Editorial: Galef Continues to be an Effective Voice in the Assembly
Career politician is often used this time of year by opponents to describe someone who perhaps has been in office a long time and has become ineffective. That doesn’t apply to state Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, who, although she has been a state legislator for 20 years, following a 13-year stint as a county lawmaker, continues to be a strong representative for her constituents.
Galef has long been a champion of reducing waste in state government and has sponsored many bills aimed at righting wrongs and streamlining the bungling bureaucratic process in Albany. Not all of her proposals have hit the mark, but that hasn’t deterred her from regrouping and trying something else.
The former teacher and well respected Democrat has also built a solid reputation of working well across the aisle and with government and school officials in her district. While several other long standing officials have had to deal with scandals and controversies, Galef has never been linked to an unsavory behavior and always does her homework, so when she speaks out on an issue, her opinion is taken seriously.
Challenging Galef this year is Republican Kim Izzarelli of Briarcliff Manor, whose reasons for running have been shared by others. She feels the state is heading in the wrong direction and has proposed several immediate cost saving measures, including repealing the Triborough Amendment and changing arbitration agreements. She also supports much needed public/private partnerships.
However, Izzarelli hasn’t made a compelling case to replace Galef, and some of her criticism of the incumbent has been mean-spirited. She also tried to link Galef with the failures of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, but there’s simply no evidence for those claims.
Galef works hard for her district, is a full-time legislator and engages interested residents in much of her decision-making. What more can voters expect from an elected official? Not much, which makes recommending Galef to another two-year term in the Assembly an easy task.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
