New York State residents of all political persuasion are tired of a state government that is not ACCOUNTABLE to the people that it represents. It is time that we call a Constitutional Convention so that we can bring real change to our state. Issues that could be considered during a People’s Convention include fiscal reforms, such as a property tax and state spending cap, debt reform, along with a ban on “back-door” borrowing and unfunded mandates. Governmental reforms, such as initiative and referendum, an independent legislative redistricting commission, term limits for legislative leaders, ethics reform and a succession plan for state offices, could also be taken up.

• 3 article links
• Reformny.org
• A 9157
  

Following landmark legislation under the Clinton Administration, New York saw a sixty-two (62) percent drop in public assistance caseload. At the same time New York’s per-capita state spending for welfare is still high when compared to other states. In an attempt to reign in these costs New York should:

1. Tighten eligibility requirements.
2. Ensure that minimum work standards are met by recipients.
3. Authorize the removal of welfare grants if a recipient fails to fulfill an employment obligation.
4. Recognize the need to ensure that recipient grants reflect the length of time that someone has been on welfare.

• One link to a NY Post Editorial

All elected officials should be a reflection of the district that they represent. To that end, our Founding Fathers never intended that public officials would spend their lives in office, but rather be elected by the public to serve for a short period of time and then return to the private sector. I am strong advocate of term limits and believe that no office holder should be elected to the same office for more than twelve years.

• Two Bills (A9187 and A9531)
• I need to sign on to Camara Bill
• One article from Guiliani

We are currently spending almost $17,000 per child in K-12 education in our state. We spend more than any other state however our graduation rates do not mirror these huge costs. As a result, WNY families have dealt with sky rocketing property taxes and a state education model that has greatly underperformed. We must make substantial changes to ensure that we put students first while working to bring about a cost-effective funding model.

This includes:

• Flexibility in how local districts can spend monies.
• Ensuring that we provide more accountability in our class rooms (Bing Bill).
• Allowing parents in poorly performing districts the option to spend their taxpayers dollars in manner that gives their child a chance to get a great educational opportunity (Jefferies Bill).
• Ensure that students have pathways to success and curriculum that allows them to learn not simply “teach for a test.”
  

The City of Buffalo and many first-ring suburbs continue to suffer from a vacant housing epidemic. This problem which lends itself to crime and declining property values has one of the most daunting issues affecting WNY. As a result we must work in a bi-partisan fashion to ensure that we design a collaborative regional strategy that will:

• Right-size the city to mirror our projected population.
• Ensure that the state legislature works with local officials to design an effective land banking program.
• Continue to track vacant properties in the City of Buffalo and surrounding suburbs.
• When appropriate demolish housing that is serving as a continual blight to an area.
• Establish a working group between the City of Buffalo and Suburbs so that there is a regional plan to attack this issue.
• Ensuring the code enforcement is used in a pro-active manner to combat problem areas.
• Develop an effective re-use plan for vacant properties.
• Streamline and coordinate economic development initiatives, tax credits and grants to ensure that we have a regional objective.
• Use schools and other major businesses and institutions as anchors in certain neighborhoods.
• Provide OPPORTUNITY. A vibrant economy that taxes less and does not over regulate will provide residents with an opportunity to thrive in WNY. As a result this will allow upward mobility and a chance to re-invest in their neighborhoods.