Senator Sewards message on Senate battle.

"

Dear Timothy,

Let me take a moment to offer an update on the impasse in the state senate.

I have received letters and calls from constituents who ask why we staged a revolt in the first place.

In five short months, one party control of state government had pushed the families of our area to the breaking point.

In that time, they:

-- Cancelled STAR rebate checks;

-- Raised income taxes and fees;

-- Put higher taxes on your health insurance and utility bills;

-- Passed a bailout for the New York City MTA that upstaters will pay for;

-- Did the state budget in secret, hiking spending by $12 billion and enacting $8 billion in new taxes;

-- Ignored our need for business growth, new jobs and economic development;

-- Reneged on promises to reform the senate's operations.

Having had enough, I voted for change on June 8^th and a coalition that would put upstaters back in key committee slots to protect our area from further out of control spending and higher taxes.

The senate, as you know, is divided 31-31. That has never happened before in New York and it's exceedingly rare in our country to have an evenly divided house of a state legislature.

We need to share power and work in a meaningful way to pass important legislation.

And we need a long term solution so that this problem does not recur later this week, this month, this year or next year.

The senate reform coalition has proposed a bipartisan operating agreement and suggested binding arbitration, public negotiating meetings, and mediation by the governor to resolve the current conflict. I am actively pursuing an end to the impasse.

You elected me to stand up for our area, no matter what. My actions in supporting bipartisan leadership in the senate, restoring some political and geographic balance, and steering our state in a new direction were taken with that sacred trust in mind.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Jim

Senator Jim Seward"

A message to all that he represents, the Schoharie County Young Republican's continue to support the effort by Senate Republicans in the Senate.