Opinion

Sometimes being an elected official can be challenging because you are forced to make difficult decisions. At times, I have had to vote on legislation that if enacted would have both a positive and negative effect on my district and the constituents I represent. In the past, voting on the state budget often created this […]

The 2019-2020 enacted state budget is a tax-and-spend debacle and precisely the fiscal disaster many predicted would follow the new one-party Democratic rule in Albany. The apparent economic strategy of New York Democrats is simple: “Put a tax or fee on everything you see.” Grocery bags, internet purchases, vapor products, real-estate transactions, prescription medication, rental

Here is a surprise: the skills that can be used to win in politics are increasingly the skills needed to produce good policy. I know: you look at the policy stalemates in Washington and wonder how this could be. The people who arrived there by winning elections haven’t shown much in the way of policymaking

June worked for me. Many years ago. We worked for a company owned by Harry. And Harry came out with a number of changes that would save money for the company. Problem is they would harm our workers. My job was to explain the many details of the changes — to a gathering of our

To the Editor: My college career began as a 21-year-old, a few years late in seeing the light, but then laser-focused on achievement versus simple sustenance. Broome Community College (BCC) — now called SUNY Broome — offered me the best options.  I attended school full-time during the day, and worked full-time at a 2nd shift

Our local roads and bridges are in need of serious investments. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli forecasts $89 billion in unmet local infrastructure needs over the next 20 years with as much as $27.4 billion needed for bridges alone. The responsibility to take care of these major infrastructure costs, however, lies on the backs of local

As various U.S. House of Representatives committees gear up for a season of investigations and hearings on President Trump and his administration, many people are worried that progress on the nation’s challenges will grind to a halt. I would argue just the opposite — the wheels of government are turning in favor of accountability. Our

We are extremely fortunate and excited to welcome Tony Bond, executive VP and chief innovation officer of Great Place to Work, to deliver the keynote address at CenterState CEO’s 2019 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 24, at the Oncenter in Syracuse.  In his role at Great Place to Work, Tony shapes the organization’s culture-transformation work,

Our local ambulance companies and volunteer organizations provide a critical service to residents in need of medical transport. Many of us take for granted that calling 911 will result in the safe and fast transport of patients in an emergency. But there are many components at work that help to ensure ambulance service for the public.

The 2019-20 New York State budget is due at the end of March. I recently joined some of my Assembly colleagues in Albany to push for priorities we would like to see in the budget. These priorities include keeping the middle class income tax cut, restoring funding for libraries, and helping families, localities, and small businesses.