There are currently three “unresolved” races:

1.       Senate District #7 – located on Long Island, the race pitted incumbent Craig Johnson (D) vs. challenger Jack Martins (R).  As of today, Martins leads Johnson by 415 votes.

2.       Senate District #37 – covering Westchester County, this race was between incumbent Suzy Oppenheimer (D) and her challenger Bob Cohen (R).  After all of the districts were reported in Thursday, Oppenheimer has a 466 vote advantage over Cohen.

3.       Senate District #60 – this district covers parts of Erie and Niagara Counties.  It is a race between incumbent Antoine Thompson (D) and his challenger Mark Grisanti.  Currently, Grisanti has a 598 vote margin over Thompson.

Needless to say, the lawyers and courts are now involved in determining who wins these ‘unresolved” races.  It could take weeks, even months, to determine the outcome.  If you recall, back in 2004 there was a contested race that ultimately wasn’t decided until February of 2005…several weeks into the next legislative session.  Further complicating the issue this year is that a new process was used for voting.  So there is very little legal “history” to review as it relates to previous decisions and court action.

What this should do is remind all of you that EVERY VOTE does count.  Had 1,479 more people voted last week then perhaps we would know who will run the Senate and we could get on with planning for 2011.  But they didn’t and so we must wait.

The good news is that there are many newly elected Senators and Assembly members waiting with us.  How many?  More than 30 between both houses.  That’s means more than 17%  (and potentially more if the challengers win the contested races above) of our legislature has turned over or moved from the Assembly to the Senate.  That means that there will be more than 30 new people who haven’t succumbed to the often toxic culture of Albany.  Those fresh new faces will help guide policy decisions in 2011.

A new legislative session is just around the corner.  We look forward to working with our statewide and regional partners and many of the reelected and newly elected.  New York is still teetering on the edge of a financial cliff.  Let’s hope that the campaign promises are followed and that we, the voters, hold each and every member accountable for their decisions.

To quote a good friend and mentor: Onward and Upward!

But from Unshackle Upstate’s perspective, that doesn’t really matter. Because in the votes that were cast, we see a validation of our Judgment Day message that has us fired up for the 2010-11 legislative session. 

Judgment Day was about getting the right people into office – people who understood and respected the needs of taxpayers and job creators. Our message clearly had an impact as virtually every candidate campaigned on a platform of fixing Albany’s dysfunction and lowering taxes and spending.  That message resonated with voters, as the majority of our endorsed legislative candidates won their races. 

We’re calling it a victory for Unshackle Upstate. But potential for a much bigger, and more important victory lies ahead.

The 2010 Elections were just one leg of a distance race, and we won’t be truly victorious until we convince our legislators to change their tax-and-spend ways, to be more fiscally responsible by reducing taxes and aggressively supporting (or at least quit hindering) private sector job creation.

That’s where you – the taxpaying public, their constituents – come in. When we launched the Judgment Day campaign back in February, our main goal was to educate and empower voters across the state so that they could make the best possible decision in the voting booth. To help spread our message and our information, we drafted the Unshackle Army, now nearly 25,000 strong and growing. 

Now with the elections over, we’re asking you to stay tuned. We need that Army to stay engaged, to help us keep the pressure and ensure that our representatives follow through on their campaign pledges.

2010 was a galvanizing year for Unshackle Upstate, as we became a grassroots organization focused on putting in office state legislators who would truly be responsive to the largest special interest group – the taxpayers. We knew we faced an uphill battle. And although the election is behind us, we will not give up our charge. Unshackle Upstate will continue to be highly visible in Albany, pushing for the reduced state spending and lower taxes essential for future economic growth.

We trust you’ll be there with us. We’re looking forward to it.

I am enthusiastic that we can change the way our state government views the taxpayers and private sector businesses.  We can tell them clearly that the tax and spend program of yesterday must go away and be replaced with sound financial planning and a willingness to cut taxes to give us more and create more jobs.  How can we do that? By voting out those that have turned their backs on us.  It’s really a simple process.

Tomorrow, we can vote for 25 people that have made a commitment to us that they want to help fix what is broken.  That they are willing to cut spending, lower taxes, and create more private sector jobs.  That they will be independent thinkers that will act in the best interest of all of us, not just a few of us.

Please take the time to get educated and get to the polls.  The list of candidates below represent Unshackle Upstate endorsed candidates for tomorrow’s election. A vote for them is a vote for YOU. Get out and cast a vote tomorrow for our future… YOUR future.

NYS Comptroller:

Harry Wilson

NYS Senate:

• 45th District: Betty Little (R,C,I)
• 48th District: Patricia Ritchie (R,C,Taxpayers)
• 49th District: Andrew Russo (R,C,Taxpayers)
• 53rd District: Tom O’Mara (R,C)
• 57th District: Catharine M. Young (R,C,I)
• 58th District: Jack Quinn (R,Taxpayers)
• 59th District: Patrick Gallivan (R)
• 61st District: Michael Ranzenhofer (R,C,I)
• 62nd District: George D. Maziarz (R,C,I,WFP)

NYS Assembly:

• 105th District: George Amedore (R,C,I)
• 108th District: Steve McLaughlin (R,C,Taxpayers)
• 112th District: Tony Jordan (R,C,I)
• 122nd District: Ken Blankenbush (R,C)
• 125th District: Tom Reynolds (R,C,I)
• 128th District: Robert Oaks (R,C)
• 129th District: Brian Kolb (R)
• 130th District: David Nachbar (D)
• 131st District: Kenneth Krause (R,C,I)
• 134th District: William Reilich (R,C,I)
• 138th District: John Ceretto (R,C,I,Taxpayers)
• 139th District: Stephen Hawley (R,C,I)
• 142nd District: Jane Corwin (R,C,I)
• 144th District: Brian Biggie (R,Taxpayers)
• 146th District: Kevin Smardz (R,I,Taxpayers)

But I implore you, don’t let your disgust with campaigning discourage you from heading to the polls on Nov. 2.  Because this year, it is more important than ever that you vote.

Unshackle Upstate has renamed Election Day as Judgment Day for the New York State Legislature. That’s because there is so much at stake – specifically the future direction of New York state and its economy. And who we, the voters of this state, choose to send to the Capitol can significantly affect that outcome.

Voters will choose a new governor and lieutenant governor. They will also vote on state comptroller, attorney general and all 212 seats in the Legislature.  It is our chance to take back our state government, to put in office people who will do what’s best for New York – control spending, lower taxes and create jobs.

Just by casting your ballot, you remind all elected officials that your approval is neither automatic nor to be taken for granted. They have to earn your vote with service, and that means acting in the best interest of taxpayers to lower state spending and reduce taxes.

But for whom you cast that ballot will also send a strong message.

New Yorkers have long paid some of the highest taxes in the nation. Yet in the last two years, the Legislature passed laws that hit the average family with $1,300 in new taxes and fees.

This summer, US News reported that, over the past two years, New York’s per-capita state tax hikes totaled $414 per person – far more than any state including California, which has raised taxes by $312 per capita. According to the report, New York by itself accounted for 29 percent of all the state tax increases proposed and enacted since 2009.

The 2010-11 budget added $1.2 billion in new taxes, in large part to cover the whopping $136 billion spending bill and close an enormous – and growing – budget gap. Lawmakers balanced the budget by relying on their usual one-shots and temporary enhancements, not by addressing the state’s spending problems.

That makes it certain that the budget gap will just continue to rear its ugly head.  In fact, the comptroller estimates the state will face a cumulative spending gap that could exceed $37 billion through its fiscal year 2013-14, largely because lawmakers have failed to find a permanent solution to the discrepancies between spending and revenues.

Now when something like that happens in our homes and business, we have only one choice. We are forced to tighten our belts, to purchase only what we can afford. New York hasn’t done that, and we’re all paying the price – in lost jobs and neighbors, as people leave the area for better, more affordable opportunities.

That’s why who you choose to send to Albany is so critical. We need lawmakers who understand the dire realities and are willing to be leaders, to step up and be accountable for the tough decisions it will take to fix this mess.

If you’re uncertain who that is, I urge you to get informed on your candidate choices. For starters, check out the endorsements made by Unshackle Upstate as well as its Legislative Scorecards.

I’ve heard the anti-incumbent calls to “throw out the bums,” but I don’t buy them. There are incumbent legislators who get it, and who have done an admirable job of representing their constituents. But in cases where that hasn’t happened, new blood is needed.

I don’t necessarily support term limits, either. Why? Because you, the voter, have the right to impose term limits every time there is an election. If you don’t like what your representative is doing, you simply vote for his or her challenger and put a new person in office.

So again, I implore you to exercise that right. Cut through the campaign rhetoric, and make a choice for a better future. Vote on Judgment Day, Nov. 2.

As I was getting ready to leave, she mentioned that her daughter was 18 and could now vote.  And then, in one of life’s AH-HA moments, she realized: her daughter isn’t registered to vote.  She quickly took care of that.

There’s a lesson in this story. 

It’s not enough to just complain about the “state” of New York.  We, you have to be willing to do something about it.  And that something is voting.  And to vote, you must be registered. 

The deadline for registering to vote on Judgment Day (Nov. 2) is Oct. 8.  Click here to get more information about where you need to register.

But don’t stop there.  Make sure that all of your friends and family are registered as well.  The only way to get a government that will represent us is to VOTE for people that believe in you and me, people who will take their responsibility seriously and work in our best interest.

But if you need an additional kick in the pants to motivate you to register, check out this report on property taxes released by the Tax Foundation.

What does this mean for me and you?  Our taxes, which are already too high, will just keep going up.  Why?  Because New York state’s pension fund is currently underfunded.  So the only way for your local government and school district to make up the difference is – drum roll please – by taking it from our pockets.  It is estimated that the average household outside of New York City will need to fork over an additional $220 next year.  And that is just to cover the pension being underfunded. 

We can’t continue on this path, my friends. 

It is time to elect people who will make the same tough decisions about state spending that you and I have done in our homes and businesses. 

So get registered and circle Nov. 2, 2010 on your calendar.  That’s Judgment Day, the day you get to judge the quality of candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller and your representatives to the Senate and Assembly. Let’s send the best ones to Albany and the others back to look for another line of work.

Want to learn more about the candidates and your elected officials’ stands on key economic issues? View Unshackle Upstate’s Legislative Scorecards.

That’s when we’ll announce the results of our 2010 Legislative Scorecards. We’re calling these scorecards a voter’s guide to Judgment Day, Nov. 2, 2010.

That’s because from these scorecards, which we’re issuing for all 212 New York state legislators, you – the taxpaying voter – will be able to determine which of our lawmakers acted with your best interests in mind. For instance, who voted for reducing taxes, cutting spending, reducing state borrowing and mandates. And who just paid lip service to those important issues.

Let me give you a little preview, share our methodology. We’ve been keeping an eye on all the legislators – what bills they sponsored, what they supported and what they opposed. And we’ve assigned a value to their actions.

For instance, legislators could earn up to 60 points depending on how they voted in committee and on the floor on items supported or opposed by Unshackle. For instance, those who opposed a bill that would have required overtime pay for farm workers (a bill that was fortunately defeated), earned points.

Also in the calculation, up to another 25 points depending on how they voted on the 2011 state budget. In other words, those who voted against it got 25 points, those who voted for it got 0.

Legislators had a chance to improve their scores by up to 15 points by sponsoring bills that Unshackle Upstate supported. But they could also hurt their scores, losing up to 15 points by sponsoring bills that Unshackle opposes.

But these scorecards, revealing as they may be, are just one step in Unshackle’s endorsement process. They’ll be factored in with other measures, such as whether the candidate has a history of supporting or opposing Unshackle, as well as the candidate’s responses to our questionnaire and input from the chamber of commerce in each candidate’s area. All will be used to compile a list of endorsements we will be releasing in the coming weeks.

Why do we do all this? Because we at Unshackle Upstate feel it’s essential that you enter the voting booth on Nov. 2 armed with the facts and prepared to make a judgment. Did the candidates on the ballot before you stand up for you as a taxpayer, take the actions necessary to lower your taxes and create jobs? Or was the candidate more interested in securing re-election by advocating for the demands of a select few?

Read the scorecards. Study our endorsements. Then on Nov. 2, you be the judge.

Go to the voting booth and help us take back our state government. Send Albany a message that our elected officials work for us – the state’s largest special interest group – the taxpayers.

New York residents must realize that actions speaks louder than words. We often complain about how dysfunctional the NYS government is, and how we as taxpayers face economic distress, because of inaction by Albany on real problem solving.  However, we as residents and taxpayers, have a long tradition of accepting the status quo and returning incumbents to office by not individually engaging our elected leaders.  We are divergent in our beliefs and opinions.  There is a solid agreement that the current system no longer works.  Special interests have won the day by surpassing the role of the electorate. Leaders and their minions are easily led astray by the power of money.  We must act individually and also look for common ground with our friends, relatives and neighbors to demand reforms that remove the influence of money on our government system.

We were in Albany yesterday partnering with several other business groups advocating that a list of bills we dubbed “Dirty Dozen” be killed off due to their impact on our economy. Our message was well received and we got commitments from several members that they would not support the passage of the bills. That was positive.  And it got a bit better after we met with Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson (no relation) who reiterated his commitment to no new taxes and fees in this year’s budget.  And later on, when we met with Senate Minority Leader Skelos, he also said they wouldn’t support any more taxes or fees. We even had a chance to thank him and his members for recently voting down a budget extender that included a new $2 million dollar tax on manufacturing firms in New York. Yep, you got it, an actual vote against a new tax.  Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, always a champion of Unshackle Upstate and our efforts, was again rock solid with his commitment not to raise state spending or create more taxes and fees. It was great.

But, alas, it wasn’t all good news. We got wind that the budget discussions were moving along and we could be looking at a budget within the next two weeks. And while a budget would mean that we finally have some form of a functioning government, the numbers we heard we startling and appalling.

The rumor was that spending levels would increase by about 4% over the current budget. That would place it somewhere in the $136-137 billion dollar range. Frankly, that’s way too much.  And to make matters worse, instead of actually cutting spending, they are talking about bonding $2 billion dollars of the deficit.  Imagine that.  Instead of cutting spending (not controlling growth– don’t get the two confused– we need actual spending reductions) they want to borrow the money and pay it upcoming years. But even with that, there will still be more tax and fee increases in the budget…perhaps as much as $2 billion dollars. That would be on top of the $8 billion in new taxes and fees they hit us with last year.

Friends, we simply cannot allow that to happen. We need each and every New York resident that has had enough of the tax and spend culture to send a message to their elected official right now.  We don’t have an option. If we don’t raise a stink about this then the numbers I shared earlier will become a reality. We’ve made it easy for you. Just follow this link. And please don’t hesitate.  We really are running out of time to send our elected officials a clear message…we will not tolerate more spending and taxes!!

And while you’re at it, we still need that property tax cap. We have to find a way to start to control the unsustainable growth of school and property taxes. Wow, wouldn’t it be something if in the course of preparing the budget, they actually put a REAL tax cap in place to start providing us some relief? Again, it is easy to tell your elected official you want the tax cap. Just follow this link.

Now is not the time to be bashful my friends. Let’s not put ourselves in a position where a couple of weeks from now, when we are analyzing the budget, and saying “ruh roh.” Now is the time to say we’ve had ENOUGH.

And if they aren’t going to listen, then Judgment Day is coming on November 2, 2010.

Granted, we’re not exactly complaining, since we at Unshackle Upstate clearly prefer a late budget to a bad one. Problem is, we remain deeply concerned that we’ll end up with both.

Why? Because that’s the unfortunate history of New York state government, where a tax-and-spend style of conducting business has left us with an unsustainable balance sheet.

But the lateness of the budget – it was legally due April 1 – does present an opportunity to continue to push the Unshackle Upstate message with our elected representatives in Albany.

And that message is: You, state legislator, should not approve a budget with increased or new taxes, new fees or additional borrowing. Because if you do, we at Unshackle Upstate stand ready to vote you out of office on Judgment Day, Nov. 2, 2010.

Now we need you, our partners and supporters, to help us spread the message. Toward that, we’ve created posters and fliers that you can print out to display and share with others – neighbors, friends, organization members, co-workers, employees.

Click here to download these materials.

Then forward this message to others in your network so that our Unshackle Army and our taxpayers’ voice of reason will be heard and noticed.

As always, thank you for your support. Together, we can make a difference in New York state.

While this has been done before it had never been more blatant. And as a group that represents taxpayers in New York, we were offended by the letter and the implications.

Yet we also knew it would happen and we’d have to work that much harder to make sure our message of spending cuts and reducing the tax burden – yes, a fiscally conservative view – was heard.

So we asked for your help. We asked you to help us raise $50,000 in 50 days.

Some of you stepped right up and sent in your support. For instance, Frank wrote, “…nothing is going to be done without money. That is just a fact of life. Pony up. Put your money where your mouth is. MEDIA alone costs money. If these guys reduce your tax burden by $200 next year and you chipped in $100 you have $100 profit. A bunch of windbags are not going to make any difference here. Proof? Albany is full of windbags… where did that get you? Yada Yada Yada alone ain’t gonna do it.”

Others were honest and said they didn’t have the money, but would be able to help in other ways. Mark said, “Hey guys, I know how bad things are here too. I’m retired and just barely make it myself. I became a fan of Unshackle Upstate, and posted it to get the word out about them. From some of the comments, I feel like I’M the one asking you to go without food. We don’t have to short ourselves to help. We can pass the word, or check with them about volunteering if we have some free time when we’re not trying to make more money. The thing we ALL agree on is that we need to do some serious changing of our representatives.”

Finally, at least one person wanted to know how we were going to use the money. The answer: We will use it in many ways. Your contributions will go toward our on-going multimedia work to educate taxpayers about their government and why it needs to be changed. It will be spent on growing our Unshackle Army on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others. And it will help us create documents such as our Scorecard on each elected official, a legislative profile on our upstate representatives, and posters on the website that people can download and put up in their break rooms, on community boards and other public locations.

Here is the reality. If you have the means to contribute financially, please do by clicking here.  We need each and every dollar we can raise to beat back the message of those who want more for themselves and say to hell with the rest of us.

We will continue to find ways to do more with less. Yet the reality is that we need to fight this battle in the court of public opinion and that means mainstream media, which we all know isn’t free. And if we don’t or can’t invest in a good, strong battle, you can bet we are going to get more of the same fromr our state government – unsustainable spending and a tax burden that strangles us.

If you have the means to contribute financially, please do so by clicking here. Some can give more, but every $5, $10 or $20 contribution means a great deal.

But if you can’t give now, that’s OK. You can help us by spreading the message of Unshackle Upstate: We need our elected officials to start representing us, the taxpayers and private sector job creators.

Tell your friends and family to get off the couch and get in the game. Give them the links to our website (www.unshackleupstate.com), tell them to look for us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/unshackleupstate). It is going to take all of us to get this state turned around. But collectively, we can’t be denied.

I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes. It is the essence of Unshackle Upstate:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead