Statement from Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake)

“The Governor’s State of the State Address and sudden awakening to our ongoing affordability crisis was like New York’s version of ‘Stranger Things.’

Under one-party rule by the Governor and two Democratic Majorities, taxpayers have been trapped in an ‘Upside Down’ version of the Empire State where it’s become too expensive for many people to afford to live and work in, causing people to vote with their feet in overwhelming numbers by leaving our great state.

It’s no wonder New York is leading the nation in out-migration. Nothing illustrates this clearer than the fact that a recent National Taxpayers Union Foundation study ranks New York number two for interstate migration with someone permanently leaving the Empire State every 2 minutes and 23 seconds --- only California is seeing a greater loss of taxpayers.

Over the years, taxpayers have been saying to me, and I’ve been telling my colleagues that New York has an affordability problem. The Governor should have, and I believe, has known this for a long time, but continued to join the Majorities in enacting more laws and policies that just exacerbated it.

While better late than never, I hope the Governor’s newfound embrace of ‘affordability’ is genuine, but the speech today doesn’t appear to indicate that and is just another example of talking out of both sides of her mouth!

The question for the Governor and her minions in the Majority is how can they continue to defend the present agenda and want more of the same when so many New Yorkers have voted with their feet and walked out the door?  They have no answer because it can’t be explained away. It’s an indictment of their leadership and because they control all levers of power, the finger of failure only points toward them.

The Empire State is a beautiful state with amazing and talented citizens. We need to save New York by holding state government accountable to taxpayers and making it a safer and more affordable place to work and call home. I will work, as I always have, in a bipartisan fashion to be a strong voice for residents.”