Statement by Dick Dadey, Executive Director
On the City Budget Reform Agreement

The budget reform agreement announced today by Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn ends the distraction and energy wasted restoring funds to the Mayor’s executive budget that all knew were always going to end up in the final city budget.

I am impressed with both the Mayor and the Speaker for finding common ground and reaching agreement to end the silliness of the ‘budget dance’ that each year was an unnecessary distraction during the budget process. These new reforms not only bring needed stable funding to some core city services, but also provide greater public scrutiny to city budget decision making. With this new level of transparency, some additional budget decisions will now be made in the light of day and based on need and merit. I hope that this new approach will be extended to other budget areas and city services in the years to come.