No region of our state was spared from the economic devastation that followed the governor’s lockdowns and business closures in response to COVID-19. Family businesses that thrived for generations were suddenly on the brink. Hardworking people were forced to stay home. When they needed help from state government, too often they encountered a bureaucracy that […]
No region of our state was spared from the economic devastation that followed the governor’s lockdowns and business closures in response to COVID-19. Family businesses that thrived for generations were suddenly on the brink. Hardworking people were forced to stay home. When they needed help from state government, too often they encountered a bureaucracy that was too ineffective to get them the unemployment benefits they deserved.
It’s time to turn the page. It’s time to get back to work. We need to accelerate the timetable of our reopening process and get our economy growing again.
In the Finger Lakes Region, infection rates remain extremely low. Now that we have expanded access, thousands of people per day in our region are getting tested. [Almost daily], 99 percent of them test negative.
My colleagues and I have continually been pushing the governor to loosen or eliminate restrictions when they stopped making sense. We called for reopening our houses of worship. We wrote him a letter calling for in-person high school graduations. We wrote him seeking reopening of our bowling alleys. We urged him to release funding we allocated in the budget for local road and bridge repairs through the CHIPS, Pave NY, and Bridge NY programs. We petitioned the governor to allow dentists and real-estate offices to open their doors. Months ago, we called for common-sense re-openings of our golf courses and marinas. Additionally, we wrote him to eliminate restrictions on construction projects.
Most importantly, we called for the governor to allow schools to deliver the in-person classroom instruction and services that students with special needs rely on.
My colleagues and I will keep listening to you. We will keep fighting to eliminate the restrictions that are clearly more about the governor’s ego than anything related to public health.
One thing we can all do is ramp up our support of small, locally-owned businesses. They showed grit and resolve and made it through. Keeping our dollars local will help our neighbors get back to work and provide much-needed stability for small-business owners. Let’s help them come back stronger than ever.
Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C–Canandaigua) represents the 131st Assembly District, which encompasses all of Ontario County and parts of Seneca County. Contact him at kolbb@nyassembly.gov