An open letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo:
I am writing to you in regards to your recent budget line item vetoes that eliminated certain discretionary funding.
I disagree with your decision. This funding went to groups that need and rely on this money to survive. In my district alone, you eliminated funding for such groups as the Bayside Little League, Bayside Historical Society and an anti-graffiti initiative. These groups are not pork.
But I was more disheartened to learn that BlackRock, the world’s largest investment manager, will be benefiting from a tax break that was included in this year’s budget. It is unfathomable that this company, which earned $2.3 billion on revenue of $9.1 billion and manages over $3.5 trillion in assets, will receive a tax break estimated to be worth at least $5 million while a neighborhood Little League cannot receive a $5,000 grant.
Your characterization that these were new budgetary grants is a distraction from the truth that these monies were allocated to specific communities. We should be helping these youth groups, senior centers, cultural organizations and Little Leagues that provide essential services, not companies that cater to and are part of the 1 percent.
Tony Avella
State Senator
(D-Bayside)
