Priorities

I am working to bring economic development and jobs to the county and the 15th district. We need to put our people to work in good paying jobs that allow them to own a home, raise a family and not have to worry about their future.

For the past several years, the County Executive, working with STEG and the IDA, has done a great job in bringing companies and businesses to our county.  Our job growth has begun to recover as we are beginning to see many more new and expanded businesses in our county the past couple years with a tremendous amount of dollars coming from the state through the Regional Economic Council awards granted to us, the $40 million Upstate Airport Economic Development grant and the Upstate Revitalization Initiative. I will continue to work with the County Executive to make job creation and development a top priority.

Some of the projects that have come to Chemung County include:

• Air-Flo Manufacturing invested $2,461,500 and increased their workforce by 40 jobs
• Horseheads Real Property, LLC invested $30,350,000 into building by Southern Tier Logistics that created 73 new jobs.
• Stamped Fittings invested $10,930,000 to expand their manufacturing operations. Created 14 new jobs.
• SEPAC invested $3,850,000 for expansion.
• Siemens invested $60,000,000 to build a manufacturing facility to build high speed rail cars. Created 300 new jobs.
• Southern Tier Logistics Rail and Infrastructure upgrades. $8,980,000 investment.
• One Clemens Square LLC – $1,636,900 Redevelopment of Clemens Square and the development of the “Centertown Social Club.”    5 full time and 20 part time

Housing and Commercial Development:

• 110 Baldwin St. LLC – $1,583,486 Four commercial spaces and 11 market rate housing units.
• Gerard Block Apartments – $10,028,077 Five commercial storefronts and 28 housing units.
• PG West Water St – $14,100,00  Fifty Two market rate housing units and Five commercial spaces.
• Riedman Properties – $18,682,000 Market rate housing, four story, 116 units.
• Mark Twain Building – $7,500,000 Refurbishment of all 100 residential units, reconstruction for 30 Airbnb and new commercial space.
• City Center Apartments – $7,175,000 Redevelopment of Booth School into 58 market rate apartments.
• Shalerock Planned Unit Development – Multi million dollar project in Big Flats. 60 single family homes and 59 apartments/townhouses.

Property taxes are devastating to the homeowners and businesses here in Chemung County and all over New York state. In our state, property taxes are 81% higher than the national average. Chemung County has kept property taxes stable for the past twelve years. I am proud to have voted for 12 county budgets that have had no property tax increases. In the 2023 budget, I proposed and was adopted the biggest property tax decrease in county history. $5.5 million was cut is property taxes. We must continue to resist any possibility to raise taxes on our citizens. We cannot tax our way to prosperity. High property taxes stifle job growth and deter businesses from locating here. As a member of the Elmira school board, I opposed any increase in property taxes and I will continue oppose them as the legislator from the 15th legislative district. I am a member of the legislature’s Budget Committee where all fiscal proposals and budget spending must go through before making it to the floor of the legislature for a vote.

I am working with Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom and the New York State Police to make sure our streets and neighborhoods are safe and well protected. I support the Chemung County Sheriff’s resident deputy program in the Town of Southport and have supported the continuation of the program by extending the agreement with the town in the legislature. I also work and stay in contact with the Troopers that are assigned to the sub-station in the Village of Wellsburg. With two high schools in the 15th district, I believe that the sheriff’s deputies who are the School Resource Officers at Broadway Academy and Elmira High School are essential to both of those schools. I believe in this program so much, I voted to put deputies in all schools in the Elmira City School District, including Finn Academy and BOCES. I will facilitate the creation of neighborhood watch programs in any areas of the 15th district that want and need them. I serve on the Corrections and Law Enforcement Committee of the legislature. This committee oversees matters concerning the Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, and other issues dealing with protecting our citizens. I have been a vocal critic on the legislature during budget discussions when the Sheriff’s budget is not fully funded to the level requested by the sheriff. I will continue to fight for the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office when I believe they are being treated unfairly. I want our residents to feel safe and secure in our community and will continue to work to make that happen.

I believe that unfunded mandates from the State of New York are the greatest fiscal crisis facing county governments. Here in Chemung County, in 2025, every cent that the county takes in of property taxes goes to pay for these unfunded mandates. I am working to seek ways to curb the local cost of Medicaid spending and end the waste, fraud and abuse in the system. I voted to add a welfare fraud division at our Department of Social Services that has saved the county millions of dollars since its inception. Medicaid cost the state over $1 billion a week. The local share cost to county taxpayers is more than $22 million annually. Total cost of the unfunded mandates in our county alone is over $47.7 million a year. That takes every penny of our property taxes, $30.3 million, plus $17.4 million of our sales tax dollars or 28% of the total sales tax we take in. There needs to be a fairer and cheaper way to provide these services to our citizens. I know people who work hard every day that cannot afford health insurance. They don’t qualify for Medicaid but are working and paying taxes to support this system. They are the ones that I am fighting for. Something has to be done and I am working for that change. The nine unfunded mandates that counties are charged for include: Medicaid, Welfare (Temporary Assistance & Safety Net), Child Welfare, Pre K and Early Intervention, Indigent Defense, Probation, Youth Detention and Pension Costs. A state takeover of local Medicaid cost could reduce county taxes by 70%.  If all nine unfunded mandates were completely funded by the state, Chemung County could have no property tax at all and have an additional $17 million to fund other projects in our budget.  This issue is one of my top priorities as your county legislator.

We live in one of the nicest areas of Chemung County. Preserving our quality of life is very important to me. I am working to make our district a better place to live and raise a family. As a member of the legislature’s Highway Committee, I am working for better roads, bridges and infrastructure. I want clean neighborhoods that make others want to locate here and those that live here want to stay. Through Chemung County’s Adopt-A-Highway program, I have adopted two county routes, 60 and 8 (Lowman Crossover), to show my dedication to keeping our district beautiful. I have supported the implementation of the Southern Tier Network that is bringing fiber optic cable throughout the 15th district to help bring broadband internet service to the outer areas of our district. I am seeking more businesses to come here and make it easier for our residents to shop and do business here. I am working with town and village governments in an effort to protect our way of life. I spoke in support of revoking the license of Brookside and Sherman Ave. trailer parks in the Town of Southport because that neighborhood deserved better. We need to support the Wellsburg, Southport, Chemung and East Hill Volunteer Fire Departments who protect us during fires and emergencies. I have lived in the 15th district all my life. I love this area. Together, we can continue to make the Towns of Ashland, Southport, Chemung, the East Hill portion of the Town of Elmira and the Village of Wellsburg even better places to live, work, and raise a family. I am committed to help make that happen!