Democracy In Albany

"Gov. David Paterson, citing the state's financial woes, has vetoed a bill that would have would have boosted the state's aid to the city of Albany by $5.5 million this year and $11 million annually in subsequent years.

The veto is a blow for Mayor Jerry Jennings, who had lobbied hard for the bill and called it a vital tool for helping the city close a looming budget gap.

Albany, like many state capitals, has a substantial amount of state-owned land it can't tax, and the bill would have provided an annual ``payment in lieu of taxes'' as a way to overcome that handicap..."

"...That the legislation even reached Paterson's desk was a surprise. Its prospects for passage looked poor at the end of the last legislative session. Then, at Jennings' urging, outgoing Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno guided the bill through the Republican-led Senate."