Good Afternoon,
I’m sending along an open letter that will be appearing in newspapers across the district. I want to be sure that you, and those that I have the privilege of serving, know where I stand on corruption in Albany and how I believe we can take steps to end it. As always, thank you for your continued support.
SENATOR GIPSON TO MAJORITY LEADERSHIP: BRING TERM LIMITS TO THE FLOOR
I don’t get angry easily, but right now I am outraged. It’s time for those who hold the reins of power in Albany to be taken to task for the culture of corruption they have allowed to fester over the last decade.
These Long Island and New York City legislative power brokers, from Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R) to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) show no signs of remorse as their colleagues continue to violate the public’s trust in an embarrassing parade that has lasted for over a decade. We are at the mercy of a disreputable political system set up to reward those who spend years accumulating power by handing out favors.
It is clear to me that the newly-elected legislators need to join forces to end this corrupt culture. That’s why I have teamed up with Assemblyman Kieran Lalor (R-East Fishkill) to introduce bipartisan legislation that will set term limits for legislators and allow them to serve in office for no more than 12 years. The lack of term limits has allowed a select few to dictate the course of our state for far too long. All too often that course has ignored the needs of the Hudson Valley. It is now time for outsiders like Assemblyman Lalor and myself to demand change. By enacting term limits we can end this cycle of corruption and focus lawmakers on what we were sent to Albany to do: create jobs, reduce taxes, and improve our education system.
It’s time for the majority leaders to stop just paying lip service to reform. Enacting term limits now is the only way to ensure that true reform can begin to be implemented. Ironically it is up to Dean Skelos and Sheldon Silver to bring this measure to the floor for a vote, and I hope you will join me in demanding that they do so immediately.
Sincerely,
Senator Terry Gipson
NYS Senate District 41
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