Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano says the turmoil in the State Senate this week is a good thing, showing that change can come to Albany.
The billionaire businessman says the next goal is changing the State Assembly.
“These reforms are revolutionary. These reforms are going to happen. They don’t need the Governor’s signature. They don’t need Shelly Silver’s signature,” Golisano said.
“We are actually going to have term limits on the Speaker, the Majority Leader in the Senate.”
He says the issue isn’t the drama of senators fighting for control but that Republicans have changed the house rules, from term limits for Senate officers to equally splitting pork barrel money.
Golisano says he helped push Democrats out of power after five-months because the Democratic leader didn’t make enough changes fast enough.
“(Senate Democratic Majority Leader) Malcolm Smith made commitments to me before he was elected to office that he would work on fiscal responsibility, that he would put forth some of these reforms, that they would go after property taxes, campaign finance reform. He was in office for five months. Nothing happened. In fact, he seemed quite uninterested.”
Golisano says he’s working with a growing alliance of business groups seeking change in Albany, led by…Unshackle Upstate.
Despite criticism that he “bought” the State Senate, Golisano defended his role.
“I haven’t asked for a higher pension. I haven’t asked for a higher salary. I haven’t asked for more time off. I haven’t asked for anything.”
(Source: WNED-AM 970 NEWS)
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7 Responses
Dear Editor,
I do not feel the title of this news article was very appropriate and it could be read with the wrong connotations.
This is the first time I have felt this way about anything you’ve written so I apologize for having to write this email and really appreciate all the news you distribute.
Wishing you much hatzlacha in all your future work.
Best regards & Shabbat shalom,
Raphael
He’ll have a much better chance after the economy totally crashes. Any meaningful change will mean lots of people giving up their entitlements (which is the word used for basic services by those who don’t need them). While everyone complains about rising taxes and fees, no one is volunteering to take pay cuts or benefit cuts, reduced services, etc., especially of cutting benefits and services they receive (as opposed to ones that other people receive).
Well Shelly,
Ain Chochmah v’ain tevuna… neged haShem.
You thought that going w/ the toeava bill will save you.
Chop arein while you still can.
Golisano is right on so many business issues. NYS is the absolute worst state to do business in. We are over taxed and over burdened with fees and other barriers. Very poor money management in Albany and it has been getting worse. Both houses of governement need a major overhaul and Golisano is one of the few who not only get it, but can actually do something about it as we all see.
Mike Bloomberg (business man-not mayor) once upon a time understood all of these issues. He now has gone off the reservation and we must as a community begin to seriously re-asses our support for him as well.
I wish him much hatzlacha!
Wealthy people are leaving New York in droves to states that are tax and people friendly. There was a poll that showed that 25% of all New Yorkers would love to leave. Many of the very wealthy, such as Rush, sold his NY penthouse and said that he is saving himself millions extra per year. When our wealth tax base moves out, guess who receives the honor of paying the for all this abuse?
Tom Golisano said that by him moving out of NY he saves $5 Million per year. which he will give to the charity of his choice, not New Yorks’.
NY has always been a mismanaged state with high pork barrel spending. As long as the economy was ok, nobody bothered to fight it. Now that the economy is in shambles, people are going to revolt. Economic crisis brought down bigger powers than the usa.