Home energy prices are out of control. I recently opened my first $500 National Grid bill — when it used to be $250 per month. Rising energy costs are particularly hard on families on tight budgets and fixed incomes. Adding in the increasing cost of gasoline and heating oil, and finding the money to pay the bills can be disastrous for a family budget.

This is a problem that must be tackled from all angles. In the short-term, the state can provide rebate checks to customers during peak periods of energy use, utilize the power of the Public Service Commission to keep rate increases in-check, and add new restrictions on executive pay for utility companies. 

But in the long-term, we need additional energy production and new infrastructure, and this requires cooperation from all levels of government. Right now, the state and federal governments are pulling in opposite directions, with the state promoting renewable and low-carbon energy production, and Washington cancelling these projects and paying companies not to build in New York. New Yorkers want to invest in our energy infrastructure, but new tariffs on industrial imports are keeping prices high. Demand on our energy grid will only continue to rise, so New York State must do what we can to increase energy production while swapping carbon-polluting sources of energy with low-carbon solutions. 

And if it looks like New York’s “regulated monopoly” system of energy deliverance is not working in the best interest of consumers, we should study and explore other models. For a time I worked for the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Congress, focusing on public power utilities in the western United States. In the days of Governor Franklin Roosevelt, New York made public power a priority. If they can reduce costs for consumers, proposals to transition away from a profit-driven utility model are worth considering in the long-term. 

All in all, the current system is not sustainable. By the time my children are fully grown, I want them living in a world with energy that’s affordable, plentiful, and clean. If we are thoughtful about the energy transition, we can build that future.

Setting a budget means being a responsible steward of our tax dollars and ensuring that our area receives its fair share. With a state budget of over $260 billion, each new or expanded program must be carefully weighed against other priorities and the cost to families and businesses in our region. 

When I worked in Congress for Congressman Anthony Brindisi, we worked with other moderate Democrats to keep income tax increases off the agenda, instead focusing on going after corporate criminals and tax cheats to ensure they paid their fair share. In the Assembly, I will stand against tax increases that could impact the families and small businesses in our area.

I will also work in the majority to ensure that our tax dollars are brought back to the area — through grants, school aid, road and highway funding, aid to municipalities, and other priorities. Over the years working for our local members of congress, I have worked through the federal budget and appropriations process many times. I will put those years of experience to work fighting for the Mohawk Valley. 

Finally, the state plays a role in keeping property taxes low. In recent years, property tax hikes have come from our city and town governments, from Oneida County, and from our school districts. One of the main causes of these property tax increases is runaway health insurance costs for city, county, and school district employees, like road crews and teachers. As I go to school board and city council meetings, I hear of health insurance costs skyrocketing by 10% or more every year. Actions on the state and federal level to keep overall healthcare costs low will help alleviate pressures on local budgets and keep property taxes low for homeowners and small businesses. 

Our healthcare system is facing a crisis. With the federal government implementing $800 billion in Medicaid cuts, our state will be facing increased costs for healthcare — and we will all pay for it. 

Thanks to new federal paperwork requirements for Medicaid, hospitals and health clinics will be treating more patients without being reimbursed by the federal government. This means that healthcare providers will eat the costs of service, resulting in price increases for the rest of us. As doctors and hospitals charge more to cover this uncompensated care, health insurance companies will raise rates even further, increasing our insurance premiums, deductibles, and our municipal taxes. 

While we can’t restore these Medicaid cuts without federal action, we can work to mitigate the negative impacts. I will work with our local healthcare systems, community care providers, doctors, specialists, and non-profits to help them navigate these federal healthcare cuts. New York will also play a role in implementing these new regulations for the entire state, and I will fight to ensure New York’s rules fit the needs of the Mohawk Valley and rural healthcare providers throughout Upstate New York. 

Overall, more needs to be done to expand the availability of quality healthcare in our area. We have too few urgent care clinics, too few specialists, and doctors are constantly leaving for other cities. Our hospitals need more beds and more nurses. Emergency room wait times are too long, and too many patients are transferred to Syracuse, Rochester, and Albany for services that should be available right here. 

I will advocate for greater investments in urgent care clinics and preventative medicine to help alleviate the pressures on our hospitals and emergency rooms. I will also champion our colleges and nursing programs to train more medical professionals — and expand incentives to keep them here after graduation. And I will work with our health care systems and community care organizations to help mitigate the worst of the federal healthcare changes and work with our federal representatives to roll back these cuts. 

When I was growing up here in the 90s, my dad served as the president of his labor union at Griffiss Air Force Base. He fought to keep the Base here, and then successfully pushed to keep the Air Force Research Lab and DFAS in Rome. These installations have kept more than 1000 good-paying jobs in the area and have served as the seed of growth for the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. 

Our area has come a long way since we hit rock bottom in the 90s, but there is much further we can go. In the Assembly, I will push to support and develop the real engines of job creation in our area, which include our outstanding schools and colleges, our small businesses, our agriculture and tourism industries, and our talented and diverse workforce. 

This includes promoting and supporting our SUNY and non-SUNY schools, including SUNY Poly, MVCC, Utica University, and other colleges to sustain them and help them grow. I will advocate for our public schools to give our children a top-tier K-12 education. I will advocate for BOCES, apprenticeship programs, and the trades, so we can have a full and flexible workforce with opportunities for anyone willing to work.

Finally, a large part of economic progress in our area depends on coordination between local, state, and federal officials to line up funding for smart redevelopment and investment. I have spent years working in legislative offices where we have secured millions of dollars in federal investments for our area. By listening to local leaders, I will use my experience to find the right funding source for local projects to keep the Mohawk Valley moving forward. 

By the time my kids graduate high school in 2034 and 2039, I don’t want them to feel pressured to move elsewhere for economic opportunity. I want them to see a vibrant and growing local economy where good-paying jobs are plentiful. I want them to see a future right here, where they can find their dream job, buy a home, and start a family.

My family has a long history of military service. My maternal grandfather was a Marine Corp veteran who served in World War II; my paternal grandfather served in the Army from 1945 to 1980, and my maternal grandmother was the first woman in my family to enlist, joining the Army in 1951 at age 19. My father and countless cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, and extended family members have enlisted in the armed forces or worked as civilians for the Department of Defense. 

Some of the best work I did in my career was when I served as Congressman Anthony Brindisi’s top staffer for the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Our nation’s Veterans selflessly signed up to serve our country, willing to pay any price in defense of our nation. The least we can do is ensure that they receive the benefits they earned through their service and sacrifice. 

During my time working in Congress, I had the honor of drafting and working to pass legislation to help our nation’s Veterans. We reauthorized essential programs and expanded and modernized burial benefits for Veterans. Legislation I drafted was signed into law by the president. We coordinated with local Veterans and set up a Veterans Advisory Committee — including Veterans from every war from the Korean War to Iraq and Afghanistan. While I worked in Congress, we advocated for and passed legislation to expand healthcare coverage for service-related conditions related to burn pits and agent orange. 

During my time working for Congressman John Mannion, I again advocated for local Veterans, helping them deal with issues with the local VA health system. During a time when the federal government pushes through deep cuts to the VA that would reduce the VA workforce by 80,000 jobs, it is more important than ever that Veterans have an advocate in their corner. 

I will always stand up for our nation’s Veterans, including ensuring the benefits they earned are accessible without red tape and endless bureaucracy. They were there for us and I will always be there for them.  

After the hits our area took in the 80s and 90s, the Mohawk Valley faced severe population decline. I remember friends of mine moving away because their parents lost their jobs. 

Many smaller cities in the northeast and midwest have seen their populations continue to collapse over the past thirty years. However, Utica — and Oneida County more broadly — have avoided this fate in large part because of the arrival of tens of thousands of new Americans through the refugee program. Today, more than one-in-five Uticans were born outside the United States. 

As a major shipping hub and crossroads, the Mohawk Valley has always welcomed newcomers. These refugees — from Bosnia, Afghanistan, Burma, and dozens of other countries — have given new life to our area. They have purchased vacant properties and brought them up to code. They have started small businesses. They have learned our history and language and made our culture even richer. They have become citizens and run for elected office. 

The Resource Center for Refugees in downtown Utica has been the crown jewel of our city, doing more for the growth of our population and economy than any other organization. However, due to the Trump Administration virtually eliminating the refugee resettlement program, services that help integrate newcomers into our city are disappearing. Furthermore, for the first time in years, Utica’s population is at risk of declining, hurting our local economy in the process.

In the State Assembly, I will always fight to protect our refugee resettlement programs and the newcomers who have given so much life to our city. My former boss, Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, created dedicated funding in the state budget for refugee resettlement, and those dollars are more important than ever for Utica. While the federal government attempts to hurt Utica by halting refugee programs, I will stand up to protect our city and its people. 

I am a product of our public school system, having gone K-12 at Holland Patent. My children also go to public school in the area. 

Education funding in the state budget is a battle every spring. For years, schools like Utica and Rome were underfunded as the result of an unfulfilled promise of state aid. When he served in the Assembly, Anthony Brindisi took the lead on this issue and won the state aid that was due to our schools. And when I served as his policy advisor for education when he was in Congress, Congressman Brindisi and I helped protect federal aid for schools and assistance for students with disabilities. 

Now there is talk in Albany about reworking the “Foundation Aid” formula that determines how much assistance each school district will receive. I will fight tooth-and-nail to ensure that any new formula does not disadvantage the schools of Oneida County. You can count on me to protect our public school system — for my kids and yours. 

I also support expanding childcare and pre-K. We can’t expect young families to see a future here when they have to pay $200/week or more for childcare — if they can find childcare at all. I personally called through 65 daycare providers in three counties before I found childcare for my youngest son. By expanding childcare options, we can give parents the freedom to choose whether they want to stay home or return to work. This will increase lifetime earnings and giving our local economy a boost while preparing kids for a lifetime of learning. 

Having grown up in the town of Floyd, I know how important farms are to our local economy and the state’s food supply. We produce the corn, the milk, the soybeans, the apples, the maple, and countless other home-grown products that feed our state. 

We have a rich history of farming here, and passing that on to the next generation is a top priority. Our award-winning FFA programs are continuing to grow throughout the region. Our 4H programs, farmers’ markets, and county fairs show off what our farmers produce. I’ll work in the assembly to protect and support these vital programs.

But our farmers are feeling pressure from all sides. Tariffs are making farm equipment more expensive while reducing demand overseas for our America-grown produce. The elimination of USAID is taking away foreign markets from our farmers while wars are dramatically increasing the costs of fuel and fertilizer. Workforce concerns raise the costs and pressures of farming while new state rules make it harder to make ends meet.

When decisions are made by the majority in Albany, we need a voice in the room to speak up for our farmers. We can’t let state policy be made by folks from New York City who don’t understand the economic and cultural importance of agriculture. When our state drafts energy or labor or environmental policies, we can’t let the decisions be made by people who have never walked through the fields, who see our acreage as just big numbers on a spreadsheet. 

With modern production, growing agritourism, and increasing demand for dairy in the region, our local farmers can have a bright future. I will champion our local farmers in the legislature and work with agriculture advocates and our local, state, and federal officials to support policies that work for us.