NY Leadership Is Failing to Address Mental Health Crisis

0:00 Speaker 1 Sunday morning. What us is today is a senator George BURRELLO shout from ship again. Should Takwa County? See how I should Takua County? Up and in upstate New York? Did you give us a briefing? What the heck is going on? Last week? You had a big loss in the state senator’s race. What happened?

0:22 Speaker 2 Well, you know, let me start off by saying, John that while we did certainly lose that seat in a special election, it was really kind of designed, uh, you know, to be a short runway, a short turnaround. The governor announced the the election, and five weeks later there was a vote.

0:37 Speaker 1 Uh.

0:38 Speaker 2 So we were facing a lot of a lot of difficulties and a lot of headwinds. But I will say this, we had a fantastic candidate, Dan Gagliardo, small business owner, restaurant owner up in Amherst, New York. Uh, and he put he did a great effort, a great campaign, and in the end he actually outperformed how we did in

0:55 that same seat, which is a heavily Democrat seat, a heavily democrat blue district in Erie County. He performed better than we did in twenty twenty four in that same seat. So this speaks volumes, especially in the current environment where we’re seeing Republicans losing races in Republican in districts around the United States. So I think it they while we

1:18 did not get the outcome that we want, we have an opportunity for a rematch in November for that same seat, and we’re looking to fight for that. And I think gives hope that we did outperform previously and even in a seat that could have been a much I guess a much bigger loss, we were able to hold our own.

1:38 So we’re gonna look at this as a positive and hopefully it is a signal that New Yorkers are starting to get set up with what they’re seeing in Albany and ready for change.

1:48 Speaker 1 Understood. What else is going on in Aubany that you have concerned about?

1:53 Speaker 2 Well, happy about hearing?

1:55 Speaker 1 I hope you’re happy once in a while.

1:57 Speaker 2 Once in a while, I’m happy, But right now I’m very concerned. We have budget hearings going on right now in Albany, and I had a chance to speak with the woman who is the head of Mental Health Service as the Commissioner of Mental Health and I asked about something that troubles me. There’s something out there called Kendra’s Law.

2:14 Kender’s Law is actually named after a friend of mine who Kendra Webdale, who back in nineteen ninety nine was pushed in front of a subway train by a severely mentally ill person. This was the start, really, unfortunately a series of these things happening, and Kender’s Law allows for involuntary commitment of people who have mental illness for seventy

2:36 two hours. When it’s used, it’s been effective. The problem is it’s not used enough. Fast forward to now and myself and former Senator Diane and Savino from Staten Island, we’re championing to strengthen Kender’s Law, and it finally happened last year in our New York state budget. We got a very important addition that if you are unable to

2:56 provide basic needs for yourself due to your mental illness, that you can know you can be brought in for evaluation. If you cannot provide yourself with food, clothing, shelter, you know that this is a sign that you know that can be used to bring someone in and try and get them the help that they need. And why This

3:13 is concerning is because we are actually seeing improvements around the state with this already, with this improved Kender’s Law, but not in New York City. Why because unfortunately this new administration, the Mamdanie administration, is they’re not, isn’t that.

3:28 Speaker 1 Says A Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, well good is Kendra’s Law without a subway system? Yeah?

3:35 Speaker 2 That was absolutely and and and look, uh the problem now is that Mamdannie is going to reverse the policy h of Eric Adams and he is going to leave these homeless camps in place. He is instructing the police officers not to I questioned the commissioner, how are you going to make sure that New York City is in

3:53 compliance with Kender’s Law if you’re not getting help from New York City’s police department and mental health department. She didn’t have a good answer. So people in New York City and throughout New York State really should be concerned.

4:05 You know, I was in New York City recently and I saw an unbelievable mess of homeless folks right on Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue. I mean, these areas that again doesn’t matter where they are. The fact these folks can’t care for themselves, that should be taken in for an evaluation, should get the help that they need. We

4:24 have turned our streets of our cities into mental institutions, and these people are suffering without treatment and Swarmamdani is about to make that colossally worse understood.

4:35 Speaker 1 Well, anything else you want to say before you know we go.

4:39 Speaker 2 Off the church, Well, it’s always good to be on you with you on Sunday morning and speaking to folks throughout New York State, I would say that I think I have where I started.

4:50 Speaker 1 That I have hope.

4:51 Speaker 2 I have hope that the people of New York State are finally ready for change. They want to restore balance and common sense to our New York State government. I’m proud to stand with Bruce Blakeman. As a former county executive myself, I know what a tough job it is and what a great leader he has been down in

5:07 Nassau County.

5:08 Speaker 1 And I want to.

5:08 Speaker 2 See that type of common sense, good government coming to New York State. And I am strongly supporting Bruce Blakeman for governor, and I hope most people see the common sense in that as well.

5:19 Speaker 1 Thank you, Senator George Burrello from Chaqua County in western New York and God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you,