Norris Looking Ahead To Making A Difference In Albany

A Column from New York State Assemblyman Michael Norris (R, I – Lockport)

Following the retirement of New York State Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, I have the great privilege to take her place as the Assembly Representative for the 144th District. Serving our community is a responsibility that I do not take lightly and I will work hard every day to serve the interests of the people of Niagara, Erie and Orleans Counties and address the issues that matter most to them.

Being a lifelong resident of Lockport, former Attorney for a number of local governments, and a leader in organizations such as Rotary, I understand which issues are most important to our community because I share our Western New York values.

As your voice, I am committed to:

1) Fighting for our region and ensuring that we receive our fair share of state funding, services and infrastructure dollars for roads, bridges and broadband and that we are not ignored by the downstate interests.

2) Ending New York State’s tax and spend culture that continues to hurt small businesses, curb job growth and is driving people out of state. Residents are in desperate need of tax and regulatory reforms that offer real relief to small business struggling to compete in national markets by reducing the cost of doing business in New York State.

3) Tackling corruption in Albany and supporting the passage of the “Public Officers Accountability Act,” legislation that Assemblywoman Corwin championed during her tenure. This legislation would place term limits on legislative leaders to prevent absolute power by a few Albany elites, require the full disclosure of all outside income and strip officials convicted of a crime of their taxpayer funded benefits, including pensions.

4) Expanding job opportunities in Western New York. I will work with my colleagues to improve and expand current job training programs to close the skills gap and match employee skills to the needs of local employers.

5) Advocating for making ridesharing services available to all New Yorkers and allowing Uber and Lyft to operate in Upstate New York.

6) Returning local home rule control to municipalities and citizens so that decisions which directly impact local zoning and land use matters are considered and weighed by them.

In closing, I would like you to know that constituent service and accessibility is very important to me and remains my top priority. Please feel free to contact me if I can ever be of assistance to you regarding any matter. My office is located at 8180 Main Street, Clarence, NY 14221 and I can be reached at 716-839-4690 or at Norrism@nyassembly.gov

I am truly looking forward to serving you as your Assemblyman.