Issue Position: Government Participation

Issue Position

The outpouring of local, grassroots support that I've witnessed throughout the years I have served in the Senate, in defense of the Elmira Psychiatric Center and the Monterey Shock Incarceration Facility, for example, in response to the heroin and opioid crisis, and in confronting so many other regional challenges, crises and natural disasters has served as a dramatic reminder of how much the people of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes region care and are always ready to help.

First, I can never do enough to express my appreciation and to encourage your ongoing interest and participation in New York State government.

That is especially true when it comes to your input on so many of the common goals we share throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions. Throughout my time as your representative in the New York State Senate, I have heard from thousands upon thousands of constituents who took the time through an e-mail, a letter, a phone call or a community meeting to share concerns, ideas, opinions and suggestions for better government.

We don't see eye to eye on every single issue, and that's as it should be, but this direct contact is fundamental to good government. This input makes all the difference and I can't do enough to encourage it.

The point is this: we can't afford to stop working together on the economic, fiscal, public health and safety and all of the many other challenges facing our region and state.

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