Assemblyman Scott Gray (R-Watertown) released the latest episode of “The Gray Area” video series. In this week’s episode, Gray discusses the results of his 2023 Legislative Survey which asked residents of the 116th Assembly District what top issues and concerns they would like to see addressed this year.

“At the beginning of the year, I sent out a survey to the 116th District asking what residents think about the current proposals put forth for our state, and how they believe New York is faring due to previously imposed legislation. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill that out, we collected over 700 responses. I’m going to run through some of the results:

• Do you believe New York is on the right track or the wrong track?

90.7% believe New York is on the wrong track.

• Do you believe previously passed bail laws have contributed to New York’s rise in crime?

93.4% say previously passed bail laws have contributed to the rise in crime.

• Do you support or oppose changing bail reform laws in New York?

88.8% support some sort of change. A minor change was made during budget negotiations this year—it is to be determined whether that change will be effective or not in decreasing crime.

• Are you aware of the plans put forth by the Climate Action Council that prevent new gas service to existing buildings in 2025, as well as new natural gas appliances for existing, single-family homes for heating, cooking, water heating, or clothes drying beginning in 2035, and all-electric vehicle sales by 2035?

82.7% are aware of New York’s Scoping Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero emissions.

• Do you support or oppose banning gas stoves in newly constructed homes?

91.2% oppose banning gas stoves.

• Do you support or oppose the banning of gas-powered cars by 2035 in New York?

91.8% oppose banning gas-powered cars by 2035.

• What do you believe is contributing to the record number of New York residents leaving our state?

The top two answers were high taxes and increasing crime.

• Do you support same-day voter or automatic voter registration?

63% oppose same-day voter or automatic voter registration.

• Do you support no-excuse absentee/mail-in voting?

69.1% oppose no-excuse absentee/mail-in voting.

• Do you support the decision by the Farm Laborers Wage Board to lower the farm worker overtime threshold from 60 to 40 hours over 4-hour increments by 2032?

68.8% oppose the decision.

• Do you believe the Legislature has done enough to support small family farms?

55.4% do not believe the Legislature has done enough.

• Do you believe the minimum wage should be indexed to the inflation rate?

52.4% believe the minimum wage should not be indexed to the inflation rate.

“The results of the survey exhibit why mandating legislation by the state will not garner support from voters. Banning gas stoves and gas-powered cars is a prime example of New York mandating versus leading with information—people never respond well to mandates, but if you lead them with information they’ll make their own decisions. I have faith in the public.

“Look out for next week’s episode of The Gray Area as we continue to update you on what you care about. Thank you again for returning your surveys, it was great to hear all your thoughts on important topics for the state and our area. We always appreciate the opportunity to serve you and to work with you. Don’t hesitate to call my office staff with questions, comments or concerns—see you soon,” Gray concluded.