By now, most of our readers have been saturated with politics and political talk. We need a breather, but I can’t help but mentioning Jan. 10, 2023.
That is the date when Gov. Kathy Hochul delivers her first “State of the State address.” This event will give her an opportunity to tell the residents of New York State what her priorities are and give them an idea of how she will govern during the next four years.
While I know the Governor personally from my days as Chair of Ways and Means, where she was a staff intern, I am not her speechwriter or a member of her inner staff, but as a former state official, I can at least offer an opinion on what she should say.
New York’s voters spoke very loudly on Election Day and their number one issue is crime. I don’t think the problem is as bad as the Zeldin campaign commercials, but the public is focused on this issue and they are looking for some solutions.
If you state the word “crime,” what it really means is that the current bail laws do not allow judges to decline bail for certain types of crimes. It is possible that even with a major overhaul of the bail laws, some judges will decide to release criminals just to keep them out of the Rikers Island jail.
There are a lot of progressives in the Assembly and Senate who don’t want bail reforms, but being a governor is not a popularity contest. There has to be some changes in the current law and it is the responsibility of the governor to speak out on the issue.
After all of the tumult with former Gov. Cuomo, New Yorkers are looking for a simple message. They want to know who is in charge and is there a leader in the house?
Running a state is a very hard job, but your life is made easier if you assure the public that you are on the job, have a vision, and are listening to their concerns.
New York State is facing a lot of challenges. The homeless population is growing in all 62 counties. New York City has failed to come up with any programs that will wipe away the vision of people sleeping in doorways in the middle of this cold winter.
It is up to the state to force some changes. Mental illness is a serious headache and simply locking up people without aftercare is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Another topic for the Governor’s attention is public education.
There is no doubt that New York State is extremely generous when it comes to dollars for our public schools. But beyond money, parents want to know if we are giving their children the skills that they need to succeed. That means making sure that every child in this state gets a good education regardless of where they live.
While our school aid formulas have definitely improved, there are still districts that get shortchanged when it comes to the distribution of dollars and those discrepancies must be corrected.
Gov. Hochul has been in office since August 2021 and even though she has gone through a tough and costly campaign, the voters don’t know her. The State of the State speech is her first real opportunity to define herself and establish the fact that she has a strong grip on the steering wheel.
She doesn’t have to promise the world but she must lay out her agenda in a way that people will be open to her future plans.
When you are in a seat of power, you get very few chances to define yourself with the voters. Having been to over 40, yes, 40 State of the State addresses, I know what a heavy lift it can be for any governor to set the right tone for the years ahead.
I wish this new governor the strength as she shoulders the responsibility of being the state’s leader. She will need strength and a lot more.
