Harckham Hosts Coffee and Conversation Gathering in Ossining

Ossining, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham hosted a “Coffee and Conversation” gathering on Monday, July 14, in the Camille Budarz Theater of the Ossining Public Library, which provided more than 40 participants an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas and opinions on a wide range of subjects.

“These events give people a chance to talk with us face-to-face and ask any questions they may have about the work we are doing, both in Albany and here in the districts we represent,” said Harckham. “People are looking for help and answers to their questions, and this is a good way to hear from them first-hand. A big thank you to the Ossining Public Library for welcoming everyone for this special event.”

The topics brought up by the “Coffee and Conversation” participants included questions about road repairs of Route 9 and Route 9A, expansion of natural gas pipelines in the region, high utility bills, flood mitigation, state spending on water infrastructures projects and heat conditions inside state correctional facilities.

The event began with Harckham offering a report on the recently enacted State Budget and his work in the State Senate, where he is the chair of the Senate Environment Conservation Committee. He noted that he has continued to fight for increased school aid for the Ossining school district, which has risen $35.1 million or 172% since he took office in 2019. The total amount of additional school aid to Senate District 40 schools during this time, in fact, has been $252 million.

Additionally, Harckham talked about the recently enacted federal budget bill, which will have negative ramifications across the state in regard to Medicaid and safety net programs. Federal cuts will result in an estimated loss of $13.5 billion annually to New York’s health care system, with 1.5 million New Yorkers projected to lose access to health care–more than doubling the state’s uninsured rate. Hospitals will close as well, and 63,000 healthcare jobs are projected to be lost. In terms of the safety net, the budget cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will result in 300,000 residents losing their benefits at a time when more than 954,000 families (about 12% of the state’s population) are already food insecure.

Senator Harckham has been hosting regular “Coffee and Conversation” gatherings since taking office in 2019. Joining Harckham at the library were Ossining Town Supervisor Elizabeth Feldman and Ossining Mayor Rika Levin.

Ossining Supervisor Feldman said, “Senator Harckham and his staff at the Coffee and Conversation deserve our thanks for organizing this event. These conversations allow residents to voice their opinions and concerns while helping to strengthen the connection between our community and its elected officials. Senator Harckham’s event reinforces the importance of civic participation and meaningful dialogue about the issues, and I look forward to more gatherings like this in the future.”