Recently, I wrote to the governor about serious concerns Mohawk Valley flood victims are facing. I wanted to share with you what I wrote: Dear Gov. Cuomo: It is utterly heartbreaking to see what my constituents in the Oneida County flood zone have...

With little over a week remaining for budget negotiations, I am concerned that this year’s enacted state budget will lack the provisions necessary to help revitalize our economy and grow jobs. All across the state, families and communities are struggling...

Now that we’ve had some time to review the governor’s 2013-14 Executive Budget Proposal, I can’t help but feel a lack of overwhelming excitement over its contents. Sure, there are a number of things that I can get behind like controlled spending...

It has been an interesting year for our sportsmen. Earlier this year, the governor forced through a poorly-written and ill-conceived gun control law that arbitrarily bans modern rifles, limits law enforcement’s ability to protect us and will significantly...

What do youth football, bicycles, packaging materials and beverages have in common? Little, except this: downstate legislators have tried to either overregulate or ban what we do, consume or use in our personal lives. Most recently, we’ve seen them...

New York has had a tough time over the last few years. We’ve been hit the hardest by the economic recession and its effects have been felt longer in our state than any other in the nation. It’s been difficult for everyone, especially here in upstate...

Gov. Cuomo has touted his 2013-14 Executive Budget as sensitive to the needs of Upstate New York; but as I have been reviewing his budget, I’ve found a glaring hole in his plan – meaningful unfunded mandate relief. Unfunded mandates are one of the...

During my tenure in the Assembly, we have worked to end the dysfunction that has plagued Albany for decades. We accomplished some great things like the lowest income tax rate for middle-income families in nearly 60 years, among other things. Cooperation...

After a hurried start to the 2013 Legislative Session, one thing has become quite clear to me. This year will not be like 2011 or 2012. Those years were marked by consistent cooperation between the Legislature and the governor, who worked together as...

Politics can sometimes be polarizing, leaving folks feeling that there is more that divides us than unites us as New Yorkers and Americans. Certainly we face great challenges nationwide and here at home, but by putting aside the bickering we can effectively...

If there’s one thing of which I am certain, it’s that you can never go at it alone during tough times. The last several years have been tough for many of us, and since seeking office in the Assembly, it has always been my desire to work with each...

We’re quite fortunate here in Northern New York. We’re surrounded by food-producing countryside – and even better – we have many vibrant farmers’ markets right here in our own communities. It’s in these direct-to-consumer markets that we see...