OPINION: Resolve and Resilience: Motivation for a New Year

[Now that we have turned] the page on another year, we reflect on the journey over the past 12 months and welcome the opportunity to embrace new challenges and ideas. We find strength in our resolve and resilience while allowing optimism to light our path forward in 2024.

In this new year, the Assembly Republican Conference will again focus efforts on an agenda that prioritizes the people’s will and improves the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

In poll after poll, New Yorkers reveal a deep dissatisfaction with the direction of this state. The concerns are shared across party lines as both Democrats and Republicans believe Albany should focus more on the affordability crisis gripping our communities. Saddled with one of the nation’s highest costs of living, there is an ever-increasing weight on households struggling between putting food on the dinner table and paying bills.

Driven to the financial brink, we have unsurprisingly witnessed record-setting outmigration in the past year. According to the recent U.S. Census Bureau report, more than 100,000 New Yorkers fled the state — a population loss greater than any other state. The stories from friends and family are plentiful; the realization of more affordable places to live and more lucrative work prospects provide ample motivation for more New Yorkers to leave.

Albany must recognize the devastating consequences of sky-high taxes. The hand of government too often dips into the wallets of the hardworking men and women of this state to satisfy misguided [left wing] spending habits that have and will continue to destroy the state’s future. I refuse to quietly allow this state to descend into the dark abyss it trends toward. The Assembly Republican Conference will continue to prioritize sensible legislative measures that put money back into New Yorkers’ pockets.

Residents not only worry about the government reaching into their pockets but also actively fear becoming the latest victim in a crime wave. The statistics following progressive criminal-justice reforms passed in 2019 have been startling. As predicted, the reforms ultimately led to a free pass for violent and dangerous individuals to cause chaos without consequence. In recent years, the Assembly Republican Conference worked with partners in law enforcement advocating for measures to hold criminals accountable. In the new year, we will continue working with stakeholders from across the criminal-justice system to prioritize public safety and restore order.

 As we convene in Albany to shape the legislative agenda for the coming year, the Assembly Republican Conference will strive to build upon the components of fiscal responsibility, public safety, and a commitment to create a better state for our constituents. The challenges are significant but guided with determination and perseverance, I am confident we will forge a brighter future for New York.        

William (Will) A. Barclay, 55, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses all of Oswego County, as well as parts of Jefferson and Cayuga counties.