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 that closes a $1.3 billion deficit, but it leaves me wanting more for my constituents.

This budget highlights how out of touch Albany can be with the needs of upstate New York. Now more than ever, upstate communities need their fair share of investment and autonomy to make the decisions that will lead to economic renewal. This budget is rife with top-down solutions and misses the mark on renewal-inducing investment.

For decades, Albany has taken away our local schools’ and governments’ ability to invest taxpayer dollars in the areas they know would be most effective. Instead, Albany has passed hundreds of unfunded state mandates that consume most of their budgets. According to the New York State Association of Counties, roughly 90 percent of local property taxes are spent on only nine costly mandates. When these budgets are stretched thin, tough choices are often made over whether or not to cut important services or raise taxes on struggling families and mom-and-pop shops. Every dollar spent on unfunded mandates means a dollar not spent on community renewal or increased opportunities for our children.

I cannot stress enough how unfunded mandates have hampered the success of our communities, and the governor’s budget fails to offer the meaningful unfunded mandate relief that is needed here upstate. The program he calls mandate relief, the so-called pension smoothing plan, is nothing more than kicking costs down the road for future generations to deal with. We can and must do better.

As our communities struggle with diminished investments and aid from our state, I grow increasingly concerned by the hoarding of taxpayer dollars for the governor’s pet projects. The governor has amassed over a billion dollars of discretionary money to distribute how he sees fit, which could be better used in fair distribution of aid and investment to places that need it most – right here in our upstate, rural communities.

The governor has developed program after program, like the competitive education grants, that pit communities against each other for badly-needed funding, which gives an advantage to already prepared and succeeding schools and communities while others, namely low-wealth, rural communities and schools, are struggling to meet basic needs. Furthermore, in the governor’s budget investment in agriculture, our region’s economic engine, has been significantly cut by nearly $5 million.

How can upstate New York renew itself while tethered by mandates and cut off from fair investment into the areas that will generate economic growth, opportunities and jobs? Our communities and families are in distress and our budget needs to more appropriately address these needs.

As we work toward passing an on-time budget, I will be working closely with my legislative colleagues to offer a counter-proposal to the governor’s budget. I will fight to put in place the policies and investments that will help our region thrive during these challenging economic times.