Rochester City Newspaper
by Jeremy Moule
October 20, 2010

The media coverage of Monday's night's gubernatorial debate focused on the performances of Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino, with a side of Jimmy McMillan (the Rent is Too Damn High guy). But Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Party candidate Warren Redlich were concise, engaging, and made important points. Redlich dismissed the idea of a property tax cap. It's spending, he said, that needs to be addressed. That matches perfectly with the concerns of 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 debate. Instead of a property tax cap, he said, the state should take over Medicaid entirely, which would reduce local property taxes. And a true progressive income tax would lift some of the burden off of the lower and middle classes and spread it among the wealthy. 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. Monday's debate gave New Yorkers a glimpse of what they've been missing.