As a new year begins, I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2022 as well as share a ‘year in review’ of sorts – what the work we’ve been doing in Albany meant for local families in 2021, and what the next legislative session may have in store.

Springtime was budget time in Albany, and I went to bat repeatedly for area schools, securing just shy of $750 million for school districts throughout my Senate District, including over $61 million for Pine Bush CSD (an increase of $3 million over the year prior) and $31 million for Wallkill (an increase of $500,000). And for the first time ever, schools throughout our Senate District had the opportunity to offer Pre-K slots thanks to brand new Universal Pre-K expansion funding. Between Pine Bush and Wallkill alone, we created more than 230 first-ever Pre-K seats. By equipping our schools with the resources they need, we’re not only supporting students and educators, but also keeping a lid on your school property tax burden.

One of the most rewarding parts of this job is my ability to bring your tax dollars right back home to support your community. In the Village of Walden, Mayor Ramos broke ground this fall on a much-needed new community center at Olley Park, funded with a $370,000 grant I secured. I was also honored to present $50,000 to the Walden Fire District to help them gear up with new equipment.

On the legislative side, I voted my conscience–rather than the party line–more times than any of my colleagues this year, and I passed the most bills of any Senator (58 this year). Highlights include a series of two bills designed to improve health and safety in nursing homes, legislation paving the way for fairer redistricting, and a bill to require better water testing to prevent the kind of PFOA/PFOS contamination our Newburgh neighbors have faced. All of these measures were signed into law by Governor Hochul in recent months.

As we look to 2022, I’m eager to see Route 208 and Route 52 paved by the state, both of which will be resurfaced in the spring and summer. Those baseline quality-of-life considerations–paving roads, repairing sidewalks–are issues we can all get behind.

You know what else unites us most of the time? Fighting corporate greed. When Medline filed suit to cut their Montgomery property assessment down to peanuts, I put them on blast and questioned the legality of their earliest applications for tax incentives. Days after I called them out, Medline withdrew its lawsuit, saving Valley Central School District taxpayers over $1 million.

The early days of 2021 brought a renewal of COVID-19 restrictions, but they also offered us access to life-saving vaccines. New variants may continue to emerge, but getting fully vaccinated is the best tool we currently have to combat this virus. Please make an appointment today to help protect your loved ones, if not yourself.

My team and I are always available to lend a hand. In the past year alone, our casework team has helped over 2,900 people get the unemployment they were owed, and over 1,070 neighbors connect with state agencies, dispute utility bills, or work out other complex problems. Please don’t hesitate to reach out by phone (845-567-1270), email (skoufis@nysenate.gov), or on social media (@JamesSkoufis) if you or someone you know could use assistance.

I’ll continue to work tirelessly to make sure the communities I represent have the resources they need to be successful in the year ahead.

Wishing you and yours a spectacular 2022,