No political party has a monopoly on good ideas. With this year’s New York City mayoral race hitting the home stretch two weeks in advance of the September 13 primaries, some innovative ideas have been advanced by the Democratic candidates that deserve consideration and implementation by any victorious administration, whether it is Republican or Democrat.

Citywide Wi-Fi: Out of the obscure race for public advocate has emerged perhaps the best big idea of the 2005 campaign, advanced by an innovative dark horse and newcomer to electoral politics, Andrew Rasiej, whose campaign has not received the attention or support it deserves. Mr. Rasiej is challenging the city to provide free open access wireless broadband connection to the Internet, bidding out the process to private companies. Already advanced in cities such as Philadelphia and harshly opposed by telecommunications companies, this is a 21st-century idea that in its own modest way approximates the kinds of useful quality-of-life revolutions that government successfully advanced in the past. Given that New Yorkers spend an average of $450 a year for broadband access, this private-public partnership would not constitute a new entitlement so much as a functional tax cut. This would help ensure that New York City remains on the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship, and it deserves wider adaptation even if it ruffles a few feathers among those who benefit from the current pay-to-play system.

Middle Class Tax-Cut and a Renter’s Tax Credit: Rep. Anthony Weiner has built his campaign around a claim to look out for the interests of the middle class. His proposal for a 10% tax cut for every New Yorker making $150,000 or less – paid for by increasing the tax rate on New Yorkers making $1 million or more in a single year – would go a long way toward redressing the pain of property tax hikes on home owners, particularly in the outer boroughs. In addition, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller has proposed innovative tax relief for the large number of New Yorkers who rent their residence. Currently, more than 540,000 households pay more than 50% of their income in rent – a burden that is growing worse with the city’s robust economy. Mr. Miller proposes a tax credit equal to 3% of annual rent for households making less than $100,000 a year – relief that would reach up to $1,000 for middle-income renters. It is an innovative plan that would directly benefit the pocketbooks of this often-ignored core class of New York residents.

Re-Empower the OEM: One of the few surprises in the mayoral debates so far has been the apparent unanimity on the question of New York City’s emergency preparedness. Despite a Democratic field that takes a generally dim view of Mayor Giuliani, there is apparent consensus among all the Democratic candidates that Mr. Giuliani’s model of a strong Office of Emergency Management is superior to the system put in place by Mayor Bloomberg. Largely because of the influence of the police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, the city has replaced the Office of Emergency Management as chief coordinator at emergency sites with more of a jump-ball approach codified in the new Citywide Incident Management System, effectively denying the longstanding battle of the badges which led to the creation of the OEM in the first place. Mr. Miller has been most out front on this issue, working with former Giuliani OEM director Jerry Hauer to call for the creation of a local Department of Homeland Security. Especially after witnessing the disaster befalling New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the importance of a strong independent agency that can coordinate disaster plans between hospitals, utilities, and citizen groups should be clear. The NYPD does a great job of combating terrorism, but it cannot do everything to prepare our city to meet both man-made and natural disasters.

Micro-Loans for Small Businesses: The Democratic field is susceptible to large promises about solving all burdens with one fell swoop – witness all the competing claims to offer affordable housing for all New Yorkers or plans to establish a deputy mayor for full employment. Targeted measures are usually more effective. The president of Manhattan, C. Virginia Fields, has proposed expanding on a pilot program to coordinate micro-loans from “as little as a few thousand dollars to as much as a quarter of a million dollars” to help people create or expand small businesses. While her plan would benefit from more substantive detail, the instinct to help entrepreneurs is right.

Over the past decade, local government has gone from being the decaying backwater where innovative ideas went to die to arguably the most exciting laboratory for new government solutions in the nation. Reforms begun in New York City have been adopted by other cities around the nation as a growing consensus has emerged about the best way for cities to thrive. But the pursuit of excellence and innovation is a never-ending process, and even in a race that has so far failed to invigorate the electorate, some strong ideas have already emerged. They deserve serious consideration from any administration that is elected – or re-elected – in November.