{"id":371068,"date":"2026-10-12T15:52:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T15:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/371068\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T15:52:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T15:52:07","slug":"the-evening-sun-new-york-state-government-needs-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/371068\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evening Sun | New York State Government Needs Balance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    After <\/p>\n<p>                    six <\/p>\n<p>                    years <\/p>\n<p>                    serving <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    State <\/p>\n<p>                    Legislature, <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    gained <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    perspective <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    might <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    difficult <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    person <\/p>\n<p>                    outside <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    Albany <\/p>\n<p>                    politics.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    I&#8217;ve <\/p>\n<p>                    learned <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    State <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    complicated. <\/p>\n<p>                    We <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    three <\/p>\n<p>                    branches <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    were <\/p>\n<p>                    deliberately <\/p>\n<p>                    designed <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    require <\/p>\n<p>                    checks <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    balances <\/p>\n<p>                    on <\/p>\n<p>                    each <\/p>\n<p>                    other. <\/p>\n<p>                    Branches <\/p>\n<p>                    with <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    responsibilities, <\/p>\n<p>                    constituencies <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    perspectives, <\/p>\n<p>                    supposed <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    working <\/p>\n<p>                    together <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    serve <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    people. <\/p>\n<p>                    This <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    worth <\/p>\n<p>                    remembering <\/p>\n<p>                    as <\/p>\n<p>                    voters <\/p>\n<p>                    consider <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    future <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    State <\/p>\n<p>                    government. <\/p>\n<p>                    This <\/p>\n<p>                    isn&#8217;t <\/p>\n<p>                    about <\/p>\n<p>                    political <\/p>\n<p>                    parties. <\/p>\n<p>                    It <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    about <\/p>\n<p>                    balance <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    government.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    One <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    biggest <\/p>\n<p>                    impacts <\/p>\n<p>                    on <\/p>\n<p>                    our <\/p>\n<p>                    state\u2019s <\/p>\n<p>                    residents <\/p>\n<p>                    comes <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    state\u2019s <\/p>\n<p>                    budget. <\/p>\n<p>                    In <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York, <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    executive <\/p>\n<p>                    branch, <\/p>\n<p>                    led <\/p>\n<p>                    by <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    Governor, <\/p>\n<p>                    develops <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    submits <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    budget. <\/p>\n<p>                    The <\/p>\n<p>                    legislature <\/p>\n<p>                    (63 <\/p>\n<p>                    senators <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    150 <\/p>\n<p>                    Assembly <\/p>\n<p>                    members) <\/p>\n<p>                    reviews <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    proposed <\/p>\n<p>                    budget, <\/p>\n<p>                    offers <\/p>\n<p>                    changes <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    ultimately <\/p>\n<p>                    must <\/p>\n<p>                    pass <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    budget <\/p>\n<p>                    into <\/p>\n<p>                    law. <\/p>\n<p>                    This <\/p>\n<p>                    process <\/p>\n<p>                    requires <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    all-important <\/p>\n<p>                    negotiations <\/p>\n<p>                    between <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    two <\/p>\n<p>                    branches. <\/p>\n<p>                    The <\/p>\n<p>                    Judicial <\/p>\n<p>                    Branch <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    not <\/p>\n<p>                    involved <\/p>\n<p>                    at <\/p>\n<p>                    this <\/p>\n<p>                    point <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    process.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    From <\/p>\n<p>                    my <\/p>\n<p>                    seat <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    Legislature, <\/p>\n<p>                    I&#8217;ve <\/p>\n<p>                    come <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    believe <\/p>\n<p>                    one-party <\/p>\n<p>                    rule <\/p>\n<p>                    has <\/p>\n<p>                    only <\/p>\n<p>                    been <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    race <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    see <\/p>\n<p>                    how <\/p>\n<p>                    much <\/p>\n<p>                    financial <\/p>\n<p>                    pain <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    taxpayer <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    businesses <\/p>\n<p>                    will <\/p>\n<p>                    endure <\/p>\n<p>                    before <\/p>\n<p>                    moving <\/p>\n<p>                    out <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    state. <\/p>\n<p>                    One-party <\/p>\n<p>                    rule <\/p>\n<p>                    has <\/p>\n<p>                    caused <\/p>\n<p>                    extremely <\/p>\n<p>                    bloated <\/p>\n<p>                    budgets <\/p>\n<p>                    year <\/p>\n<p>                    after <\/p>\n<p>                    year. <\/p>\n<p>                    One <\/p>\n<p>                    must <\/p>\n<p>                    also <\/p>\n<p>                    remember, <\/p>\n<p>                    our <\/p>\n<p>                    budget <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    not <\/p>\n<p>                    only <\/p>\n<p>                    dollars, <\/p>\n<p>                    but <\/p>\n<p>                    routinely <\/p>\n<p>                    includes <\/p>\n<p>                    life <\/p>\n<p>                    changing <\/p>\n<p>                    policies <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    laws.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    The <\/p>\n<p>                    last <\/p>\n<p>                    time <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    had <\/p>\n<p>                    balance <\/p>\n<p>                    was <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    2018. <\/p>\n<p>                    In <\/p>\n<p>                    2019, <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    Republican <\/p>\n<p>                    Party <\/p>\n<p>                    lost <\/p>\n<p>                    control <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    State <\/p>\n<p>                    Senate, <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    Democratic <\/p>\n<p>                    Party <\/p>\n<p>                    won <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    trifecta <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    power <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    Albany. <\/p>\n<p>                    Since <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    time, <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    State <\/p>\n<p>                    budget <\/p>\n<p>                    has <\/p>\n<p>                    increased <\/p>\n<p>                    $99 <\/p>\n<p>                    billion. <\/p>\n<p>                    That\u2019s <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    59% <\/p>\n<p>                    increase <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    spending <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    seven <\/p>\n<p>                    years. <\/p>\n<p>                    This <\/p>\n<p>                    while <\/p>\n<p>                    all <\/p>\n<p>                    local <\/p>\n<p>                    governments <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    school <\/p>\n<p>                    districts <\/p>\n<p>                    cannot <\/p>\n<p>                    exceed <\/p>\n<p>                    2% <\/p>\n<p>                    annually <\/p>\n<p>                    for <\/p>\n<p>                    their <\/p>\n<p>                    budgets, <\/p>\n<p>                    without <\/p>\n<p>                    penalty. <\/p>\n<p>                    The <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    State <\/p>\n<p>                    budget <\/p>\n<p>                    does <\/p>\n<p>                    not <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    cap. <\/p>\n<p>                    And <\/p>\n<p>                    it <\/p>\n<p>                    shows.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    This <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    why <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    believe <\/p>\n<p>                    having <\/p>\n<p>                    more <\/p>\n<p>                    than <\/p>\n<p>                    one <\/p>\n<p>                    political <\/p>\n<p>                    perspective <\/p>\n<p>                    involved <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    would <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    healthy <\/p>\n<p>                    for <\/p>\n<p>                    our <\/p>\n<p>                    state. <\/p>\n<p>                    One <\/p>\n<p>                    Governor <\/p>\n<p>                    represents <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    entire <\/p>\n<p>                    state, <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    all <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    people <\/p>\n<p>                    within <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    borders. <\/p>\n<p>                    Legislators <\/p>\n<p>                    represent <\/p>\n<p>                    individual <\/p>\n<p>                    districts <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    communities. <\/p>\n<p>                    Those <\/p>\n<p>                    communities <\/p>\n<p>                    don&#8217;t <\/p>\n<p>                    all <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    same <\/p>\n<p>                    priorities. <\/p>\n<p>                    What <\/p>\n<p>                    matters <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    family <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    City <\/p>\n<p>                    may <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    very <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    what <\/p>\n<p>                    matters <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    farmer <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    Delaware <\/p>\n<p>                    County. <\/p>\n<p>                    The <\/p>\n<p>                    challenges <\/p>\n<p>                    facing <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    small <\/p>\n<p>                    rural <\/p>\n<p>                    fire <\/p>\n<p>                    department <\/p>\n<p>                    aren&#8217;t <\/p>\n<p>                    necessarily <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    same <\/p>\n<p>                    as <\/p>\n<p>                    those <\/p>\n<p>                    facing <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    large <\/p>\n<p>                    metropolitan <\/p>\n<p>                    department. <\/p>\n<p>                    Rural <\/p>\n<p>                    hospitals, <\/p>\n<p>                    small <\/p>\n<p>                    businesses, <\/p>\n<p>                    local <\/p>\n<p>                    governments <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    agricultural <\/p>\n<p>                    communities <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    concerns <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    sometimes <\/p>\n<p>                    look <\/p>\n<p>                    very <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    concerns <\/p>\n<p>                    heard <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    Albany <\/p>\n<p>                    or <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    City.&#13; <\/p>\n<p>               Story Continues Below Adverts<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    That&#8217;s <\/p>\n<p>                    why <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    believe <\/p>\n<p>                    having <\/p>\n<p>                    more <\/p>\n<p>                    than <\/p>\n<p>                    one <\/p>\n<p>                    political <\/p>\n<p>                    perspective <\/p>\n<p>                    involved <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    would <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    healthy. <\/p>\n<p>                    It <\/p>\n<p>                    forces <\/p>\n<p>                    people <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    talk. <\/p>\n<p>                    It <\/p>\n<p>                    forces <\/p>\n<p>                    people <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    explain <\/p>\n<p>                    their <\/p>\n<p>                    positions. <\/p>\n<p>                    And, <\/p>\n<p>                    perhaps <\/p>\n<p>                    most <\/p>\n<p>                    importantly, <\/p>\n<p>                    it <\/p>\n<p>                    forces <\/p>\n<p>                    people <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    negotiate, <\/p>\n<p>                    with <\/p>\n<p>                    give <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    take.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    The <\/p>\n<p>                    argument <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    two <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    parties <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    would <\/p>\n<p>                    lead <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    delays <\/p>\n<p>                    doesn\u2019t <\/p>\n<p>                    hold <\/p>\n<p>                    water. <\/p>\n<p>                    This <\/p>\n<p>                    year\u2019s <\/p>\n<p>                    state <\/p>\n<p>                    budget <\/p>\n<p>                    provides <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    good <\/p>\n<p>                    example. <\/p>\n<p>                    The <\/p>\n<p>                    past <\/p>\n<p>                    year <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    one-party <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    charge <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    Albany <\/p>\n<p>                    gave <\/p>\n<p>                    us <\/p>\n<p>                    an <\/p>\n<p>                    enormous <\/p>\n<p>                    $277 <\/p>\n<p>                    billion <\/p>\n<p>                    budget <\/p>\n<p>                    nearly <\/p>\n<p>                    three <\/p>\n<p>                    months <\/p>\n<p>                    later <\/p>\n<p>                    than <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    April <\/p>\n<p>                    1st <\/p>\n<p>                    constitutional <\/p>\n<p>                    deadline.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    State <\/p>\n<p>                    Comptroller <\/p>\n<p>                    Thomas <\/p>\n<p>                    DiNapoli <\/p>\n<p>                    specifically <\/p>\n<p>                    expressed <\/p>\n<p>                    concern <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    budget <\/p>\n<p>                    process <\/p>\n<p>                    had <\/p>\n<p>                    gone <\/p>\n<p>                    far <\/p>\n<p>                    beyond <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    April <\/p>\n<p>                    1 <\/p>\n<p>                    deadline <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    this <\/p>\n<p>                    was <\/p>\n<p>                    becoming <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    new <\/p>\n<p>                    norm. <\/p>\n<p>                    So, <\/p>\n<p>                    we <\/p>\n<p>                    know <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    having <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    Governor <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    legislative <\/p>\n<p>                    majorities <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    same <\/p>\n<p>                    political <\/p>\n<p>                    party <\/p>\n<p>                    doesn&#8217;t <\/p>\n<p>                    guarantee <\/p>\n<p>                    an <\/p>\n<p>                    on-time <\/p>\n<p>                    budget. <\/p>\n<p>                    And <\/p>\n<p>                    it <\/p>\n<p>                    certainly <\/p>\n<p>                    didn\u2019t <\/p>\n<p>                    show <\/p>\n<p>                    any <\/p>\n<p>                    restraint <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    spending <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    taxes.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    I&#8217;m <\/p>\n<p>                    not <\/p>\n<p>                    suggesting <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    political <\/p>\n<p>                    arrangement <\/p>\n<p>                    would <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    produced <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    faster <\/p>\n<p>                    budget. <\/p>\n<p>                    There <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    no <\/p>\n<p>                    way <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    know <\/p>\n<p>                    that. <\/p>\n<p>                    But <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    do <\/p>\n<p>                    believe <\/p>\n<p>                    there <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    value <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    having <\/p>\n<p>                    someone <\/p>\n<p>                    at <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    table <\/p>\n<p>                    who <\/p>\n<p>                    doesn&#8217;t <\/p>\n<p>                    automatically <\/p>\n<p>                    agree. <\/p>\n<p>                    Maybe <\/p>\n<p>                    there <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    value <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    having <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    sit <\/p>\n<p>                    down <\/p>\n<p>                    with <\/p>\n<p>                    people <\/p>\n<p>                    who <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    ideas <\/p>\n<p>                    about <\/p>\n<p>                    taxes, <\/p>\n<p>                    spending, <\/p>\n<p>                    regulations, <\/p>\n<p>                    education, <\/p>\n<p>                    public <\/p>\n<p>                    safety, <\/p>\n<p>                    energy <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    many <\/p>\n<p>                    other <\/p>\n<p>                    issues <\/p>\n<p>                    facing <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    Yorkers. <\/p>\n<p>                    That&#8217;s <\/p>\n<p>                    not <\/p>\n<p>                    dysfunction, <\/p>\n<p>                    that&#8217;s <\/p>\n<p>                    democracy <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    way <\/p>\n<p>                    it <\/p>\n<p>                    was <\/p>\n<p>                    designed <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    work.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    As <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    legislator, <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    don&#8217;t <\/p>\n<p>                    expect <\/p>\n<p>                    everyone <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    agree <\/p>\n<p>                    with <\/p>\n<p>                    me. <\/p>\n<p>                    In <\/p>\n<p>                    fact, <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    know <\/p>\n<p>                    they <\/p>\n<p>                    won&#8217;t. <\/p>\n<p>                    But <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    do <\/p>\n<p>                    believe <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    best <\/p>\n<p>                    legislation <\/p>\n<p>                    comes <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    listening <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    viewpoints <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    having <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    defend <\/p>\n<p>                    your <\/p>\n<p>                    position. <\/p>\n<p>                    And <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    believe <\/p>\n<p>                    voters <\/p>\n<p>                    should <\/p>\n<p>                    think <\/p>\n<p>                    about <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    when <\/p>\n<p>                    they <\/p>\n<p>                    vote <\/p>\n<p>                    this <\/p>\n<p>                    year.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    We&#8217;re <\/p>\n<p>                    accustomed <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    asking <\/p>\n<p>                    which <\/p>\n<p>                    candidate <\/p>\n<p>                    we <\/p>\n<p>                    agree <\/p>\n<p>                    with <\/p>\n<p>                    on <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    most <\/p>\n<p>                    issues. <\/p>\n<p>                    That&#8217;s <\/p>\n<p>                    an <\/p>\n<p>                    important <\/p>\n<p>                    question. <\/p>\n<p>                    But <\/p>\n<p>                    there <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    another <\/p>\n<p>                    question <\/p>\n<p>                    worth <\/p>\n<p>                    asking <\/p>\n<p>                    when <\/p>\n<p>                    deciding <\/p>\n<p>                    your <\/p>\n<p>                    vote: <\/p>\n<p>                    Do <\/p>\n<p>                    you <\/p>\n<p>                    think <\/p>\n<p>                    New <\/p>\n<p>                    York <\/p>\n<p>                    is <\/p>\n<p>                    heading <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    right <\/p>\n<p>                    direction? <\/p>\n<p>                    &#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    Do <\/p>\n<p>                    we <\/p>\n<p>                    want <\/p>\n<p>                    all <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    major <\/p>\n<p>                    elected <\/p>\n<p>                    officials <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    state <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    generally <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    working <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    same <\/p>\n<p>                    political <\/p>\n<p>                    playbook? <\/p>\n<p>                    Or <\/p>\n<p>                    would <\/p>\n<p>                    there <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    value <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    having <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    Governor <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    Legislature <\/p>\n<p>                    bring <\/p>\n<p>                    different <\/p>\n<p>                    perspectives <\/p>\n<p>                    at <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    negotiating <\/p>\n<p>                    table?&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    Divided <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    mean <\/p>\n<p>                    more <\/p>\n<p>                    disagreement. <\/p>\n<p>                    It <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    mean <\/p>\n<p>                    negotiations <\/p>\n<p>                    take <\/p>\n<p>                    longer. <\/p>\n<p>                    It <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    mean <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    some <\/p>\n<p>                    proposals <\/p>\n<p>                    don&#8217;t <\/p>\n<p>                    pass. <\/p>\n<p>                    But <\/p>\n<p>                    it <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    also <\/p>\n<p>                    mean <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    proposals <\/p>\n<p>                    receive <\/p>\n<p>                    greater <\/p>\n<p>                    scrutiny. <\/p>\n<p>                    It <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    require <\/p>\n<p>                    compromise. <\/p>\n<p>                    And <\/p>\n<p>                    it <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    ensure <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    neither <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    executive <\/p>\n<p>                    branch <\/p>\n<p>                    nor <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    legislative <\/p>\n<p>                    branch <\/p>\n<p>                    simply <\/p>\n<p>                    assumes <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    its <\/p>\n<p>                    position <\/p>\n<p>                    will <\/p>\n<p>                    prevail.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    Our <\/p>\n<p>                    system <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    government <\/p>\n<p>                    was <\/p>\n<p>                    built <\/p>\n<p>                    around <\/p>\n<p>                    checks <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    balances. <\/p>\n<p>                    As <\/p>\n<p>                    someone <\/p>\n<p>                    who <\/p>\n<p>                    has <\/p>\n<p>                    had <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    opportunity <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    see <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    legislative <\/p>\n<p>                    process <\/p>\n<p>                    from <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    inside, <\/p>\n<p>                    I <\/p>\n<p>                    have <\/p>\n<p>                    come <\/p>\n<p>                    to <\/p>\n<p>                    believe <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    second <\/p>\n<p>                    voice <\/p>\n<p>                    at <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    table <\/p>\n<p>                    can <\/p>\n<p>                    be <\/p>\n<p>                    valuable, <\/p>\n<p>                    even <\/p>\n<p>                    if <\/p>\n<p>                    that <\/p>\n<p>                    voice <\/p>\n<p>                    sometimes <\/p>\n<p>                    makes <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    conversation <\/p>\n<p>                    more <\/p>\n<p>                    difficult. <\/p>\n<p>                    That&#8217;s <\/p>\n<p>                    not <\/p>\n<p>                    a <\/p>\n<p>                    flaw <\/p>\n<p>                    in <\/p>\n<p>                    our <\/p>\n<p>                    system. <\/p>\n<p>                    That&#8217;s <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    system <\/p>\n<p>                    working. <\/p>\n<p>                    It\u2019s <\/p>\n<p>                    balance.&#13; <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0px 0px;\">\n<p>                    Assemblyman <\/p>\n<p>                    Angelino <\/p>\n<p>                    represents <\/p>\n<p>                    the <\/p>\n<p>                    121st\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>                    Assembly <\/p>\n<p>                    District, <\/p>\n<p>                    which <\/p>\n<p>                    includes <\/p>\n<p>                    parts <\/p>\n<p>                    of <\/p>\n<p>                    Broome <\/p>\n<p>                    County, <\/p>\n<p>                    Delaware <\/p>\n<p>                    County, <\/p>\n<p>                    Madison <\/p>\n<p>                    County, <\/p>\n<p>                    Chenango <\/p>\n<p>                    County <\/p>\n<p>                    and <\/p>\n<p>                    Otsego <\/p>\n<p>                    County. <\/p>\n<p>                    Follow <\/p>\n<p>                    Assemblyman <\/p>\n<p>                    Angelino <\/p>\n<p>                    on <\/p>\n<p>                    Facebook. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After six years serving in the New York State Legislature, I have gained a perspective that might be&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371069,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[82164,12734,8140,1882,2623,12740,12733,12741,609,71008,93,9,24,55,54,12,12735,12736,56,322,12739,12737,12738,530,1068],"class_list":["post-371068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-balance","tag-chenango-county","tag-classifieds","tag-community","tag-current-events","tag-daily-newspaper","tag-evening-sun","tag-forums","tag-government","tag-needs","tag-new","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-news","tag-newspaper","tag-norwich","tag-ny","tag-obituaries","tag-online-newspaper","tag-oxford","tag-sherburne","tag-state","tag-york"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}