Column: Your Opinion Matters - 2021 Legislative Survey

Many of us are grateful to turn the page on 2020, a year that brought challenges and hardships like no other. Chief among these is the lives lost to COVID-19. The vaccine gives us hope that we will finally turn the corner, and begin to rebuild our economy and reunite with family, friends, classmates and colleagues.

As we continue to bring the pandemic under control, we must prioritize our economic recovery. That is my guiding star for 2021. We need to reopen the economy, support our small businesses and job creators, get people safely back to work, preserve vital community services, and protect taxpayers.

With the new legislative session underway, this is the time of year when I invite my constituents to complete my annual legislative survey. I want to make sure your views are heard as we address the important matters facing the state.

You can complete the survey on my website at helming.nysenate.gov or return it by mail to my office if you received it at home.

I am asking for your opinion on legislative proposals, such as legalizing mobile sports betting. I’d like to know how you would prioritize state spending and tackle the projected $60 billion four-year budget shortfall.

Your input will inform the legislation I draft and sponsor, and the votes I cast on critical issues. It will help me more effectively advocate for the needs of our district.

Government works best when you participate in it. Real progress comes from everyday people sharing their perspective and experience to effect change.

As we commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I recall one of his most favorite quotes: “The time is always right to do what is right.” Yes, New Yorkers and New York State are confronting serious challenges. But we also have opportunities to do the right thing for our residents and communities, and our collective future. I am ready to do the essential work ahead.

Thank you in advance for completing my legislative survey, and please reach out to me any time with your thoughts, concerns and ideas. My email is helming@nysenate.gov and my phone number is 315-568-9816.