Re-elect Skelos in the 9th Senate District

We endorse State Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos for another term in the Senate.

Skelos, a Rockville Centre native who has been in the Senate since 1984, is well known for his ability to deliver state grants that support a number of programs and services in his district.

In addition to “bringing home the bacon,” he has been a strong and effective advocate for getting Long Island’s “fair share” of state funds for schools. In every recent year, Skelos has successfully restored funding that would have been taken away from local schools under the state’s absurd aid formulas. His consistent effort has enabled local school boards to apply the funds directly to the tax levy, which has helped them keep tax increases smaller.

Long an advocate for open, joint conferences in the Senate, Skelos says they move the process along and provide a transparent forum for vigorous debate, the bedrock of a democracy. With the Democrats in power, he says, joint conferences have become a thing of the past. We hope that if he is re-elected, he will put aside partisan rhetoric and work to restore the Senate to a productive legislative body.

Skelos has also joined the bandwagon in calling for the reform of Albany. He has signed Ed Koch’s reform pledge, and says he supports nonpartisan redistricting. These are tall orders, and we would like to see Skelos make the most of his long experience and muster the leadership that will be necessary to accomplish these goals.

The “coup” in the Senate in June 2009 — when Republicans briefly retook the majority, with Skelos at the helm — enraged most New Yorkers. The Senate, and by extension the state, conducted none of the people’s business, and a government regularly described as dysfunctional became an utter embarrassment. We agree with Skelos that positive institutional changes took place as a result. But the fact that it took such ugly and raw political shenanigans to achieve fair and common-sense reforms is hardly an inspiring civics lesson.