Captiol News from The Assembly Minority Conference
CAPITOL NEWS from
The Assembly Minority Conference

Wishing Everyone A Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Column from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay

This Christmas season we have come together as a state and community, and in most instances, we’ve done so without being together at all. We have responded to significant challenges with the resolve and determination New Yorkers are known for. Despite obstacles, we still donated to our favorite charities, we took care of those in need and we made sure to look after each other. This is the true spirit of Christmas.

There are numerous examples of how we have demonstrated a collective generosity and kept the spirit of Christmas alive. I have had the pleasure of participating in two incredible community-based efforts to give back, the seventh annual “Tithe My Shoes” drive and the Stockings for Veterans collection in support of our veterans celebrating Christmas in the hospital.

This year’s “Tithe My Shoes” event will help provide 20,000 pairs of shoes to those in need thanks to the efforts of organizer Mudd Murphy, former mayor of Central Square and executive director of the Oswego County Conferences of Mayors, and Ralph Rotella, owner of Discount Shoe Repair in Syracuse, who fixes up the shoes and donates them to the Rescue Mission. The community also responded in a big way this year as we were able to fill stockings with personal care items for more than 135 veterans spending Christmas in the VA Medical Center in Syracuse. 

These are just a few of the many ways we have come together this season. Surely, there are countless others. I, for one, am thankful for all the generosity and goodwill I have seen in my community, and I am hopeful we continue taking care of each other as we push through the COVID-19 pandemic.

To that end, on behalf of my family and colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference, I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Stay warm and enjoy the holiday in whichever way you choose to celebrate. I look forward to getting back to work on the other side of the break; our Conference is hopeful for a productive and prosperous 2021.

If you have any questions or comments on this or any other state issue, or if you would like to be added to my mailing list or receive my newsletter, please contact my office. My office can be reached by mail at 200 North Second Street, Fulton, New York 13069 and by email at barclayw@nyassembly.gov.