By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Mayor Michael Bloomberg testified Monday that Gov. David Paterson's proposed state budget would cut the NYPD force down to 1985 levels, lead to the closure of senior centers, and force major lay-offs in the fire department and schools.
“I regret to say that this budget — which would impose a total of $1.3 billion in cuts on New York City and leave us with close to 19,000 fewer City employees to perform basic services — utterly fails the test of fairness," the mayor told the State Legislature in Albany.
City politicians, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, testified throughout the afternoon.
Bloomberg said in the morning that the burden of the budget gap is "now heavily shifted to local shoulders," citing harsh cuts to city agencies — including the Department of Homeless Services — and mounting city pension costs.
A major point of contention in the budget is the proposal to eliminate — and during his testimony, Bloomberg paused to repeat the word "eliminate" for emphasis — the state's revenue sharing with New York City.
Quinn protested the budget's failure to restore funding for student fare Metrocards, saying, "Hundreds of thousands of families rely on student MetroCards every day in the City. Many will simply not be able to afford to shell out the extra $89 at the beginning of each month that would be required for a family with two kids in school."
Bloomberg said that though he had "substantial criticism" of the governor's budget, he did approve of some of the measures proposed, including taxing sugared beverages and cigarettes — issues close to the heart of the "health czar" mayor's.
