Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick - "I Stand With The Governor On The Desire To Make Change"

Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, in a phone conversation from Albany, said that he was very happy with Governor Cuomo’s proposal but was waiting for the details.  Assemblyman Fitzpatrick has long championed the cause of pension reform; advocating the removal of elected officials from the pension system.

“ I am happy the Governor is looking into pension reform. Pension reform is key. Adding a Tier six and offering new hires a choice of a defined pension benefit or a defined contribution will make a difference and save taxpayers money. Also, very important is changing the way pensions are calculated.  Running up pension costs with overtime and other benefits is unreasonable.” 

While Assemblyman Fitzpatrick is optimistic about the Governor’s proposal so far, he reserves judgment until he sees the details.  One area he disagrees with the Governor is gambling.  Calling gambling an unproductive exercise he does not see it as a effective revenue generator. 

“I stand with the Governor on the desire to make change.” Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick