February 2 Leg Act News
- TCDC Webmaster
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
February 17, 2026 General Meeting TCDC Owego Elks, 6:30 social time, 7 pm meeting.
Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado Explains Why He is Running for NYS Governor.
By Marita Florini
Having a seat in the Governor’s office can offer a lot of experience and a bird’s-eye view of what works and what doesn’t. According to Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, much is not working for people across NYS.
Delgado alleges that unless people are part of specific groups, such as lobbies or larger affluent communities, many people are not well represented by the current State administration. He states, “The status quo is broken, and we are leaving working families behind ( Zoom call Fall, 2025).
I have personally heard Delgado speak on 4 separate occasions, and his message is the same. Delgado believes we are leaving many groups without help, including rural areas, young people, people of color, and elders. Rather than giving more money to corporations or big developers, he believes it is time to realign funding to all areas in need. For example, Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to help with childcare was targeted only for those living in New York City. Delgado believes a living wage should benefit the whole state. Other examples include investment in robust green energy, protection of immigrants, and creating housing. He proposes taxing the wealthy to pay for such programs (January 2026). When asked if the wealthy would leave due to higher taxes, he counters that more people are leaving because they cannot afford to be here (September 2025).
Delgado makes a point of saying he has not taken corporate funds. He describes his strategy as bottom-up governance, noting that the NYS Democratic leadership is a top-down governance (January 2026). Once he completed his statements at the January 2026 TCDC Zoom call, the Lieutenant Governor took questions.
Can we have a passenger rail system to connect upstate to NYC? He believes transportation is important, needed, and unfortunately has been restricted by cost overruns. He alleges contractors have not lived up to their promises.
Thoughts on nuclear power? He believes nuclear power is a waste of money and time. Building such sites takes too long, and they have a short lifespan. Nuclear waste is still a problem. He supports solar and geo-thermal and weatherizing homes.
What are the top 2-3 policies that will help attract young people to rural areas? He notes first time home buyers are generally 40 years old. It used to be 20 years old. College grads have too much debt, and the cost of living is too high. Governor Hochul has not created any help for home buyers. Delgado believes in building more housing and investing in small businesses directly, especially in small communities.
What about busing in rural NY? He believes the state should invest in it. The return on $11 million a year for economic development is minimal, and the number of jobs promised is never realized.
How do we get NYS to stop “writing us off?” (In reference to Congressional District 23’s campaigns, NYS Democratic party leadership does not believe this area can mount a winnable race.) Delgando states, “ We need to change the leadership.” Jay Jacobs (Chair of the NYS Democratic Party) does not know how to grow power. We need more transparency and more brick and mortar on the ground (referring to Democratic satellite offices). In a September 2025 Zoom meeting, Delgado was specific about having year-round, state-wide organizing programs. He noted that providing local communities & campaigns with robust communications, messaging, data & fundraising support was critical.
Us Versus Them
By Marita Florini
The deaths of a white 37-year-old mother and a 37-year-old ICU nurse have focused the country to fight fascism more than any of the protests could have done. However, it must be said that the Republican administration, under the driving force of Stephen Miller, has finally brought into focus the “Us versus Them” mentality. Miller was quoted in the 2024 presidential campaign speaking as a private citizen on Fox news saying, “If you let in the third world, you become the third world” (Fox News April, 2024).
Miller follows extremist anti-immigrant and imperialist policies. He believes that people from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and elsewhere are threats to civilization. Miller himself is a descendant of a Jewish family that immigrated in 1906. His family was successful and prospered in America. Strikingly, Miller literally supports a 1924 law that would have restricted his family’s immigration. He praises President Calvin Coolidge for signing the Immigration Act of 1924, stating that “America was the undisputed global superpower, financially, culturally, militarily; immigration was net negative.”
Miller is behind the quotas of deportations in the United States. Keeping those numbers high has resulted in accosting and arresting people who are not criminals or those who have jobs and are integrated into U.S. communities. In an effort to achieve Miller’s impossible quotas, U.S. citizens have been attacked, arrested, and killed. Some immigrants who have been detained have died in deportation centers, and some have died in the streets.
As far back as 2019, there were articles describing Miller’s white nationalist beliefs. The Atlantic (January 7, 2026) describes him as a wartime general in meetings, playing the role of browbeater, inquisitor, and bully. He accepts no excuses, entertains no dissent. NPR reports (January 11, 2026) that he is not an elected official. He is the deputy chief of staff for policy and is behind many of Trump’s core policies. He is the architect of the anti-immigrant crackdown and led the push for ICE recruitment and deployment, the raid on Venezuela, and the idea of invading Greenland. Miller states we live in a world, “governed by strength and force” (CNN Jan 6, 2026).
In just over a year, we have become a country that either supports Miller’s views or those people who don’t are considered the enemy. Miller is a white supremacist whose policies remind us that there were people who have pushed similar agendas in our history and were responsible for the deaths of millions.
Action Alerts/Events
From 5calls.org
5calls.org is an app you can download on your smartphone or access via their website. Each day, they provide a summary of major concerns that encourage people to voice their opinion, opposition, or support.
Harness people power and use 5calls to guide you through updates and their scripts about pertinent issues when you call your Congressional representative and Senators.
Your House Representative is Congressman Nicholas Langworthy, 202-225-3161; Your Senators are Schumer, 202-224-6542, and Gillibrand, 202-224-4451.
Abolish ICE - Do not stop calling the legislators and expressing disgust at the actions of ICE in Minnesota. Demand the Resignation of Stephen Miller.
Denounce the recent arrest of four black journalists, as this is a breach of the First Amendment.
Support Gaza. There are significant violations of the truce that continues to erase Palestinians from Gaza, with allegations of the Israeli government committing genocide. Call House Reps and Senators.
Demand the release of the full Epstein files. Any redactions need to be explained. The Federal Government is breaking two rulings: one to release the full files and the second to explain any redactions. WE SUPPORT THE FULL RELEASE OF THE FILES REGARDLESS OF WHO IT IMPLICATES. Call House Reps and Senators.
February 14, 2026, is the deadline to change political affiliation on voter registration to vote in the June party primaries. See last week's newsletter for more information.
Run for Something!
Do you want to run for office? The deadline to declare a candidacy is approaching.
CALLING ALL TIOGA County DISTRICT 3 ( APALACHIN) DEMOCRATS. WE NEED YOU TO RUN FOR DISTRICT 3 County LEGISLATOR.
Jo Ellen Rose is the only Democrat on the Tioga County Legislature and could use your help. Interested? Contact Joan Davis Jdavis719@live.com.
If you are interested in joining the Leg Act Committee or want to submit something to our newsletter, send an email to TCDC at TIOGANYDEMS@GMAIL.COM or MARITA FLORINI at FNPMAF1@GMAIL.COM.
