Central New York’s newest member of the Assembly is launching citizen advisory committees meant to keep the lines of communication open between residents and state government
Democrat Pam Hunter says one thing she realized after campaigning for the 128th Assembly District is that residents want their concerns and ideas heard in Albany. So she’s started up advisory committees in the towns of DeWitt, Onondaga and Salina, as well as the city of Syracuse, for residents to let her know what’s important in their particular neighborhoods.
"Whether there’s issues that haven’t been maybe publicly identified in schools, or infrastructure, or economic development. Sometimes we hear only about the big things, or the worse things, but there’s lots of other things going on as well,” said the assemblywoman
Hunter admits her district is a real hybrid -- including some of the poorest as well as most affluent neighborhoods in central New York. She hopes these committees, made up of citizens and elected officials, will help her track issues in each area and look for common ground that can lead to action that helps the entire district.
And the assemblywoman says her constituents generally are interested in the same things.
“They want to have a great quality of life. They want to make sure that the schools are in good repair, that they’re getting quality,” said Hunter.
Anyone interested in joining one of the committees can contact Hunter’s office.
Hunter was recently elected to fill the seat vacated by former Assemblyman Sam Roberts.
