George Borrello (left) and Andy Goodell
State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell both expressed disappointment with Governor Kathy Hochul‘s State of the State address.
Borrello said the speech lacked “meat on the bones,” “But the only real specifics that she gave have to do with, you know, massive spending in New York City. She talked about airports, and train stations, and rail lines. And we already subsidize New York City’s MTA, their rapid transit system, to a tune of a billions of dollars a year. So unfortunately, we didn’t hear a lot about what we’re going to do for Upstate New York.”
Goodell said with Hochul facing a primary from a New York City candidate this year, his opinion is that her speech reflected politics versus policy. He said one example was where Hochul discussed needed infrastructure investments, describing several billion dollar projects in New York City, “They’re multi-billion dollar projects, and then [she] said ‘Well, I didn’t forget about the rest of the state. Long Island Expressway, we’re coming after your potholes.’ I was just shaking my head. Multi-billion dollar projects for New York City and in the State of the State she says she’s going to fix potholes in the rest of the state? Which should be done as a matter of routine.”
Borrello said there were items in the address that he could support, like broadband expansion. However, he said multiple fees are inhibiting that expansion, giving an example of a tax put into place at the beginning of 2020 that taxes fiber optic cable per foot of cable when it crosses a State Department of Transportation right of way. Borrello said the tax is higher per foot than the cost to run the fiber optic cable. He said the taxes and fees need to be eliminated, “We wouldn’t need to infuse more money into it, more taxpayer money. We would free up the market that is already there to expand into areas, particularly in rural Upstate New York. So I can get behind the idea, but it’s the method in which we’re going to do it that needs to be negotiated.”
Goodell said priorities raised in the address like COVID, tax reform, public safety, and housing are priorities he would agree with, “You know, I support her initiatives, or at least her acknowledgement of the problems, but deeply disappointed that there was no recognition or understanding or proposals that focus on the underlying reasons and the underlying causes, and solve those problems rather than just throw more money at it, more public money at it.”
Goodell saying he’s hoping there will be more details in a project proposal book released by Hochul, while Borrello added he has hope about the state moving forward.
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