It was an extraordinary experience visiting Albany to attend the annual New York State Press Association convention, where we earned more awards than any other media company in New York City. I also visited with Governor Kathy Hochul, many state senators and Assembly members, thanks to my friend Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, and dined at Todd Shapiro’s new War Room restaurant. It was a weekend for the memory book!
When I arrived, I checked into the decrepit Hilton hotel where the convention was being held near the state capitol. The next morning, I traveled a few minutes from the hotel with Rebecca Seawright to the parking lot under the massive marble capitol buildings that were built as Governor Rockefeller’s legacy to New York.
Ironically those were the years when budget cuts were made at the Willowbrook State School, cutting services for people with disabilities — probably to pay for the “marble mountain.”
Rebecca said she would be introducing me during the Assembly session when I visited, but I was floored when the members gave me a standing ovation after she spoke about my work on founding Life’s WORC and my battle to obtain services for my daughter Lara — who was brain damaged at birth — and all the others like Lara.
After the applause ended, I got to say hello to many Assembly members I’ve known for years. It was a glorious reunion.
Standing tall at the massive podium leading the assembly chamber was old friend, Elmhust’s native son, Jeffrion Aubry.
We lingered for a few minutes and then Rebecca led me to the State Senate. There, the protocols are different and no guests are allowed on the floor, so I had to go up several flights of stairs to the gallery to watch the session below.
Sen. Toby Stavisky, a decades-old friend, had a bill passed as Rebecca and I watched from above. The senate has a roll call for votes, while the assembly votes on a digital board.
After the session, I was delighted to meet the powerful Sen. Liz Kruger, who represents the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where we publish amNewYork Metro and The Villager. I loved her instantly. She’s a powerful woman doing a remarkable job as the No. 2 person in the senate.
It’s a historic time for our state leadership, as the power in the capitol sits with two women and a man: Governor Kathy Hochul, Carl Heastie (the leader of the state Assembly) and Andrea Stewart-Cousins (the leader of the state Senate).
After my senate visit, we took an elevator to the second floor for our meeting with Governor Hochul. As we approached the historic Hall of Governors, we were met by state troopers guarding its entrance. After getting their OK to pass, we proceeded to another gatekeeper, who asked us to wait in the elegant hallway lined with every governor’s portrait. A few minutes later, a plain, wooden and unmarked door opened and we were inside the governor’s offices.
We waited a few more minutes and were escorted to the governor’s office. Standing by the door to meet us was a smiling Governor Hochul. We greeted each other with a warm embrace; after all, I’ve gotten to know her since she attended many of our Power Women and Kings events. I felt like I was visiting an old friend! But I did have an agenda.
I was there to make a case for the dignity of people with disabilities by making sure we don’t have little “Willowbrooks” in our neighborhoods. There is a staffing crisis in group homes. Right now, the group homes that are run by the state pay their union member employees $26 an hour. But because we are a nonprofit, our employees only get paid $16 an hour. This funding inequity must end!
I also pleaded the case of tax credits for journalists working for community newspapers.
I shared with the governor how Moody’s, the bond rating company, gives a better rate to towns that have community newspapers.
Getting things done is not an easy task, but being in Albany helped me to understand the complicated process of getting a bill passed, let alone the budget.
Hopefully the dignity of our most vulnerable citizens will be understood by Governor Hochul and her leadership.
We each have the power to make a difference. There are group homes in every neighborhood. Call your assembly and senate representatives! Tell them to equalize salaries in group homes run by nonprofit community organizations.
Your voice counts, so make sure you are heard! The bill numbers are A5268 (assembly) and S4127 (senate). Please call today!
At the end of my trip to the state capitol, I visited dear friend and PR guru Todd Shapiro’s new War Room restaurant, bar and cigar lounge. I stopped in for a delicious lunch and delighted in his success. What a way to end the trip!
See more photos on QNS.com and danspapers.com.
