When the two men who want the Democratic nod for governor only hold a single debate, much is called for from that one event.

Organizers and candidates must keep in mind issues of importance from around the state – and some that are important to those in regions of the state. Those concerns vary not just across the perceived Upstate-Downstate divide, but even from region to region as a poll conduct by my organization, the Center for Governmental Research, and the Marist Institute showed. Take a look again at the New York Matters poll for a better understanding.

But in all honesty, having Upstate concerns mentioned, let alone discussed in detail, was too much to expect in an hour.

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New Yorkers who complain about the state’s propensity to push cost down to local property tax bills often talk about schools or Medicaid.

Yet when it comes to passing down the buck, there are other issues that get ignored or just aren’t widely understood.

One of them: The cost of county jails.

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In baseball parlance it’s known as the “meatball”… the “cream puff”… the “fat pitch”.

It’s the ball thrown by the pitcher with no real speed, no deception. It’s a batter’s dream – the very hittable pitch.

I think of the “meatball” when I think about the legal ruling in New York that compels the state to cough up billions of dollars for equitable education in New York City.

This legal decision is a “cream puff” of an issue during this governor’s race. The courts have indirectly served up this “fat pitch” for you… the voter. The public and the press ought to bat this ball right at the gubernatorial candidates and make them field it, time and time again.

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The business of state government is essentially done for the year, although who knows what special sessions may be called after the November election (pay raise anyone?)

Now, Assembly and Senate members are back in their home districts. Maybe they’ve even taken a vacation break – something veteran lawmakers probably find refreshing (late budgets had become such a regular occurrence that lawmakers often found themselves bathing under florescent lights in the capitol instead of summer sunshine on a sandy beach).

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Any real reform of elections should include how maps get drawn – legislative district maps, that is.

You may have heard about how the U.S. Supreme Court just came down with a ruling that impacts that process of redrawing legislative maps, known as redistricting.

Does it matter to New York? It does, although it’s more of a wake-up call than anything else.

First, let’s recall that redistricting is the process of changing political boundaries – the districts within a state for those representing people in Congress and in the 50 state houses.

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