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Press and Sun Bulletin Editorial December 30, 2001: Cheevers issues a "lulu" of a challenge to Albany Town of Union Supervisor John E. "Jack" Cheevers enjoys tilting at windmills, but there's an interesting method to his madness -- which in this case should be taken the "anger" context rather than the mental-illness context. Like many New Yorkers, Cheevers is angry and frustrated by way things don't work in Albany. That's one reason he's a nominal Democratic candidate for governor - a nomination he will not receive. But that's also why he's suing New York's legislative leadership, claiming that its "lulu" system--extra pay for legislators serving in "leadership" positions-- is illegal. He might not win this battle, either, but he is right to try to shine a little light on the shameful legislative system that has evolved in Albany. In return for extra income and perks like cushier chairs and additional staffers, rank-and-file legislators have turned over almost 100 percent of the legislative power to just two people -- the Speaker of the Assembly and the Majority Leader of the Senate. Consequently, nothing can be accomplished in either chamber without the express permission of its "leader." And anyone who dares challenge their authority risks losing everything but their base salary ($79,500) and per diems ($138 a day in Albany; $244 a day in Manhattan). Most New Yorkers could get by nicely on that, but legislators crave those "lulus" that raise the average salary to about $90,000. And never mind that the committees are largely ceremonial. It's bad enough that the majority members in each chamber lack the backbone to insist on becoming actual legislators. What's worse is that the minority members are completely disenfranchised. They get the occasional "lulu" here and there, but the chamber "leaders" utterly ignore them. Cheevers is right on target when he points out that because his representative in the Assembly, Jay Dinga, is a Republican in the Democratic-controlled Assembly, "he's a second-class citizen," and that translates into this: Cheevers (and everyone else in Dinga's district) is also a second-class citizen. But as Cheevers also notes, the majority members are so "beholden" to the leadership for favors (and so fond of those perks) that they'll never stand up even for themselves, let alone for minority members or the citizens. Cheevers says a case can be made for extra pay for the two leaders--they each receive an additional $43,000 annually--but "the disparate amount of cash allowances paid to different ... members of the New York state Legislature are no based upon, or are justified, by reason of any difference in work load, work difficulty, population, experience, or any other fair or reasonable factor. " Of course not. They're based on the whims of two people. If they were true statesmen that might not be so awful. But they are not. That's why the state hasn't had a budget on time for 17 years--and never had a completed budget this year. Cheevers' lawsuit probably won't change things, but there's always hope it might spark a reform movement in Albany--or awaken more citizens to the shameful reality that exists there. |
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