Gov. Andrew Cuomo traveled to Syracuse on Wednesday afternoon to highlight the 2012-13 New York state budget passed last week by state legislators.

The budget, which was praised for its ability to close a multibillion-dollar deficit with no new taxes or fees, focuses on the launch of the New York Works Task Force. Cuomo said the task force will work to invest billions of dollars to rebuild infrastructure such as state roads, bridges and parks, as well as create tens of thousands of jobs.

Cuomo spoke for about 15 minutes to a room of supporters at the New York State Fairgrounds. He held a similar event at Buffalo State College earlier Wednesday morning.

‘It has been a good year for state government, after many, many years that were less than good years,’ Cuomo said. ‘I’m not saying that we’ve done everything we need to do, but I do believe we have turned a page in New York state. I believe there’s a different energy, there’s a different sense about the state. I believe people are starting to believe in New York again, and I believe the future is brighter than it has been.’

Syracuse officials such as Mayor Stephanie Miner, Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli and District Attorney William Fitzpatrick were also in attendance.

Onondaga County Executive Joanne Mahoney introduced Cuomo by applauding him for delivering a budget that was on time, balanced and has the ability to create jobs for Central New York. Mahoney said what Cuomo has done in mandate relief and pension reform will result in more than $1 billion saved for Onondaga County taxpayers during the next 30 years.

‘It is really unbelievable when you stop and think that Governor Cuomo has only been our governor for 15 months, and all that he has been able to accomplish in that short amount of time,’ she said.

Since being inaugurated in January 2011, Cuomo said he has waged a 15-month crusade to transform the state. A little more than a year ago, Cuomo said jobs were being chased out of New York because of the high taxes and slow-moving economy. And the government, he said, was acting as an impediment to the problem, sometimes receiving a joke on late-night television.

‘Remember where we were last year,’ Cuomo said. ‘This is a state that had a lot of problems, and there was a state government in Albany that was probably making things worse than making things better.’

Cuomo began his crusade with the economy. He said the best thing a legislature can do for a state or local government is help people get jobs. While the government can’t create jobs, it can stimulate job creation, Cuomo said.

To do this, Cuomo said, the state would invest in its infrastructure and higher education, as these are the fields where most jobs come from. Under the New York Works Task Force section of the budget, Cuomo lays out plans to rebuild and repair roads, bridges and parks; approve funding to improve transit; and allocate more money to grants for the 60 universities in the State University of New York system and aid to community colleges across the state.

Cuomo’s budget also works to drastically reform public education in New York by mandating a teacher evaluation system. The system would allow the state to find out what schools are doing well and what schools are struggling, he said. New York spends more per student than any other state, Cuomo said, yet it is ranked 38th for graduation rates.

The budget also has provisions to reduce crime. Cuomo said New York is on its way to becoming the first state in the nation with an implemented all-crimes DNA database, which would require law enforcement to collect DNA samples from all convicted criminals. This will prevent crimes, solve crimes and exonerate those who are innocent, he said.

‘It is the fingerprint of the future. They can find it anywhere, and you can trace it back to an individual with amazing certainty.’

The most widely praised provision in the budget was that middle-class individuals would pay less in taxes than they have in the last 58 years.

‘He’s really restored pride for all of us in Albany,’ said Mahoney, the county executive. ‘The governor is proof that when New Yorkers come together as New Yorkers first, that not only the sky is the limit.’

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Published on April 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm

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