Griffo to run for third term in N.Y. Senate

State Sen. Joseph A. Griffo has announced plans to run for a third term in the 47th District, citing the desire to keep pushing for government reform.

"When I started my Senate career, reforms to bring radical change to state government's operations, especially those of the Legislature, were greeted with cynicism," Mr. Griffo, R-Rome, said in a statement Friday. "During these past few years, I have helped create a new climate, where changes that were unthinkable five years ago are being actively supported now."

Government reform is the key to reducing spending, lowering the tax burden on residents and fostering community and economic development, he said.

"New York State cannot thrive until Albany gets its fiscal house in order, stops raising taxes and stops making inside deals that benefit only those with access to closed-door meetings. Reforming Albany to make state government responsive opens the door to a new era of opportunity."

The senator added that residents are "all paying the cost of the tax increases jammed down our throats when a small group took the state budget behind closed doors," denying upstate New York its proper voice.

"We must move beyond the influence and dysfunction of a one-party rule and single-region domination," he said.

The 47th Senate District includes all of Lewis County and half of St. Lawrence County, including Potsdam and Massena, along with a large portion of Oneida County.

Mr. Griffo won a four-way race for the seat in 2006, then garnered 89 percent of the vote against an unheralded, Working Families Party candidate two years ago.