New York is not an easy state to govern. Just ask Mario Cuomo, or George Pataki, or Eliot Spitzer or even David Paterson, who looks better in hindsight. With its complex and competing interests, and geographic, ethnic, demographic and topographical differences, it is a wonder that anyone can conduct the Excelsior Express.
To do so requires maximizing your influence over an often dysfunctional Legislature — a rare feat. Staying at or above 60 percent in the approval ratings is rarer yet.
You have the New York City tabloids ready to pounce on your every minor mistake, and a culture of corruption that is not easily undone. Making real progress is often illusory. Just when you think you have reached the oasis, it tends to disappear. It can mean two steps backward and three steps sideward to take one step forward.
So, it is understandable for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to play his cards close to his vest, in order to achieve real progress. And in some areas, real progress has been made — like passing gay marriage equality and fighting for our fair share of disaster relief.
But some of the problems are so intractable that they continue to defy the gravity of solutions that Cuomo has proffered. The upstate economy still lags, despite all the talk about regional economic development councils. Upstate cities are teetering on the edge of fiscal cliffs. There are some new ideas we can still try — like creating energy generation zones upstate, where much of the power comes from, and selling it more cheaply at the source as an incentive for development.
Our need to streamline and restructure government is a tough sell, too. We lag in finding effective ways to manage our urban areas. We have a vibrant and growing wine industry, but you still can't buy a bottle of wine in a grocery store. We can attract the makers of "Spider-Man" to film in Rochester, but it's a far more tangled web to unweave the rules, regulations and rigmarole that new businesses often face in New York.
Finessing the firmament to make hydrofracking work, with all of its concomitant economic benefits, and environmental challenges, would be a daunting task for the most able of governors.
What to do, then? Or what not to do?
Here are four concrete suggestions for good governance:
First, level with and communicate with citizens. Don't be too cute by half, or try to sell slush and call it ice cream.
Second, listen to the mayors once in a while. They actually have something to say. Don't dismiss them because they won't go along with a window you're trying to dress.
Third, stay true to your tribe. Dance with the crowd that brung you, and pay them more heed than lip service. They to can be important allies in the quest.
And, finally, go on the road as need be. Be available. Don't say, like another governor named Cuomo, call me at the mansion, then not take the call. Be there, and be responsive, not defensive or insular.
Stay true to yourself, and the praise eventually will come. Real glory can result from a shared triumph. Praise that lasts is called a legacy. Keep building it, brick by brick.
John T. Sullivan Jr. lives in Saratoga Springs. He is the former mayor of Oswego and the former co-chairman of the New York Democratic Party. His email address is jtsullivanjr@gmail.com.