News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
Assembly Office:
933 Legislative Office Building • Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-3751
District Offices:
607 West Washington Street • Suite 2 • Geneva, NY 14456 • (315) 781-2030
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For Release: IMMEDIATELY, April 5, 2013
Contact: Doug Finch, (315) 781-2030
Your Vision for A Better, Brighter New York
Legislative Column from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua)

Last week's Tele-Town Hall event was another huge success! I'd like to thank the more than 2,000 local residents who took time out of their busy evenings to participate in the event and share their thoughts and opinions on ways to improve New York State and our Finger Lakes community. These Town Hall-style meetings continue to be an invaluable tool for opening a dialogue on the critical issues affecting our families and local businesses.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TOWN HALL EVENT

Why are these Town-Hall meetings so important? Simply put, your ideas and solutions are the foundation for developing legislation in Albany. It is an opportunity for us to discuss the issues and challenges that are important to you, to make sure state government works for you - a reminder that ultimately our goal is to make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Many of the great questions and concerns shared by callers are issues I have been championing in Albany, including the need to restore state budget cuts to the developmentally disabled, improve our business climate to better support our small businesses and relieve the costly burden of mandates on local governments and school districts.

A SHARED CONCERN FOR OUR COMMUNITY

During the Tele-Town Hall, I received multiple questions about the proposed cuts in the 2013-14 State Budget from concerned citizens and advocates of the developmentally disabled, and each person asked the same thing: why are we punishing the neediest in our community? Well, I agree with each and every one of you - money spent to entice Hollywood acts versus funding the developmentally disabled programs shows how truly disconnected some of our government leaders are from the people they are supposed to serve.

Unfortunately, the day after this Tele-Town Hall, the State Assembly passed the 2013-14 State Budget, which included $90 million in cuts to the developmentally disabled. However, I am proud to say our Assembly Minority Conference offered a smart solution to the budget, which would have restored the $90 million in funding. In the end, however, our amendment was rejected by the Assembly Majority.

YOUR VOICE IN THE FINGER LAKES

In an effort to continually keep my finger on the pulse about the issues in our region, I asked four different poll questions during the Tele-Town Hall to ensure that your voice is heard loud and clear on these issues in Albany.

Question one - What should the top priority be in state budget making?

Top Responses:
1) Reducing Debt - 38 percent
2) Economic Development - 30 percent
3) Providing Tax Relief - 23 percent

Question two - What are your thoughts on the recent NY Safe Act gun law?

Top Response:
1) Goes Too Far - 87 percent

Question three - How would you characterize the state of New York's economy?

Top Responses:
1) Headed in the Wrong Direction - 77 percent
2) Moving in the Right Direction - 15 percent

Question four - What is the most pressing need in your community?

Top Responses:
1) Economic Development - 54 percent
2) Mandate Relief for Local Governments - 30 percent
3) Aid for School Districts - 15 percent

Your answers to these questions clearly highlight your concerns and priorities, including the need for greater focus on economic development and job creation, and helping to reduce the heavy burdens facing local governments and school districts. In last week's column, I highlighted my top priorities for the remainder of the Legislative Session, which included creating more quality jobs and providing mandate relief for local governments and school districts, as well as the need to provide tax relief for families and small businesses and shrink the size and cost of state government.

For the rest of the 2013 Legislative Session, you can be sure that your concerns are my focus in Albany and I will continue to work toward our shared vision of a better, brighter New York. Thank you once again for sharing and participating in the Tele-Town Hall event.

What do you think? I want to hear from you. Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at (315) 781-2030 or e-mail me at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us.