Chairman of Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business
( D ) 61st Senate District
Readers of this column may recall a recent Another Voice column by Sen. Robert Ortt, in which the leader of the New York State Senate Republican conference proclaimed a “rescue plan” is needed to save our state. Ortt issued a dire warning, stating that because of the current leadership of New York’s executive and legislative branches, crime is up, economic activity is down, and individual rights are under attack. This bleak picture doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
On the matter of crime, we know it’s a real problem. We also know pandemic-era spikes in crime have not happened in New York alone. It has been a nationwide problem – even in states with Republicans in charge. In New York State, crimes like murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and larceny have collectively gone down 24.1% in the last 10 years of record. That’s tough to square with Ortt’s claim of a “drastic” yearslong erosion of public safety at the hands of New York’s Democratic stewardship.
Of course, that drop doesn’t mean we should stop working to address crime. When the racist massacre at Tops occurred last year, Democrats in the Senate and Assembly took bold action to directly address circumstances that led to that awful tragedy and too many others like it. Ortt and his Republican conference opposed many of our efforts to make people safer. So much for taking crime seriously.
On the economic front, Ortt proposes that we make our state more affordable. On this point, I wholeheartedly agree. That is why Senate Democrats took action last year to suspend the gas tax, accelerate middle-class tax cuts, cap the price of insulin and help families to afford child care. Inflation is down in recent months and job numbers are growing, with the New York economy adding 22,100 private sector jobs in December 2022. We will continue this work throughout 2023 – and we have already passed a diverse package of cost-saving measures as one of our first priorities of the new session.
Finally, Ortt said that in order to make our state more free, we must protect our freedoms and constitutional rights. The Senate recently passed an Equal Rights Amendment that will codify rights that most New Yorkers would probably assume were formalized years ago. Senate Democrats stood together to protect these vital freedoms. It’s easy to talk about how important it is to protect our rights; but when given the chance to ensure equal rights for women, Ortt and all but one of the members of his conference voted no.
When it comes to doing what’s right for New Yorkers, the Democrats in the Legislature and the governor’s office will continue to lead the way in 2023 and beyond.
