Motorists must have wondered about the crowd on the street corner. Colin Schmitt arranged a press conference in New Windsor at the intersection of Union Avenue and Route 32. The topic was rising gas prices and the location was strategic. While the crowd listened to the assemblyman, the gas station across the street upped its prices by 20 cents a gallon.
When the conference took place on March 7, the national average was at $4 per gallon. Mr. Schmitt reported that the all-time high was $4.11 in 2008.
And he suspected that prices would climb to $5 before the end of the month.
Back in January, he and Assemblyman Kevin Byrne of Mahopac had introduced a bill calling for the state to suspend its 4 percent sales tax on gasoline and the 4 to 4.5 percent local tax. He predicted this would save consumers at least 20 cents a gallon.
Mr. Schmitt assured the audience that the bill could be passed today and signed into law by the governor.
“The state should not benefit from the pain at the pump,” the assemblyman said. “We cannot afford to take anything off the table.”
During his two terms in office, Mr. Schmitt has held several conferences. He typically invites business leaders and elected officials to stand behind him. At the Monday morning outdoor session, these guests outnumbered the members of the press.
Assemblyman Byrne, who represents parts of Westchester and Putnam, was the second person at the microphone. He regretted the decision to close Indian Point at a time when America needs to reduce its dependence on foreign fuels. He mentioned the Gas Buddy app, which predicts that prices may soon skyrocket to $5 a gallon.
Kate Luciani is a Woodbury councilwoman as well as the mother of five children. With a large family, she needs a spacious vehicle. It recently cost her $80 to fill her gas tank.
Heather Bell is the president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. “If you can’t afford to fill your tank,” she reasoned, “you can’t get to work.”
That concept was reinforced by Tony Marino, who spoke on behalf of East Coast Industrial Services — a company that specializes in commercial cleaning and property maintenance. East Coast is locked into long-term contracts that are becoming less profitable due to the cost of providing fuel for the company’s 20 trucks.
Monroe’s supervisor Tony Cardone cited the spike in grocery prices – a problem that was echoed by the host of the conference. Mr. Schmitt said he had heard from a grandmother who could barely afford her grocery bill.
The assemblyman maintained that the state could afford to give up its revenue from gas sales. “We have the reserves,” he claimed. “The state has a multibillion dollar surplus.”
When questioned about solar and wind-generated power, he agreed that the nation needs to support all forms of energy.
