By JOE LoTEMPLIO
PLATTSBURGH — State Sen. Betty Little is hoping that Gov. David Paterson's State of the State speech last week will spur the legislature to make the necessary changes to bring the state back to financial stability.
"I don't know how they (state legislators) can't see the handwriting on the wall," Little said during a recent interview with the Press-Republican Editorial Board.
"I think the governor's speech alluded to that."
Little touched on several topics during her hour-long interview.
JOB CREATION
With the state's finances in trouble and the nation still trying to recover from a recession, Little said the key is to create jobs.
"We need to get companies in here, and we need to create a better business climate for businesses to want to come here," she said.
"The biggest focus for me — and I think any elected official — is get some more jobs created."
CONVENTION
Republicans in the Assembly have been pushing to hold a Constitutional Convention in order to change the way the state does business.
Little thinks the idea is fine but would be costly.
Convention supporters say a convention could cost between $12 million and $20 million.
"We could make a lot of the changes they want with amendments to the constitution," she said.
Little also said that any delegates to a convention should not be elected officials.
APA ISSUES
On the Adirondack Park Agency and issues in the park, Little remains frustrated over some ideas that are being floated, especially the proposed restriction on flat boat-house roofs.
Pitched roofs, which the APA wants to require, would prevent owners from using the boat-house roof as a sun deck, as many Adirondackers do.
Little said the idea is unnecessary because it has no environmental tie-in and will infringe on property owners.
She also is concerned about some aspects of reform legislation that the APA wants the State Legislature to approve.
"They haven't been willing to change anything," she said of the questions she has raised.
She doesn't like the APA proposal for handling permit reviews, which would be to let staff deny the applications first, if that is their decision, and then allow the property owner to request a hearing to challenge the decision.
She said starting with a negative declaration "changes the tone of the hearings and the purpose of the hearings."
She thinks the current method of taking all the applications to a hearing encourages more negotiation instead of putting applicants on the defensive right away.
SCHOOL FUNDING
Little is worried that cuts to education will be harmful to the State University System, as well as public schools.
"It is going to be difficult, and I think school superintendents will need to be very creative," she said.
Little said she would like to see schools consolidate some services, utilizing Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, if possible.
E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com
