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From Newsday.com:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-listat0329,0,988985.story
Newsday.com
Sawicki presents 51st state proposal for Long Island
BY RICK BRAND
rick.brand@newsday.com
9:06 PM EDT, March 28, 2008
Looking to whack Albany with a political two-by-four, Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki and Dowling College agreed to launch a new feasibility study on the economics of Long Island seceding to become the 51st state.
Sawicki and Martin Cantor, director of Dowling's Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute, announced the six-month study at a breakfast Friday on the Oakdale campus before local business and government leaders.
Both Sawicki and Cantor acknowledged such a split may be tough to sell politically to the rest of the state, but it is important to raise the issue to underline how much the region contributes to state operations and how much less it gets back -- a gap of $2.9 billion.
"It's time for us to begin to think outside the box. In our case, it's that sandbox in Albany that we must look beyond," said Sawicki, adding later, "If we were getting our fair share of education aid from the state, we wouldn't be here talking about this."
However, some in attendance raised questions about the logistics of secession, including how the new state of Long Island might disentangle itself from existing state infrastructure, including state universities, parks and roads, and what it would cost.
Others questioned how the new state government would deal with public employees in the state pension system.
Some raised more basic questions. "Who would run the Department of Motor Vehicles, and will there still be long lines?" asked architect Louis Giacalone.
While acknowledging some downsides, Dowling President Robert Gaffney said that on its own, Long Island, like many other states, could benefit by offering fewer and less costly Medicaid benefits than New York now provides. The idea, which has been around for decades, was studied in the 1980s.
John DeGregorio, a consultant and former teacher's union official, said that Long Island officials should also consider combining with other suburban counties like Rockland and Westchester, which would give them more clout. "If you talk to them," he said, "you'll be working with a much larger base."
Cantor said the joint study will seek to sort out costs, provide options about government structure and splitting assets and investigate the legal process needed to secede.
Michael Crowell, a state Labor Department official, said that "this is great for the boosters," but he wants a debate that includes those opposed to the idea. Given that 30 percent of Long Islanders work in New York City, he worried about backlash reaction from the city and state through commuter taxes and fees. "Is New York State going to stand still? They could retaliate," he said.
Whether the move succeeds or not, Sawicki said it is worth the effort to force the state to address Long Island's problems. "Maybe if we talk and act aggressively, it will send a message to Albany."
Copyright ? 2008, Newsday Inc.