The Syracuse Post-Standard has a special report on New York State slush funds, including a story that mentions moving 47 graves in a cemetery in Dryden. I suspect I'm happier about that than air-conditioning for a golf dome in Tonawanda, and I wonder if there's a connection to this July article in the Dryden Courier.
For a picture of how these funds - one each for the Assembly, Senate, and Governor - work, and where their borrowed monies come from, see this illustration (298KB PDF). It's pretty stunning - and remember, this money is borrowed without having to ask the voters to approve the borrowing, because it's creatively funneled through various Authorities. Since the spending for the money isn't specified in the budget, each member of New York's entrenched ruling triumvirate - Pataki, Bruno, and Silver - has their own private discretionary fund.
I'll watch for more on the Dryden cemetery.
(Thanks to NYCO's blog for the heads-up.)
Posted by simon at October 17, 2004 7:37 PM in New York State , politics (state) , public finance