Majority Senate Democrats Begin Shutting Out GOP Voices
And so it begins. Day one of the new Democrat majority in the state Senate began, in many ways, as expected. A new leader was elected (from just outside New York City) and immediately outlined the policies the Democrats would be pursuing in the coming year. This is how a change in majority works, and I take no issue with that. However, I was deeply concerned on several fronts. I have consistently voted for a permanent property tax cap, and I was pleased to hear the new leader mention that as a priority. The problem was that no other Upstate concerns were detailed, and that is a major disappointment. Economic development is lagging behind in many counties outside of the five boroughs of New York City, but that fact is being swept under the rug by the new leadership regime. I have previously outlined New York State’s population loss, and the news is filled with stories about Upstate businesses closing their doors. We need to focus on policies that will cut taxes, eliminate burdensome government regulations, and lower the cost of doing business across the state. Those are the steps needed to create an environment conducive to job creation. My Republican colleaguesand I have advanced a number of initiatives in recent years to address our state’s economic shortcomings. We will continue to
