Does Albany’s metastasizing budget mess require a comptroller’s help? Yes. But also no. Let us explain.
On one hand, it would be a wise move to request that the office of state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli conduct a budget review, as some members of the Common Council are eager to do. Only an independent set of outside eyes can fully explain how Albany’s deficit — now pegged at nearly $20 million, and growing as the current spending year marches ahead — took so many city leaders by surprise.
Why weren’t the problems in former Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s budgets caught earlier? Why didn’t other city officials, including Treasurer Darius Shahinfar and Mayor Dorcey Applyrs — until recently the city’s auditor — sound the alarm about 2025 deficits while the next budget was being developed and passed? Where and how did things go so terribly wrong?
Those are all questions that require answers. Soon.
But in a press conference last week, Ms. Applyrs said she is not requesting the comptroller’s help because the city now has “a firm handle” on the budget review.
We sincerely hope so — but let’s note that the mayor has also been lobbying for a state bailout, which means taxpayers from Buffalo to Montauk have an interest in ensuring that Albany addresses its budget crisis and avoids repeating it.
A detailed examination from the comptroller’s office is the best way to do that. It’s also the best hope for full transparency and the answers city taxpayers deserve.
But does the budget debacle also mean that Albany needs a comptroller of its very own?
As our Patrick Tine reports, Albany County Comptroller Susan Rizzo is calling for Albany to revisit the city charter changes that eliminated the city’s comptroller post and created the auditor position. She argues that a comptroller would wield more power than an auditor and would better serve as a financial backstop.
We’re not convinced that another arduous charter process is needed just yet. While it is certainly disappointing that current city officers failed to prevent the recent fiscal trouble, it’s not clear that the problem is structural. After all, the auditor and treasurer positions can only be as independent as the people who hold them — and that independence has clearly been lacking in recent years.
That’s among the reasons we endorsed the current auditor, Sam Fein, for the job last year. We noted that he had an autonomous streak that repeatedly led him to buck Democratic Party leadership.
Certainly, the current budget mess is another reason for voters to choose independent-minded candidates for all city offices, including on the Common Council, where members have a vital but oft-neglected duty to act as a check on mayoral power. Yes, it’s encouraging that some council members are seeking answers about the city’s fiscal condition, but that diligence has too often been missing when big decisions and budgets are being weighed.
The council can demonstrate its commitment to future independence by requesting a state comptroller review, even if the mayor doesn’t want it.