Hochul's Housing Debacle

In her first State of the State address after winn ing a close election to Lee Zeldin, Governor Kathy Hocul called for building 800,000 units of high-density and low-income housing, to be spread across New York. Those 800,000 housing units represent some 3 million new people.

The first question is why New York needs so much housing, when people are fleeing from New York to move to Georgia and Florida. Upstate New York has lost 2 million people, and has a glut of housing - with basic houses available for as little as $30,000. The mindless incantation of "we need affordable housing" ignores the fact that New York has lots of affordable housing - in places like Upstate with a dead economy and no jobs.

It is a rule of economics that desirable places to live have expensive housing - because so many people (demand) are competing for a limited stock of housing (supply).

Hochul proposes to override local zoning, and force high-density housing into every community. Thats a nasty political swipe - just her angry revenge - for places like Long Island voting against her this past November.

Local leaders, like Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino, and North Hempstead Supervisor Jen DeSena vow to oppose, sue, and delay Hocul's "abolish the suburbs" agenda.

The Leader supports them - and will be there fighting alongside against Hochul, to preserve our communities and our green space.

Hochul's Judicial Debacle

The heavily-stacked NYS Senate Judiciary Committee this week voted 10 to 9 to kill the nomination of Justice Hector LaSalle for Chief Judge of New York.

LaSalle - of Northport - is a mainstream Democrat who has followed a centrist jurisprudence.That fact marked LaSalle for obliteration by the Radical Left caucus, that increasingly controls the NYS Senate.

Hochul failed to lobby or corral her fellow Democrats, and never reached-out to the Republicans, who still control 21 seats (out of 63) in the NYS Senate. Six of LaSalle's none "yes" votes came from Republicans, a fact not thanked nor appreciated by the arrogant Governor. Her incompetence has likely ended the career of a decent man who should be Chief Judge, and has resulted in her own humiliation.

The Radical Left is now moving to "take over" the NYS Judiciary.

It would be a near miracle for Hocul to now save the LaSalle nomination. Let's hope that Hochul at least tries