Barclay takes questions on taxes, spending and red tape.
Assemblyman Will Barclay
/ File
OSWEGO -- At Wednesday's town hall meeting in Oswego, many of the issues people brought to State Assemblyman Will Barclay weren't new. High taxes, government spending and red tape were all brought up but some of the participants said they were at the breaking point with New York.
"It's the most un-business friendly state in the nation, it's the highest tax state in the nation and basically just dysfunctional and from what I can tell, there's not a lot of opportunity to correct it," said Ron Bembenek from Oswego.
While Barclay agreed with many in the crowd that New York has a long way to go, he pointed at the new property tax cap and other spending cuts as signs of progress.
"I was happy that in this year's budget, we held the line and didn't increase taxes and I think for New York state that is absolutely a step in the right direction," said Barclay.
Others said they don't envy the job of providing necessary services while trying to reign in years of bloated budgets.
"It is a very difficult balancing act for our legislators both at the local level and the state level to be able to deal with the tax issue in a fair and equitable manner," said Paul Santore.
Barclay said he was just glad to have an answer to the timeless question - "What is the Assembly doing about my taxes?"
"I think it's a mixed bag. Some people are pleased obviously that we're starting to turn the state around but when you need something immediately, you need it immediately and I'm sympathetic to them," said Barclay.
