STAFF EDITORIAL: New York Needs a Change

New York faces many challenges today: the state is heavily in debt, lower Manhattan must be rebuilt, and the upstate economy remains stagnant. The gubernatorial race had the potential to be interesting, but the lopsided contest--Republican incumbent George Pataki is heavily favored--has produced neither exciting candidates nor possibilities for real change. Spectator endorses Democratic challenger Carl McCall, the current state comptroller, based on his past record and ideas, not on his unconvincing campaign.

This year's gubernatorial race shows the power of third parties to exert influence over elections. Thomas Golisano, a wealthy businessman running on the Independence Party line, has used his own money on a campaigned designed to appeal to conservative voters frustrated with Pataki. According to an Oct. 30 Marist College poll, 17 percent of likely voters say they plan to vote for Golisano. That so many voters are supporting a third-party candidate shows that there is room in the political spectrum for voices beyond the two major parties. Pataki, McCall, and their parties should take note of this growing dissatisfaction with two-party governance. New York voters want innovation in Albany.

After eight years of Pataki's wishy-washy leadership, New Yorkers need a change. Pataki is running for his third term with the support of labor unions and with a promise to increase school spending and aid. New Yorkers with long memories will remember that he was first elected in 1994 on a conservative platform of tax cuts and tough penalties for crime. Such a dramatic leap to the left is typical of the governor's tendency to proclaim his view, usually a conservative one, and then claim responsibility for the more liberal outcome.

Education, for example, is a crucial issue for New York City residents, but Pataki's promises should make them wary despite the state teachers' union's support for the governor. Recently, Pataki condoned a state appellate panel's ruling that New York City students are entitled to no more than an eighth-grade education. Although he reversed his rhetoric, he did so only under political pressure. Particularly troubling for Columbia students should be Pataki's higher-education legacy. He has raised tuition at the State University of New York and cut aid to low-income students, making it harder for poor New Yorkers to attend college. Spectator is skeptical that Pataki will follow through with his education promises, given his past record.

McCall's ideas for New York, which include reforming adult homes and the state's budgeting process and a commitment to improving education, are a step in the right direction. New York demands a governor who can deftly deal with the state's complex political machinery, and McCall's record as state comptroller shows he can do the job even if his campaign does not. McCall has not provided the spark necessary to rouse complacent voters against an incumbent, but Spectator endorses him based on his exemplary record as a public servant. Carl McCall would be an effective, devoted governor of New York, a state badly in need of change.