Earlier this year, I asked residents to let me know their thoughts on some of the most critical issues in our region and across the state. And you delivered. I want to thank everybody who took the time to fill out my survey, as we have currently received over 400 responses with more still arriving daily. If you have not yet filled out the survey and would like to do so, I encourage you to visit nyassembly.gov/Stirpe or stop by my district office at 7293 Buckley Rd, Suite 201, North Syracuse to pick up a physical copy.

Thanks to the survey responses and participation at my town halls, I have a clearer understanding of the issues people would like to see addressed as we begin a challenging state budget negotiation. You can count on me to be strong voice for Central New York.

The community survey covered a wide range of topics, including I-81, voting reforms, shared services panels and ethics reforms. What follows is a snapshot of how Central New Yorkers feel about these issues. However, please keep in mind this is not a scientific survey and the responses are not indicative of the way all residents of the 127th Assembly District feel.

The I-81 project has been discussed for quite some time in Central New York, especially now that the New York State Department of Transportation has released the cost of the tunnel, community grid and viaduct options for the project. Of those who have answered the community survey, 88 percent favor either the community grid or viaduct to the tunnel option, while only 12 percent supported the tunnel option.

Voting reform is a popular topic in this year’s budget discussions, and a majority of survey respondents support either early voting or mail-in voting. Results also show that 77 percent of survey-takers support ethics reform that closes the limited liability corporation (LLC) loophole, which allows individuals to anonymously give political contributions through multiple sources in excess of donation limits. This is a change I have supported and voted for in past legislative sessions.

When asked in several questions about priorities and goals for the coming session, job creation and attracting business was supported by 65 percent of respondents, lowering government spending and taxes was backed by 75 percent and consolidating local government to reduce property taxes had the support of 49 percent.

Thank you again for taking the time to fill out my community survey. Your feedback is essential to addressing the needs of Central New York. I will use this information to continue to make our community a better place to live. If you have any questions about this or any other community issue, please reach out and contact me at (315) 452-1115 or at [email protected].