Local Officials Respond to Cuomo’s 2013 State of the State Address

State senator James Seward said this was his 27th State of the State as a Senator, and by far it was the most ambitious agenda he has heard from any governor. He said the best part of the speech for him was when the governor talked about jobs and the upstate economy.

"On the jobs front, he's talking about getting through this budget without raising the state taxes," Steward said. "That sends a very good signal to not only the business community, but to all New Yorkers that we're not going to raise taxes in New York State."

Senator Seward did express disappointment with the governor’s omission of any mandate relief proposals to assist local governments and school districts.

Assemblyman Cliff Crouch said he admired the governor’s dedication to making New York a better place for everyone.

Crouch says he will work with the governor to accomplish his priorities.

"I think all of those are key issues to help education our students, but also make our businesses more resolvent and more competitive with other businesses in other states," he said. "Looking at how our assets are deployed in hurricane tragedies and situations like that, the governor has been very good at getting his feet on the ground and looking at these disasters and trying to make sure we're doing all the right things."