IN 2017, A TEST FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY GOVERNANCE IN BLUE STATES:

Unions and groups that benefit from the need to hire additional employees and lawyers to coordinate procurement contracts, change orders, and other issues don’t want a new system that saves money by cutting labor costs.

Labor is the biggest driver of infrastructure costs, and you can’t save much money without touching it. Over the past few decades, private firms across industries have become more efficient by replacing people with machines and by streamlining processes so they don’t have to hire as many workers and outside consultants. Because of pressure from special interests and organized labor, governments (blue and red) haven’t been able to realize these efficiencies. As the cost of hiring a single employee continues to skyrocket thanks to health care and pension expenses, the urgency of reducing labor needs grows.

Both New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and Cuomo have come around to supporting design-build, but special interests continue to stand in the way. How blue politicians manage this opposition will be a key determinant of the future of Democratic Party. The old system is unworkable, and states that rely on it are bordering on ungovernable in some ways—if the government can’t afford to maintain public roads, what is it good for? But the new system weakens core Democratic constituencies by reducing the government payroll.

In a contest between effective government and opportunities for graft, I know which side I’m betting on.