Eleven Republican county executives — several of whom have been mentioned as potential candidates for higher office — released a jointed statement today through the state GOP Party to push Gov. Andrew Cuomo to take a harder line on mandate relief.

The county executives highlight several proposals in the state Legislature, including a plan that would structurally reform the cost of Medicaid by transferring responsilility for funding to the state over time (Cuomo approved a partial Medicaid take over last year) and a measure thatr would require any future mandated spending on local government to be funded by the state.

“This new funding regime would help establish a good faith partnership between local and state governments to lower costs for counties and property taxes for citizens,” the county executives saidin the statement. “The solutions are there. Let’s make 2013 the year Albany acts to relieve the unfunded mandate burden on local government to pave the way for the property tax relief that New Yorkers so desperately deserve.”

Signing on to the statmenet included several ambitious county executives — Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards.

Both Edwards and Astorino have been mentioned as potential gubernatorial candidates in 2014, and Brooks unsuccessfully ran for Congress against longtime Rep. Louise Slaughter in 2012.

Not included on the statement was Republican Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, who has worked well with Cuomo to aid in the cleanup of Superstorm Sandy. Mangano could face any number of Democratic opponents in 2013 for re-election, including former County Executive Tom Suozzi.

In Nassau County this month, Cuomo declined to make any endorsement in the race for now.

A full list of the county executives who signed on after the jump.

Debbie Preston
Broome County Executive

Gregory J. Edwards Chautauqua County Executive

Tom Santulli
Chemung County Executive

Marcus J. Molinaro
Dutchess County Executive

Maggie Brooks
Monroe County Executive

Anthony J. Picente, Jr.
Oneida County Executive

Edward A. Diana
Orange County Executive

Mary Ellen Odell
Putnam County Executive

Kathy Jimino
Rensselaer County Executive

C. Scott Vanderhoef
Rockland County Executive

Robert P. Astorino
Westchester County Executive

Share|