To the Editor:

For five long years, this state has suffered under the thumb of One Party Rule. Through a global pandemic, continual increase in costs of living, hit after hit on businesses, crime on the rise, and both a housing and migrant crisis statewide — the list of failures circles the block.

We see these effects all around us, whether it’s at the pump or the grocery store, in the papers or on our streets. It’s no wonder this state is experiencing the mass exodus of its population.

My name is Ted Danz and those are just a few of the reasons I’m running for New York State Senate in the 46th District.

I’ve lived in the Capital Region my whole life. As a young child, I lived on the South End of Albany until we moved to West Albany and I attended Colonie schools until graduation. I stayed in the area and settled down — started a family and built a business here.

This state, this region, and the people who make them up have been integral to my story and have done so much for my family and me. We are beyond grateful for that.

However, as I watch the insane policies enacted as a result of the Albany establishment — and one-party rule, I’m compelled to take action. I’m running for office to try to revive our once thriving state and ensure positive opportunities are available to future generations.

As a former small-business owner, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating effects of the Albany establishment. According to the Tax Foundation’s 2023 State Business Index, New York’s business climate ranked 49th.

Whether it’s keeping in line with the state’s out-of-touch insane mandates, or state surcharges on business, one thing is clear — New York, once the driving force behind our nation’s prosperity, has become the enemy of the business owner.

Yet the irony is: As a result, you, the consumer, pay more and more. It’s a literal lose-lose scenario. If elected, I am committed to reducing the regulatory burden on businesses, providing tax relief to small businesses, and ensuring tax dollars are given back to our law-abiding citizens. If we want to build a more affordable New York, it starts by cultivating a more nurturing business atmosphere.

Meanwhile, as our businesses and taxpayers see their dollar stretched thinner and thinner, this state has no problem funding a self-created migrant crisis paid for by those same New Yorkers to the tune of  billions of dollars — all on the dime of the taxpayer, so many of whom are struggling day-to-day to support the needs of their families.

If elected, my commitment to you would be to end the state’s sanctuary status, provide a full and transparent accounting of taxpayer funds used for migrants, and further protect local control by clarifying that a local state of emergency supersedes one declared by the governor.

As bleak as things may seem, there is a way to lead New York back to prosperity. With your help, we can restore common sense back to Albany and create an inviting New York for generations to come.

Ted Danz

Altamont

Editor’s note: Ted Danz has the Republican and Conservative lines in the Nov. 5 election for the 46th District of the New York State Senate, a post from which Democrat Neil Breslin is retiring. Danz faces Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines.