Looking to fix the state
New York”™s own state jingle may come back to haunt it.
“You may love New York ”“ but does New York love you?”
The rhetorical question was posed by Business Council of New York President Ken Adams May 17 to a small group of Rockland County business leaders at Orangeburg”™s Holiday Inn.
Adams has been making the rounds in the state, having gone to Westchester the week of May 10 to ask the same question of business leaders and spreading the word about its new grassroots effort to get New Yorkers to stop talking and take action by bringing their concerns to their legislators and eventually into voting booths this November.
“Enough Already New York” is Adams”™ nonpartisan group. An icon on the Business Council”™s website directs users to their local representatives where they can choose to share their concerns.
A counter serves to remind how many New Yorkers have lost their jobs since the bottom fell out of Wall Street in September 2008: 341,500 “and many of those jobs will never come back,” Adams said. “They have been erased by the worst recession since the Great Depression and won”™t be replaced. Business has learned to work harder with less people; unfortunately, we can”™t say the same for the state.”
Adams believes his campaign will catch on, particularly by the end of summer, when legislators and appointed officials will begin hammering away on the campaign trail.
“We”™ve had enough taxes, enough of the lack of fiscal restraint, enough of the state”™s spending,” he said. “It”™s time to send a message to elected officials ”“ enough already.”
Al Samuels, CEO and president of the Rockland Business Association, told Adams and business leaders gathered at the conference he would support anyone running against Westchester state Sens. Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Suzi Oppenheimer, who both voted for the MTA payroll tax. “I”™ll personally support anyone running against either of them,” said an irate Samuels, who fought vigorously against the 34 cents per $100 of payroll the MTA is charging mid-Hudson businesses as part of an overall bailout of the authority. “They sold us out.”
After the meeting, Adams said, “I think New Yorkers are ready for a change. I really think they”™ve had enough and I”™m hoping this will garner the interest of those who don”™t get out and vote but let voting blocs do the voting for them. You can”™t keep complaining that you don”™t like the way business is being done ”“Â or not done ”“ in Albany, but sit back and do nothing about it. We have an election coming up this year. New Yorkers can really make a difference, and they can do it with their votes.”
One longtime politician won”™t be hitting the campaign trail this year. Republican state Sen. Thomas Morahan of New City is undergoing treatment for leukemia and will not seek re-election.