Ceretto: Empower the people to clean up Albany

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-I-C-Lewiston, joined his Republican Assembly colleagues Wednesday at the State Capitol to advocate for legislation that would establish "recall" to help clean up Albany by removing unfit and corrupt elected officials from office.

"Recall would give New Yorkers a louder voice in state government, while affording them greater control over the people they send to Albany," Ceretto said. "Recall puts elected officials on notice that they can be fired at any time, and gives citizens greater power over their elected officials."

Ceretto noted the legislation (A.6161) would foster greater participatory democracy in New York state by allowing citizens to circulate petitions and gather signatures, which would then be submitted to the secretary of state for certification. Once certified, the governor would call for a recall vote of that public official within a specific time frame.

"Albany has long been known as one of the most dysfunctional state capitals in the nation - a place known for its backroom deals, powerful special interest groups and corruption scandals," Ceretto said. "This culture has eroded the legislature's ability to tackle the state's serious problems, like our sky-high taxes and woeful employment prospects. To clean up Albany and reform the government, lawmakers must change the power dynamic in Albany. The best way to do that is by empowering New Yorkers through recall."