2019 Was A Very Good Year
A Guest Column From Rensselaer County Legislative Minority Leader Peter Grimm
Through the generosity of the Eastwick Press, the Rensselaer County Minority Legislature has been given the opportunity to submit a monthly column to their community newspaper. Thanks to the Eastwick Press and hello to all our constituents that this newspaper serves. The Rensselaer County Minority Legislators look forward to keeping you informed about County matters.
This being our first, of what we hope you will find to be, interesting and informative articles on the workings of your representatives on the county level. May we begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. We hope that 2020 will be a year of good health and prosperity for all of us here in Rensselaer County.
We ended 2019 with some pertinent accomplishments, beginning with passing a sound budget for 2020. This budget was passed unanimously by the entire legislature and poses no tax increase to the residents of Rensselaer County, along with no reduction to services.
During 2019 the legislature continued to focus on quality of life and environmental issues, particularly related to protecting air and water quality in Rensselaer County. The legislature adopted a law declaring a moratorium on solid waste facilities within a mile of the Hudson River and its tributaries, which includes most of the county. Unanimously, we took the lead and passed a resolution calling on state officials to ban Styrofoam food and beverage containers in New York State.
Another very important issue for all of New York in 2019 was the implementation of early voting. The Minority Legislators, in response to cries from many residents and local leaders, took a stand on making early voting fair and equitable for the residents of Rensselaer County. Since 30% of residents in Rensselaer County do not own cars and 70% of those people live in Troy, we believed that the placement of the early polling sites ignored Troy, the most populated municipality in the county. Taking the lead in bringing community and government together, the Minority Legislators were successful in the push for state legislators to take action and make the required changes.
We ended the year fighting to block the implementation of Criminal Justice Reform in New York State. Unfortunately, the state imposed these reforms at the start of the New Year. We are committed, in 2020, to continue the fight to have our state legislators make needed amendments to this reform that will make all New Yorkers feel safe.