ALBANY, NY (06/21/2007)(readMedia)-- Governor Spitzer promised that everything would change on day one, but he broke that promise to the families and businesses of New York State. His actions throughout the session have instead reflected business as usual.

New York needed a Governor who would work hard to get things done. Instead, he threatened and tried to bully elected officials with obscenity-laced tirades about his own self-importance, undermining his ability to work effectively with other duly elected representatives of both political parties.

We needed someone who would rise above politics and do the job he was elected to do. Instead, he embraced partisan politics, traveling around the state to talk about an election that is a year and a half away.

We needed openness and accountability, yet he held only one public leaders’ meeting on the budget, before pulling negotiations behind closed doors in a failed last minute dash to pass an on-time budget. His limited accomplishments at the very beginning of the session were similarly negotiated outside the public view.

We needed someone who would focus on our needs. Instead, Governor Spitzer spent his time traveling around the state and across the country to raise large amounts of money in flagrant violation of his own self-imposed “limits,” while hypocritically criticizing lawmakers for their stance on campaign finance law changes.

In the waning days of the session, lawmakers of both political parties have been criticizing the Governor’s office as disorganized and unwilling to negotiate effectively, resulting in inaction on far too many critical issues.

This is not the kind of leadership the families of New York State need and deserve. We need a Governor committed to working hard and delivering real results on the issues important to average New Yorkers.

Sadly, Eliot Spitzer has not been that kind of Governor. His string of broken promises and lack of results will characterize his first session as a tremendous disappointment.

New Yorkers are still waiting for the changes Governor Spitzer promised to deliver on “day one.”

####

Posted Thursday June 21, 2007 at 09:52 pm by New York Republican State Committee