Give Governor Cuomo credit: He managed to get a tax-reform package, which included higher rates on top earners, through the Legislature in record time and with barely a dissenting voice, even from the Republican-controlled Senate.

From a cold, clinical perspective, the governor’s performance was a tour de force. There was no hint that he was planning a change in the tax code. There were no leaks, no trial balloons, no whispered hints to favored reporters. Of course, that’s another way of saying there was no real public debate or discussion of the governor’s proposal, which there wasn’t. But then again, those who bemoan government paralysis and gridlock, as this page has done, have to acknowledge that the governor achieved his goal with swift, decisive action, in collaboration with legislative leaders from both parties.

So as he closes his first year in office, Mr. Cuomo can look back at some remarkable achievements. He cut money-saving deals with the state’s top public employees unions with a minimum of public posturing. And now he has a tax deal which, he believes, will help the state bridge next year’s projected budget deficit.

Now comes the hard work. Read More