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Sometimes working to fulfill those goals means paying attention to the details, as Grodenchik did when he helped get a damaged sidewalk fixed. "At my inauguration in early January, a couple of women came up and talked to me about a sidewalk that was in desperate need of repair," he said. "I told them I'd be happy to go out and visit it." He did, and it was obviously old and broken up. "I did a little research; it's under the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) trestle," he said. "In New York City, those sidewalks are usually owned by the LIRR. In this case, the city owned it. The woman told me she'd been living there nearly half a century and nobody had ever repaired the sidewalk." At this point, Grodenchik enlisted the help of a fellow alumnus and legislator from Queens, New York City Council member John Liu '88. The two held a press conference and were able to get a promise to repair the sidewalk from the Department of Transportation. On Sept. 16, Grodenchik got the news that they had started construction.
It took Grodenchik some investigating and plenty of follow-up, but in the end, the job got done. Still, "One of the things about government that is probably the most disturbing to me is how long things take to happen," he said. That's something that both he and Titus find frustrating. "You don't change policy overnight," said Titus. "It's a long process. Trying to get your legislation passed means galvanizing support in the Assembly, then the Senate -- then the governor has to sign it. The most frustrating thing I've encountered is that the legislation I introduced this session was not signed into law. You have to keep at it, reintroduce the same legislation, lobby your colleagues." Change may be slow in coming, but both legislators recognize that, with patience and perseverance, change does happen. "It's all about persistence and following up," said Grodenchik. It's also about creating alliances. "Building coalitions with all agencies, in all areas of government, is so important to bring resources back to your community," said Titus. Guiding people through the system One of the most rewarding aspects of her work, said Titus, is working with and for her constituents. "When someone comes in with a problem, they've exhausted all the remedies they can think of," she said. "They've really hit the wall. Our job, then, is to help them maneuver, find out who they need to speak to. Most of the time, they've just contacted the wrong person." Among the people Titus has piloted through the system are a parent who wanted a traffic light at a corner where kids were continuously dodging cars, an elderly woman who was having problems getting a Medicaid card, and a landlord who was ill and needed to sell his property but whose tenants, who had no lease, wouldn't move. Taking action on behalf of constituents is at the heart of what it's all about for Grodenchik, too. "I just want government to make sense to people," he said. "A lot of times it doesn't make sense, and I think that's why peoples' frustration levels rise." For instance, Grodenchik discovered that, despite the availability of much lower mortgage rates, many nursing homes in New York state were paying mortgages as high as 9.5 percent. That cost gets passed on to patients, most of whom are funded by Medicaid. But the nursing-home owners would not refinance, because the points it would cost to do so were not reimbursable. So Grodenchik had a bill drafted to deal with that, and it became part of the budget. "We estimated in 10 years, it's going to save $.5 billion to state and local governments in New York," he said. "That's one example of just trying to make sense of what government does and how it can function more efficiently." The importance of SUNY Both Grodenchik and Titus are strong supporters of the SUNY system and of Binghamton University in particular. "It's important that the state legislature ensure that SUNY is still a state entity and is funded by the state," said Titus, "because there are a lot of students in this state who really look to those opportunities. BU offered the best education you could receive at a state university price -- something my family could afford. The quality of education I received at BU was excellent. My time in the state legislature will be dedicated to ensuring that resources directed to education will be maintained or increased." Grodenchik noted how happy he'd been to see President Lois B. DeFleur, students, alumni and staff in Albany on BU Advocacy Day last April. "It's important that people let the legislature know, and let the governor know, what's on their minds," he said. "It makes a big difference. Overwhelmingly, the members of the legislature, especially the Assembly majority, understand how important the SUNY system is to our fiscal well-being."
photos by George Simmons |
Barry
Grodenchik and Michele Titus serve their constituents with a spirit of
caring, the persistence to push through positive change, a strong sense
of justice and a deep-rooted love for the districts they represent as
members of the New York State Assembly. No wonder: The Queens communities
they serve are the ones where they were raised, went to school, and were
married. Now they are raising families of their own there and their parents
have retired there as well. They're striving to ensure the health and
safety of their families, friends and neighbors, and a good quality of
life and of opportunities for their constituents.
Member,
New York State Assembly legislative committees: Aging; Corporations,
Authorities and Commissions; Health; Racing and Wagering; Social
Services
Education:
BA, political science; JD, Albany Law School. Admitted to the New
York State Bar in 1994