David J. Valesky's Blog entries

The past year has been a tumultuous one for New York State. The national fiscal crisis yielded a very difficult budget and deficit reduction actions, and an ill-fated coup mired the Senate in gridlock that marked one of the lowest points in the chamber’s history. Despite these challenges, the 2009-2010 legislative session was extremely productive with the passage of several pieces of landmark legislation, several of which I was pleased to author, that will improve the lives of Upstate New Yorkers.

For many years, Central New York has been building a national reputation as a hub of green technology and has been promoting itself as a potential home for jobs in green industries.  That promise and potential got a major boost in recent days as an effort I have been working on to attract one of the first electric car manufacturers in the country bore fruit.

What if you could create fourteen thousand new jobs, and save New Yorkers one billion dollars on energy bills at the same time, without additional cost to taxpayers?

A bill that I co-sponsored and which passed in the State Senate last week will do just that.

The Green Jobs/Green New York initiative will get to the heart of two of Central New York’s biggest issues—the availability of permanent, skilled jobs and high energy costs.

Buying locally grown foods has become somewhat of a trend in the past few years. Bestsellers have been written, new words—localvore—have been coined, and people across the nation want to be connected to where their food comes from.

This is no trend in Central New York—it is a way of life. Our broad agricultural base gives us, as consumers, an opportunity that many don’t have—the opportunity to buy local. Products are readily available at local grocery stores, farmers’ markets and roadside stands, and we happily buy them because they taste good and we know where they came from.

For the past five weeks, I have had individuals across Central New York tell me that the time has come for real and significant reforms.  To each, I have said simply, I agree.   For the past five years, I have been advocating for a more open, responsive and responsible state Senate, one that empowers individuals members of the Senate, ends the tyranny of Senate leadership and puts the people back in charge of this chamber.   

For a long time, we have talked about ways to reduce property taxes in New York State. I have consistently advocated for government consolidation as one means to achieve this.

This week, we accomplished part of that goal.

By passing the New York Government Reorganization And Citizen Empowerment Act, the New York State Senate did something historic—it gave the people power to decide how their local governments are organized, and, along with it, the power to reduce their property tax burden.

For many people, Memorial Day symbolizes the official beginning of summer. Family and friends gather for picnics, parades and barbecues--the first outdoor events of the season.

However, I believe it is important that we remind ourselves of the true meaning of the holiday. Too often, the real message gets lost amidst the events and advertisements.

The Temporary Committee on Rules Reform was created at the beginning of the 2009 session to return New York State government to its rightful owner: the people. In a bipartisan effort, Co-Chairs David Valesky and John Bonacic have been spearheading a series of public hearings to solicit input from the public on changes that should be made in the way the State Senate operates.

The Rules Reform Committee met for a final time today to discuss the remaining open items on the agenda. Watch the video from the meeting below, or see the attachment for the minutes.

File: 
March 25th, 2009 Rules Reform Committee Meeting Minutes

The Temporary Committee on Rules Reform was created at the beginning of the 2009 session to return New York State government to its rightful owner: the people. In a bipartisan effort, Co-Chairs David Valesky and John Bonacic have been spearheading a series of public hearings to solicit input from the public on changes that should be made in the way the State Senate operates.

The Rules Reform Committee met today to push forward on the Senate's reform agenda. Watch the video from the meeting below, or see the attachment for the minutes.

File: 
March 18th, 2009 Rules Reform Committee Meeting Minutes