League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
New York State Government November 7, 2006 Election
	J. Christopher Callaghan Answers Questions Candidate for Comptroller; State of New York

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of New York State and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. As state comptroller, your duties would include overseeing the fiscal affairs of the state. This year's $114.7 billion budget calls for the largest state spending increases in 30 years with spending growing faster than revenues. Is this fiscal responsibility on the part of the governor and legislators? Why or why not? Explain.

The State's cash basis accounting and its multiplicity of authorities allow State government to spend today and tax tomorrow. Such an opportunity is irresistible to politicians, who see the device as necessary for reelection. They may be correct but it's a Comptroller's job to thwart the attempt to disassociate spending from taxes because the bills always come due eventually.

2. Skyrocketing public employee pension expenses have inflated the budgets of every level of government in New York State. What reforms would you propose to ease the burden for taxpayers?

I have proposed that new State and local employees be placed in a "Tier 5", a defined contribution plan that would approximate the retirement benefit available under Tier 4 until the unwise pension enhancements of 2000. A defined contribution plan would make it more difficult for State leaders to make pension enhancements while ignoring the cost to the taxpayers.

3. What do you propose to end the excessive Medicaid fraud in New York State?

The Comptroller has 34 Medicaid audits of the NYS Health Department, most of them about processing accuracy rather than fraud detection. That emphasis must shift. Moreover, counties should be permitted to assist the State in rooting out provider fraud as well as client fraud. We also have to understand that inefficient use of services probably wastes more money than is lost to fraud.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

• Original answers for a published Voters Guide were limited to 50 words and are presented as submitted. Candidates have since been invited to supply answers of any length for the Web.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 10, 2006 18:54
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