Everyone is talking about how we need to make life more affordable. But what actually gets done to make things genuinely more affordable? It’s a lot of talk, but not a lot of plans. We all agree that we need to push toward affordability; and, thanks to the current leadership in Albany, things have become exorbitant and unaffordable. Enough is enough.
As your advocate in Albany, I will undoubtedly be pushing for affordability, actual plans to support our community, prioritize our working-class families and small business owners, and help bring costs down for all those who want to see prices come down as much as I do.
When our hard-earned tax dollars rise at seemingly astronomical rates, while we don’t see a positive effect in our communities at home, we, as taxpayers, deserve a productive solution. The frequent increases in taxes must stop. Without seeing results at home in the first place through public works and services, I find fault with Albany asking us to pay more to the state. When I am up in Albany, I pledge to the taxpayers of New York that I will consistently and ardently oppose and vote against all efforts to increase taxes. I am committed to pursuing policies that provide meaningful tax relief. For joint filers, the first $100,000 of income would be completely exempt from state income tax; for single filers, the first $50,000 of income would be exempt.
But affordability doesn’t just mean taxes. It also means making basic needs more accessible, relieving financial strain in various ways, and investing in (or abolishing) programs that raise costs for the people of our community.
For many of us in the district, our work takes us all over the city, so we often have to travel across Queens and parts of New York City every day just to earn a living wage. That makes reliable and accessible transportation an important part of affordability as well. To better connect our communities across the area, for work, leisure, and everything in between, I support the QueensLink project. Our district is inaccessible to many areas, so we must invest in infrastructure to expand transportation access and connect communities across the five boroughs. Better transportation means shorter commutes, greater access to jobs and services, and more opportunities for investment in local communities. All of this, in turn, can improve our daily lives.
Transportation isn’t the only basic expense putting pressure on families and businesses. We all use energy in some form every single day, and Albany’s policies have contributed to making our state’s energy some of the most expensive in the country. In 2019, Albany passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, or CLCPA, supposedly designed to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy. Recently, however, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) issued a highly debated internal memo analyzing the likely costs of CLCPA compliance. Here are just some of the potential consequences for our communities: New York City households are projected to see an annual cost increase of $2,300, gasoline prices are projected to spike by an additional $2.23 per gallon, and small businesses are projected to see annual compliance costs rise by nearly $7,000 per year.
To me, this doesn’t sound like a “Community Protection Act” if it makes affordability in our communities even harder to achieve. That is why I support legislation that returns money to our communities. For example, Assembly Bill A8876A would return nearly $3 billion collected through utility bill surcharges for NYSERDA’s Climate Investment Account directly to New Yorkers as credits on their utility bills, providing relief as energy costs continue to rise.
I am committed to protecting our community, and that means supporting an energy strategy that keeps reliability and affordability in mind. That’s why I support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that expands reliable, affordable, and abundant energy from all available sources.
The results that we want and need will not happen overnight. We must work across the aisle to get results. In Albany and across the country, far too many politicians pledge obedience to their parties just because that is all they know. I do not do that. I know what our communities need and what it takes to protect it.
The time for just talking about affordability is over. If elected, I’ll be ready one day one to get to work in Albany and pursue real policies that will bring down the cost of living and make life more affordable for our communities.
