Paladino: I can run New York for free
LoHud
He'd do it for nothing. If elected governor, multimillionaire Buffalo developer Carl Paladino would prefer to forgo the $179,000 salary, and if that is impractical for legal reasons, would turn it over to the state's general fund or charity.
"I'm not motivated by money. I'm not motivated by power," Paladino told supporters in Brighton, where he opened a new campaign office. "I have no ego to fulfill and I don't need praise or a pat on the back."
His spokesman, Michael Caputo, told the Democrat and Chronicle on Tuesday that the campaign was exploring ways for Paladino to dispense with the governor's salary.
Caputo said it was unclear whether there are restrictions on a governor forgoing a salary or giving it to certain charities.
Many politicians work without a salary. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California gives his $206,500 salary back to the state. Meg Whitman, the former chief executive of eBay who is running for governor in California, also has promised not to take a salary. Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine took $1. Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire mayor of New York City, also does the job for a buck.
"Maybe he'll take $1.50," Caputo said of Paladino in jest. "He's not a billionaire."
Paladino opened a campaign headquarters Tuesday afternoon on South Clinton Avenue adorned with bright orange trash bags that read "Helping Carl take out the trash."
He entered to applause from a large crowd and an endorsement from Monroe County Republican Chairman Bill Reilich, who had supported Rick Lazio until the Republican primary. Paladino won the primary in Monroe County with 79 percent of the vote.
Paladino warned that jobs would be lost if he's elected and follows through on a campaign pledge to cut $20 billion from Medicaid. The University of Rochester and its affiliated health providers are, combined, the largest employer in Rochester. The largest payer of health services in the state is Medicaid.
"It will affect some people, I'm sure," Paladino said. "It's going to affect some people who are unnecessary to running a good program. We're going to bring efficiency to the program."
To cut down on Medicaid costs, Paladino plans to pay family members to take care of relatives who would otherwise be in nursing homes.
Paladino continued to challenge his Democratic opponent, Andrew Cuomo, to a debate.
A Siena College poll on Tuesday found Paladino trailing Cuomo by 24 points, and Cuomo leading upstate by 2 percentage points.
Sixty-one percent of those surveyed by Siena said they found Paladino, whose recent controversies include an angry back-and-forth with a New York Post reporter, lacking the temperament to lead the state.
The poll of 636 likely voters was conducted between Oct. 3 and 4. It has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.
Paladino said he's focused on winning the election and noted the discrepancy in polls immediately before the primary and that contest's result.