Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
During my campaign for Congress, I made the local economy and job creation a top priority. As the Dow crashed in October and Congress dealt with bailout requests, the state of the national economy became increasingly urgent.
Our first order of business simply must be an economic recovery package to make sure the upstate New York economy is well positioned to leverage immediate relief for our long-term gain.
I have requested information from local elected officials on shovel-ready projects that can benefit from immediate stimulus funds. Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy has already prepared a substantial list that we must review, and I have spoken with many elected officials and community groups throughout the region. School and infrastructure construction will be among the areas where investment should be made a priority.
I believe we need to focus much of the relief toward individual family units because if they become stronger, our entire economy will benefit. Pragmatic investment, like improving sewers, roads and transportation systems, is absolutely critical. We cannot be competitive in the 21st century global economy if we are living with crumbling bridges and centuries-old sewer systems.
We will need a renewed focus on regional cooperation across elected officials from all levels of government. We are so well positioned for change because on the national stage, New York now holds such a large stake in the majority caucus in Congress — almost 10 percent of the Democrats in the House are from New York. What we really need is bipartisan cooperation across all levels of government.
I expect that this spring, Congress and the White House will be working to make major changes in our health care and energy policies. I believe we will turn the page on much of the partisan bickering that defined the past eight years and focus on tackling the real problems that threaten our area and nation.
Maffei represents the 25th Congressional District, which comprises all of Onondaga and Wayne counties, the northernmost portion of Cayuga County and parts of Monroe County.
