After
six
years
serving
in
the
New
York
State
Legislature,
I
have
gained
a
perspective
that
might
be
difficult
to
have
from
a
person
outside
of
Albany
politics.
I’ve
learned
that
New
York
State
government
is
complicated.
We
have
three
branches
of
government
that
were
deliberately
designed
to
require
checks
and
balances
on
each
other.
Branches
with
different
responsibilities,
constituencies
and
perspectives,
supposed
to
be
working
together
to
serve
the
people.
This
is
worth
remembering
as
voters
consider
the
future
of
New
York
State
government.
This
isn’t
about
political
parties.
It
is
about
balance
in
government.
One
of
the
biggest
impacts
on
our
state’s
residents
comes
from
the
state’s
budget.
In
New
York,
the
executive
branch,
led
by
the
Governor,
develops
and
submits
the
budget.
The
legislature
(63
senators
and
150
Assembly
members)
reviews
the
proposed
budget,
offers
changes
and
ultimately
must
pass
the
budget
into
law.
This
process
requires
the
all-important
negotiations
between
the
two
branches.
The
Judicial
Branch
is
not
involved
at
this
point
in
the
process.
From
my
seat
in
the
Legislature,
I’ve
come
to
believe
one-party
rule
has
only
been
a
race
to
see
how
much
financial
pain
the
taxpayer
and
businesses
will
endure
before
moving
out
of
the
state.
One-party
rule
has
caused
extremely
bloated
budgets
year
after
year.
One
must
also
remember,
our
budget
is
not
only
dollars,
but
routinely
includes
life
changing
policies
and
laws.
The
last
time
New
York
government
had
balance
was
in
2018.
In
2019,
the
Republican
Party
lost
control
of
the
State
Senate,
and
the
Democratic
Party
won
the
trifecta
of
power
in
Albany.
Since
that
time,
the
New
York
State
budget
has
increased
$99
billion.
That’s
a
59%
increase
in
spending
in
seven
years.
This
while
all
local
governments
and
school
districts
cannot
exceed
2%
annually
for
their
budgets,
without
penalty.
The
New
York
State
budget
does
not
have
a
cap.
And
it
shows.
This
is
why
I
believe
having
more
than
one
political
perspective
involved
in
government
would
be
healthy
for
our
state.
One
Governor
represents
the
entire
state,
and
all
the
people
within
the
borders.
Legislators
represent
individual
districts
and
communities.
Those
communities
don’t
all
have
the
same
priorities.
What
matters
to
a
family
in
New
York
City
may
be
very
different
from
what
matters
to
a
farmer
in
Delaware
County.
The
challenges
facing
a
small
rural
fire
department
aren’t
necessarily
the
same
as
those
facing
a
large
metropolitan
department.
Rural
hospitals,
small
businesses,
local
governments
and
agricultural
communities
have
concerns
that
can
sometimes
look
very
different
from
the
concerns
heard
in
Albany
or
New
York
City.
Story Continues Below Adverts
That’s
why
I
believe
having
more
than
one
political
perspective
involved
in
government
would
be
healthy.
It
forces
people
to
talk.
It
forces
people
to
explain
their
positions.
And,
perhaps
most
importantly,
it
forces
people
to
negotiate,
with
give
and
take.
The
argument
that
two
different
parties
in
government
would
lead
to
delays
doesn’t
hold
water.
This
year’s
state
budget
provides
a
good
example.
The
past
year
of
one-party
in
charge
in
Albany
gave
us
an
enormous
$277
billion
budget
nearly
three
months
later
than
the
April
1st
constitutional
deadline.
State
Comptroller
Thomas
DiNapoli
specifically
expressed
concern
that
the
budget
process
had
gone
far
beyond
the
April
1
deadline
and
that
this
was
becoming
a
new
norm.
So,
we
know
that
having
the
Governor
and
legislative
majorities
from
the
same
political
party
doesn’t
guarantee
an
on-time
budget.
And
it
certainly
didn’t
show
any
restraint
in
spending
and
taxes.
I’m
not
suggesting
that
a
different
political
arrangement
would
have
produced
a
faster
budget.
There
is
no
way
to
know
that.
But
I
do
believe
there
is
value
in
having
someone
at
the
table
who
doesn’t
automatically
agree.
Maybe
there
is
value
in
having
to
sit
down
with
people
who
have
different
ideas
about
taxes,
spending,
regulations,
education,
public
safety,
energy
and
the
many
other
issues
facing
New
Yorkers.
That’s
not
dysfunction,
that’s
democracy
the
way
it
was
designed
to
work.
As
a
legislator,
I
don’t
expect
everyone
to
agree
with
me.
In
fact,
I
know
they
won’t.
But
I
do
believe
the
best
legislation
comes
from
listening
to
different
viewpoints
and
having
to
defend
your
position.
And
I
believe
voters
should
think
about
that
when
they
vote
this
year.
We’re
accustomed
to
asking
which
candidate
we
agree
with
on
the
most
issues.
That’s
an
important
question.
But
there
is
another
question
worth
asking
when
deciding
your
vote:
Do
you
think
New
York
is
heading
in
the
right
direction?
Do
we
want
all
the
major
elected
officials
in
state
government
to
generally
be
working
from
the
same
political
playbook?
Or
would
there
be
value
in
having
the
Governor
and
Legislature
bring
different
perspectives
at
the
negotiating
table?
Divided
government
can
mean
more
disagreement.
It
can
mean
negotiations
take
longer.
It
can
mean
that
some
proposals
don’t
pass.
But
it
can
also
mean
that
proposals
receive
greater
scrutiny.
It
can
require
compromise.
And
it
can
ensure
that
neither
the
executive
branch
nor
the
legislative
branch
simply
assumes
that
its
position
will
prevail.
Our
system
of
government
was
built
around
checks
and
balances.
As
someone
who
has
had
the
opportunity
to
see
the
legislative
process
from
the
inside,
I
have
come
to
believe
that
a
second
voice
at
the
table
can
be
valuable,
even
if
that
voice
sometimes
makes
the
conversation
more
difficult.
That’s
not
a
flaw
in
our
system.
That’s
the
system
working.
It’s
balance.
Assemblyman
Angelino
represents
the
121st
Assembly
District,
which
includes
parts
of
Broome
County,
Delaware
County,
Madison
County,
Chenango
County
and
Otsego
County.
Follow
Assemblyman
Angelino
on
Facebook.