Sandy's Thoughts

November 5, 2008

It is the day after Election Day and I couldn't be happier. I want to thank the voters in my district for their strong support of my re-election to the Assembly. It was a great win.

Now the tough work begins as I deal with the critical issues we face. I will be going to Albany soon to discuss the state's economic shape and decide on what changes we must make to our state budget. As always I seek your advice and ideas. We must turn these difficult economic times into positive opportunities for change.

Again, my thanks to you all for placing your confidence in me to be your representative in the state capitol.

Sandy

November 1, 2008

More shopping centers for me to go to. This weekend I will be in Philipstown, Peekskill and Cortlandt. I know I will have many discussions about property taxes and the options we have to lower them. I enjoy these exchanges and learn even more from the public about their perspective on what government should do.

I am looking forward to the rally with Congressman John Hall on Sunday at 4 pm at the Community Room of the Field Library in Peekskill. I am sure that lots of enthusiastic campaign volunteers will be there to wish us all success on Election Day.

During the week, I enjoyed meeting with the Putnam Valley and Peekskill Seniors. What wonderful and active people they are. They did express concern about the higher cost of heating oil and of course, I reminded them of the HEAP program to help with those costs. We do provide good services in NY but unfortunately not everyone is aware of them. We need to constantly spread the word about what is available.

And what a beautiful day. The leaves still have such great color even after our windy, rainy day last week.

October 26, 2008

Most of my time this weekend was spent in front of supermarkets in Cortlandt, Peekskill and Kent talking with constituents about issues they cared about. In fact, a number of people were happy to see me because they were just getting ready to write me a letter or give me a call about a personal problem. And that is what is so exciting about my job...helping people solve their problems.

I did get the sense that people are ready for campaigns to be over. It is hard to believe that the presidential campaign has been going on for two years. It is time to get on with making the tough decisions in Washington and in Albany to deal with the fiscal problems. I will be back in Albany on November 18th to start the second round of cuts to the NYS budget. No easy choices ahead.

October 13, 2008

What a glorious weekend we had to celebrate Columbus Day. I spent many hours of the weekend at the Peekskill Horseshow. The Peekskill Rotary runs the Horseshow and has done it for years as a major fundraiser. I came home with delicious apple pies and books for my grandchildren as well as much to think about. I would say that everyone I met and spoke with about issues raised concerns about the economy. I feel like we are all trying to remember our Economics 101 classes to better understand the financial relationships between the stock market, the banking industry, the world economy and our national and state legislative priorities.
I will be going back to Albany in November to again readjust our state budget to better reflect the decrease in revenues coming to the state...this will be such a difficult time for us and our state but we know that we have gone through hard times before and managed to get through them. We will again.

October 9th, 2008

An important part of campaigning is meeting with the editorial boards of the local newspapers. I must admit I do get a little nervous being questioned by such knowledgeable people but it is also a way for me to better understand the concerns the press has about the issues we deal with in Albany. They don't just ask the superficial questions but delve deeply into the issues. And I always come away from these interviews thinking about how great our democracy is that people can choose to run for office and that the press is independent and not government run. During this election, I will attend interviews by the Journal News and the North County News.

September 30th,2008

As part of the campaign, I have been going to people's homes for coffee and conversation with their friends and neighbors. We seem to talk about everything - from local concerns to state and national issues. The one thing that excites me is the people at these coffees get so interested in government issues and are enjoying expressing their opinions. It is almost as though we are often so busy with our families and work that we do not have an opportunity to spend some time chatting about what makes our state and country work and what changes do we need to make our lives better.

So, I am really enjoying these small group gatherings and learning even more about the concerns of my constituents.


September 17th, 2008

I have been seeing commuters at the railroad stations along the Hudson River and although we have brief discussions before the train comes, the common thread is the concern about the taxes. In fact as the commuters run up the steps at the station they often call back--"It is about taxes, Sandy" Most expressed concern about the increases that have taken place over the past few years.

We really have a challenge ahead of us to cut our budgets and spending whether it is the state budget, the county or local budget or the school budget. It will take all of us to get the job done. First it is the elected officials to make the proposals for change and cutbacks and then to gather support from the local residents to accomplish the goal.

We really have no choice but to forge ahead in order to keep people in New York and making our state competitive again. It is important that you convey your ideas on what changes we should make.

September 10th, 2008

The other day someone asked me which of my accomplishments in Albany I was most proud of.  Now, I've accomplished a lot of things, but the one I'm proudest of is one of my first: New York is the seventh state to have a gender-neutral Constitution, thanks to a bill I introduced.

When I first read the New York State Constitution, I realized that it was all about men. It was "he the governor", "he the lieutenant governor", "he in the judiciary", "he in the senate." The constitution was written so long ago when men were the only people really in elected office. And I said, "This has to be changed."

September 3, 2008

Although I am often frustrated by the pace at which we, as a government, move on issues, I take solace in knowing that the process is democratic.  Still, we have accomplished much this year.  It has been an extremely good year for education with an average 11.5% increase in state aid to our schools. I've gained support for my circuit breaker tax relief bill.