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State’s pork barrel feeds some better than others

May 6, 2008

On paper, Assemblyman Robin Schimminger would appear to be a prince of pork.

At $2.2 million, the Kenmore Democrat came in second among all 150 Assembly members in state taxpayer money steered this year to “member initiatives,” known otherwise as pork-barrel spending.

But a closer look reveals $1.5 million of that went to three organizations nowhere near the lawmaker’s Western New York district. The top recipient of Schimminger’s largess was something called the Garment Industry Development Corp. in Manhattan, which is getting $750,000 in member item money in the current state budget. That was followed closely by the Brooklyn Alliance/Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, at $650,000, and $125,000 for a Syracuse-area economic-development group.

Schimminger, though, quickly explains the flow of funds to out-of-district entities as a function of his role as co-chairman of a joint Assembly and Senate budget panel that divvied up funds for various efforts across the state.

The panel, at his request, also provided $300,000 to the Buffalo Niagara International Trade Foundation to help promote international business. He also helped get $250,000 for a University at Buffalo engineering program, as well several hundred thousand more dollars to help with everything from gutter replacements at the Knights of Columbus in North Tonawanda to patrol car equipment for Kenmore police.

So goes the peculiar, and secretive, way of the annual pork-barrel process. Late Friday afternoon, both houses put out their member item list for the current budget. It shows the usual suspects — from arts and senior citizen groups to local sports leagues and municipalities — getting money in the Buffalo area.

But an analysis Monday by the New York Public Interest Research Group also shows that the numbers reflect the long tradition of the partisan unfairness. Live in a district represented by a member of the majority party — a Democrat in the Assembly and Republican in the Senate — and far more money will flow your way.

The average Senate Republican will dole out $2.3 million in pork projects this year, the numbers show, compared with just $293,000 for Senate Democrats. Sen. Antoine M. Thompson, a Buffalo Democrat who represents some of the poorest areas of the state, is getting just $190,000 — near the bottom of the Senate list. Compare that with the $4.2 million handed out Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, whose Albany area district is one of the state’s most economically vibrant communities.

“It’s an awful system. It’s one that rewards political power and partisan advantage instead of the public interest,” said Blair Horner of NYPIRG. “If this was a fair system, every legislator would get more or less the same amount.”

One program Thompson pushed, Keep Western New York Beautiful, which deals with everything from recycling to beautification programs, is getting $90,000, according to a list released last week by the Senate.

Still, Thompson notes that his total allotment is less than some individual projects of many Republican senators, which he calls unfair.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said of the pork-barrel system. “Clearly, there’s a need for reform of the process.” He suggested a formula based on an area’s economic need, a system he had used during his Buffalo Common Council days.

At $2.5 million, Sen. Dale M. Volker, R-Depew, led the region in member items and, at eighth overall, he was the only Western New York lawmaker to make the top 10 in the Senate allotment list. NYPIRG said Volker’s allotment grew 6.7 percent from last year. His donations ranged from $40,000 for new outhouses at the summer day camp run by the Boys and Girls Club of East Aurora to $100,000 for Caledonia, a Livingston County village, to help replace a drinking water well.

Volker declined to comment, but Craig Miller, a spokesman, said hundreds of thousands of dollars of the lawmaker’s member item spending goes to programs in the districts of Democratic lawmakers.

“We try to fund these programs on merits, not politics,” Miller said.

That includes $50,000 for a Buffalo domestic violence program, $90,000 for a prisoner education re-entry program and $60,000 to a Buffalo drug and alcohol treatment group.

Following Volker were Sens. Catharine M. Young, R-Olean, up 16 percent from last year to $2.3 million; George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, at $2.1 million; and Mary Lou Rath, R-Williamsville, at $2 million, who received an increase even though she is retiring. But the GOP, facing a fight to retain the seat, fears alienating the district.

Sen. William T. Stachowski of Lake View, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, got $253,000. His counterpart on the committee, Sen. Owen H. Johnson, a Republican from Babylon on Long Island, got $3.3 million, according to NYPIRG.

Like most things in Albany, pork spending comes with many asterisks.

The lists, for example, don’t show other funds legislative leaders can tap to help their districts or fellow legislators facing a rough re-election this fall.

The NYPIRG analysis doesn’t include a sort of “piggyback” system in which individual legislators pool funds into one big check, such as $17,000 for the Western New York Law Center to combat housing flipping schemes.

Fund are allotted according to lawmakers’ power, seniority, closeness with the chamber’s leaders and the stiffness of their re-election fights.

For instance, Sen. Joseph E. Robach, a Republican from the Town of Greece, faces a tough campaign this year as the GOP fights to retain its majority. His pork allotment rose to $2.6 million, up 28 percent from last year.

Following Schimminger in the Assembly in the pork spending are Democrats Sam Hoyt of Buffalo at $342,000; William L. Parment of North Harmony at $275,000; Francine DelMonte of Lewiston at $177,000; Crystal Peoples of Buffalo at $158,000; and Mark J. F. Schroeder of Buffalo at $143,000, according to NYPIRG. Area Republicans in the Assembly trailed far back, with Assemblyman Michael Cole of Alden receiving just $107,000.

Both the Senate and Assembly carry the information their Web sites ( www.senate.state.ny.us and www.assembly.state.ny.us ). But the formats make searching through the thousands of pages cumbersome. Because it has fewer members — 61 compared with 150 in the Assembly — the Senate gets far more money per member. The average Assembly Democrat got $541,000, compared with $122,000 for the average Assembly Republican. In all, Assembly Democrats are getting $57.4 million in pork compared with $4.9 million for Assembly Republicans, NYPIRG says.

In the Senate, the disparities between the parties are even worse. The average Republican is getting $2.3 million, compared with $293,000 for the average Democrat.

“If an adult in New York kicks in, in terms of tax dollars, relatively the same, why should they be shortchanged just because they had the audacity to elect a minority party legislator?” Horner asked. “It’s just not right.”

Source: Buffalo News

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