as tied to them in terms of their relationship.”

Faso said he envisions a statewide board that would be created to determine a menu of investment options for public employees. He also said he would like to see a similar 401(k) system in place for state employees.

On taxes:

Faso has proposed a cap on tax-levy increases in local school districts. The cap would be 4 percent, or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower, he says.

There’s more, he has good ideas and lays them out unlike Spitzer who is the mysteryman.