My Response to State of The County

There is a lot on the horizon for Onondaga County and the regional STEAM school is an amazing example of what our tax dollars can accomplish. Future projects are exciting but we need to focus on providing services that our residents need today. The federal government is continuing to cut funding and we need to prepare. However I didn’t hear any proposals to address this in the County Executive’s State of the County address last night. We know needs are already increasing at our local food banks, wages are not keeping up with the cost of living and the concern of repeating past mistakes remains high.

I hear week after week from organizations that are losing funding and are not sure how they will continue to provide services and jobs our residents rely on. We have a staffing shortage across the county and people do not have access to healthcare, childcare, reliable transportation or safe, affordable housing that would enable them to be part of the workforce.

There are reasons to be hopeful. Change is coming to Onondaga County but we need to make sure it lifts everyone up. We need to repair and improve existing infrastructure while ensuring the protection of our environment that we all love and enjoy. New York needs to fully implement our climate law requiring polluters to pay and use this revenue to lower our energy bills, create good jobs and a healthier NY.

The time is now for an aquarium sized investment in housing. Property taxes continue to rise across Central New York and we need to improve efficiency and share services across municipalities to provide services our residents need at an affordable cost.

Listening to the County Executive, I couldn’t help but notice the focus on corporations, tourists and people moving to Central New York. My focus will remain on our current residents and how Onondaga County can support them today so we all can thrive tomorrow. I look forward to being the checks and balances on the County Executive’s proposals, engaging with the public to hear their input and will make sure our taxpayer money is used to benefit everyone.

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County Budget Town Hall