Letter to Editor:

This letter is part three of three related letters to the editor.

This letter deals with the roles our local state representatives and other state legislative leaders need to play on our behalf. By our, I mean our children and our local schools.

I say local because the Governor has forgotten “local”. I’ve included a complete list here including the Governor, the Assembly and Senate Majority Leaders, and or course our local representatives. If you really care about the issues, letters to all of those listed should be self-produced and mailed. Do it soon before it is all written in stone.

Some say the Governor holds all the cards. Let’s not make that happen.

Here are the key factors I will write to them about. You and I know the issues in greater detail.

I expect them to vote no on any budget that adopts any of Cuomo's education reforms, does not address the Gap elimination, and gets the public schools of NYS less that the 1.2 billion that the Governor has offered for his reforms

I will emphasize that the Board of Regents request for a 2.1 billion education budget is also affordable if some of the Governor’s tax reduction proposals were scaled back.

The list has only mailing addresses because letters are more effective than emails. Remember that some of these state leaders have more authority than our local reps and they also have to hear from us.

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224; The Honorable Dean G.Skelos, The Senate Majority Leader LOB Room 909 Albany, NY 12247; The Honorable Andrea Stewart-Cousins, The Senate Minority Leader LOB 907 Albany, NY 12247; The Honorable Carl E. Hestie, The Assembly Majority Leader LOB 932 Albany, NY 12248 and The Honorable Brian M. Kolb, Assembly Minority Leader LOB 933 Albany, NY 12248.

Our local Reps include The Honorable Joseph A. Griffo, LOB Room 612, Albany, NY 12247; The Honorable Patty Ritchie, LOB, Room 412 Albany, NY 12247; The Honorable Kenneth Blankenbush, LOB 322 Albany, NY 12248 and The Honorable Addie Russell LOB 456 Albany, NY 12248.

Joseph M. Liotta

Norwood