Eight-term Republican New York state Senator Betty Little has spent most of her career in the majority. But now she’s adjusting to being in the minority after Democrats took control of the Senate in November’s elections. The changes include a smaller budget. To compensate, the northern New York Senator has cut staff salaries and closed her regional Plattsburgh office. Little tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley that not having a regional office will be difficult but will not change her commitment to constituents.“It was only staffed three days a week and the rest of the time the phone was being answered or any other time messages went to the Glens Falls office. And we’re going to try to keep that phone line and phone number the same. And I will be up here a lot. You know what I love the most is going to peoples’ businesses and talking to them at their business and really seeing what they’re doing. So I’ll be doing a lot more of that here. In Glens Falls we’re in the same place. In Albany we moved to a smaller office and we’ve fixed it up. It looks real nice and it’s cozy. You know in my committees I’m the ranking member on education meaning it’s not quite the same authority but Shelley Mayer (D – 37th District) is the chair of education and I’ve always worked well with her. And she’s already said she wants to get up into the North Country and she wants to see some rural schools. She’s from Westchester, White Plains area. So we’re going to do that. So make the best of it. And certainly I can continue to represent everyone. Will I have much access to a lot of money? Probably not. But I can certainly advocate.”
Republican Betty Little’s 45th New York state Senate District includes Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Warren and parts of St. Lawrence and Washington Counties.
