New Yorkers do their best to get by. But this is the Empire State. Our motto is Excelsior. Don’t the hardworking people of this state deserve more than just “getting by?” The reality is that if our government doesn’t focus on a back-to-basics investment plan, it’s only going to get harder for citizens to make ends meet. We need leaders in Albany to control spending and focus on the essentials, and do it now.

Although I firmly believe the budget should be focused on fiscal issues, the truth is that every year the budget is policy heavy. Though I generally don’t support using the budget as leverage for non-fiscal policies, the governor should negotiate needed solutions to correct the egregious and dangerous bail reforms that have been allowed to undermine our justice system for far too long. I voted against these so-called reforms when they first came up for a vote in 2019, which have made our communities less safe, and have been working to encourage my colleagues to fix them ever since.

Public safety is the number-one job of government. Judges must be allowed to do their jobs and set bail, determine the dangerousness of an offender, and keep the public safe. There’s no question that these so-called bail reforms have made our state less safe. We’ve all read horrendous accounts in the news. It’s about time the governor and legislature get on board to make changes to these laws and puts the safety of law-abiding citizens above that of criminals by restoring judicial discretion.

In terms of spending, Albany must hold the reins. I cannot support the governor’s $227 billion plan – the most expensive spending plan in state history. Not only does this budget overspend but it spends in the wrong places. Getting back to basics, we need to focus on what matters most to people and that’s infrastructure, public safety initiatives like recruiting volunteer firefighters and supporting veterans. Our libraries are doing more and more every day as the hub of our community, and they deserve our support too.

For the future of our state, we must target where we spend. These are the areas where we need to invest in order to keep people safe, keep our economy moving in the right direction and keep up our quality of life. New Yorkers love this state for a reason, but if Albany keeps spending to excess people will have no choice but to go. Let’s get an on-time, fiscally responsible budget passed and make our state safer and more affordable.