Rochester City Newspaper
by Jeremy Moule
October 19, 2010

The media coverage of last night's gubernatorial debate is focusing on the performance of Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino, with a side of Jimmy McMillan (the Rent is Too Damn High guy).

That's a shame because Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Party candidate Warren Redlich did a really good job. They were concise, engaging, and made some important points.

I'll start with Redlich. When he was asked for his position on a property tax cap, he dismissed the idea. A tax cap looks at the wrong side of the government's financial problems, he said. It's spending that needs to be addressed, he said. That matches perfectly with the concerns of some state school districts and local governments. They fear they'll be forced to limit tax increases without any corresponding reduction in their responsibilities.

Hawkins injected some strong progressive arguments into the debates. He said the stock transfer tax should be reinstated, which would help address the state's budget gap. He also said New York needs a state-owned bank to help out small businesses. Instead of a property tax cap, the state should take over Medicaid entirely, which would reduce local property taxes, he said. A true progressive income tax would lift some of the burden off of the lower and middle classes and spread it among the wealthy.

These ideas may not be popular with the political middle, but they can certainly serve to start a conversation. Third-party candidates often get the major party candidates to address and discuss issues they'd otherwise leave alone. But their voices have been absent this election season, most likely because the coverage is being driven by Paladino. Last night's debate gave New Yorkers a glimpse of what they've been missing.