Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not say it directly, but his preliminary budget for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1, makes clear that the growing cost of health insurance for city employees and retirees has to be brought under control.

Too often, government is satisfied with regulation and enforcement. Yet in New York, the Mayor's Office has created effective collaborative mechanisms to go further, and Mayor Bloomberg and the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability deserve enormous praise.

With the Metropolitan Transportation Authority considering four different fare-increase proposals for subways and buses, now is the time to consider whether there is a better way to pay for the MTA.

As pressure mounts to increase school aid in the next state budget, state leaders should focus less on increasing spending and more on redirecting existing funds to better meet student needs.

If a temporary personal income tax hike is the price we pay for long-term reforms that enhance infrastructure, encourage job growth, and make the tax system more equitable, then it is a price worth paying.

Congratulations to Governor Andrew Cuomo and his legislative colleagues for completing a session marked by significant fiscal accomplishments. But more hard work lies ahead.

Advocates for extending rent regulation claim that the laws provide "affordable housing." But the rent regulation system provides inadequate relief to the neediest renters within the system.

To reduce institutionalization and costs of care, we must address the mental health needs of people at risk of placement in institutions.

There's a win-win opportunity for taxpayers and union members in reforming New York City's taxpayer-supported municipal union welfare funds. These little-known funds receive $1 billion in taxpayer contributions annually.

When Governor Paterson proposed changes to the city's rent regulation laws, criticism poured in from both tenants' groups and landlords.

Linking tuition policy with the state budget process means that some students finish their degrees without experiencing any change in tuition, while others face double-digit increases.

Construction is a constant in New York City's sprawling public transportation system, but riders often have little sense of what's being done, or when...