Politics

New York’s property taxes are the highest in the nation. Tragically, this year’s state budget, instead of trying to provide some tax relief to our already overburden property owners, makes ill-conceived changes to the one state program that is actually designed to provide property tax relief, that is, the STAR (School Tax Relief) Program.

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.

Some of the best tools that can be used to protect children from abuse and neglect is raising awareness about its prevalence and helping families seek resources they need.

United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” What Justice Brandeis wrote 100 years ago still rings true in government today.

The New York State Comptroller estimates there will be $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 taxpayers with 87% of the state’s roads and half of the state’s bridges up to localities to maintain.