Shrub Oak, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham hosted a “Coffee and Conversation” gathering on Saturday, March 21, at the John C. Hart Memorial Library, where more than 60 participants attended to ask questions and share ideas and opinions on a wide range of subjects.

“Over the past few months my office has received a lot of calls from residents with questions about important issues regarding affordability, high utility rates and much-needed road repairs,” said Harckham. “This event gave me an opportunity to hear from the residents directly and address their concerns, while also sharing some of the news about the work we’re doing, both in Albany and here in our local communities. A big thank you to the Hart Library and Library Director Yvonne Cech for allowing us to host this event here.”

A good part of the “Coffee and Conversation” centered on discussions regarding the high utility rates that many residents are now facing. Many participants, who were mostly from the Yorktown area, worried how retirees and others on fixed incomes could manage the rising costs of utility bills and wanted to know why the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) seemed to dutifully approve rate increases requested from the utilities, even as they were pulling in a billion dollars of profit.

Harckham noted that the fight to keep utility costs down was ongoing. He has called on the PSC to reject both Con Ed and NYSEG’s rate increase requests and also succeeded in ensuring the utilities held in-person customer community forums to hear from residents first-hand. Along with other state legislators, Harckham has called on utilities to give customers a “break” by waiving late fees and instituting easier payment plan access. Additionally, Harckham has called for an expansion of the energy assistance program to moderate income residents.

The discussion on rising energy costs noted that the higher natural gas prices were mostly responsible for the sharp increase in electric bills, as it powers about 50% of electric generation in New York. One attendee with experience in the natural gas markets around the world explained how demand around the world has led to the U.S. to export its natural gas, again driving up costs here at home. Harckham noted that renewable energy production, contrary to what some are saying, is not causing higher costs, as many of the initiatives in the state’s Climate Action Law have not even been implemented yet.

The State Senate, Harckham pointed out, is currently working to lower utility costs and strengthen energy affordability by broadening incentives and rebates for home efficiency heating and cooling, increasing funding for energy affordability programs and advancing legislative changes to the rules governing the Public Service Commission, including returning excess revenue to ratepayers. He also talked about his bill, the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act, to reform the interconnection process for solar energy projects, establish a program to expand grid capacity for distributed energy resources, increase the state’s solar energy target, and re-start the NY-Sun program while doubling the credit for installing solar energy systems from $5,000 to $10,000 and making the credit refundable for low-income taxpayers.

Coffee and conversation attendees also raised the need for more road repairs, stronger marijuana laws, better highway signage, and the loss of a school resource officer in the Lakeland Central School District. The affordability of healthcare remains a concern, some residents also noted. One participant wondered if the congestion pricing revenue was being used for transportation improvements, and Harckham offered that train stations are being made ADA accessible and new trains are being purchased.

In regard to road repairs, Harckham noted that the State Legislature fought for and won an $800 million increase for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Capital Plan in the FY2025-2025 State Budget, which included a $50 million increase in the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), bringing the program to a level of funding of $648 million. Also, funding for local roads has more than doubled since 2019 when Harckham was elected, with Yorktown receiving $1.12 million last year.

At the start of the event, Harckham asked for a moment of silence in memory of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University student in Chicago from the Yorktown community who was shot and killed while walking with a group of friends on March 19.

Harckham then spoke about the 2026 legislative session in the State Senate, where he serves as Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, and some thoughts about the Senate’s One-House Budget in response to the Executive FY2026-2027 Proposed State Budget. He highlighted his efforts to increase school funding for both the Lakeland and Yorktown central school districts, which has grown by $16 million and $12.9 million, respectively, since he took office in 2019.

Since taking office in 2019, Harckham has hosted monthly “Coffee and Conversation” events to stay connected with constituents and ensure their voices are heard. 

“This is how democracy works best—with face-to-face conversations and discussions about different issues that matter to all of us,” said Harckham. “That’s why I have made hosting these monthly events a priority over the past seven years.”