Governor turns up heat on proposed pension changes

PHOTOGRAPHER: The Associated Press

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has turned up the heat on state lawmakers to win support for his plan to cut pension costs, promising to hold legislators who oppose it accountable with voters.

Cuomo has said a key goal of his second year in office is reducing the pensions of future public workers to help slow rising local taxes.

He says today he’s ready to negotiate, but so far there’s been little public debate. He says the pension changes will save state and local governments billions of dollars over 30 years.

Cuomo is opposed by New York’s powerful public employee unions, which have traditionally had great influence with the Legislature.

A report by the Manhattan Institute, however, finds much ground for compromise, including an existing, less costly retirement option for college professors.