As New York State approaches the 2025 legislative session, Senator Tom O’Mara (R-58th District) is calling for significant changes in state governance, driven by the results of a recent Siena College poll showing a sharp decline in public confidence. In a guest column released this week, O’Mara highlighted the poll’s findings, which revealed that only 32% of New Yorkers believe the state is on the right track, while 55% think it is headed in the wrong direction — the most negative outlook in over a decade.
O’Mara, who represents a large portion of New York’s Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, emphasized the importance of the upcoming elections, noting that voters overwhelmingly see it as “the most important election of their lifetimes,” a sentiment shared by 79% of respondents across party lines. This sense of urgency, O’Mara argues, reflects a growing demand for realignment in state policies, particularly for upstate communities, which he believes have been neglected.
The senator also pointed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s plummeting approval ratings as evidence that New Yorkers are disillusioned with the current administration’s handling of key issues. According to the Siena poll, Hochul’s favorability is at an all-time low, and O’Mara warns that this dissatisfaction extends to concerns about the direction of the nation as well.
In his column, O’Mara reiterated his commitment to addressing critical challenges facing upstate residents, including disaster recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Debby. He expressed ongoing frustration with the state’s bureaucratic hurdles, particularly in environmental permitting for flood prevention and recovery projects. O’Mara is pushing for reforms to streamline the Department of Environmental Conservation’s permitting process, which he says has been a persistent obstacle for local highway departments and property owners seeking to rebuild after natural disasters.
As the legislative session looms and New Yorkers head to the polls, O’Mara says the state is at a “critical crossroads” and must take bold steps to realign priorities for sustainable governance that better serves all its communities.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.