The irony of Gov. Kathy Hochul taking credit for intervening in the rearrest of convicted felon Van Phu Bui is equal parts shocking and insulting. The governor has been dormant — for far too long — as violent crime has rampaged the state. So taking a victory lap for making a phone call that shouldn’t have been needed in the first place is wildly disingenuous.

Bui, a convicted sex offender out on parole, was caught on video and arrested for sucker-punching a man [recently] — an attack that left the victim in a coma. Police had charged Bui with attempted murder, but the Bronx District Attorney’s Office inexplicably decided to downgrade the charges to misdemeanor assault and harassment. As such, he was released without bail. After public pressure continued to increase over the blatant injustice, Gov. Hochul finally decided to intervene.

There are more things wrong with this story than you can count. First, why was Bui not held, at the very least, for violating his parole terms? Moreover, considering his violent criminal history as a sex offender, why were the charges reduced at all? And in any case, he should never have been released without bail, regardless of what he was charged with, as the allegation was clearly for a violent offense. The idea that bail reform only pertains to non-violent crimes, as it was advertised at its inception, is a myth. And a dangerous one at that.

Gov. Hochul said she called the district attorney’s office to “make sure that our laws are being properly executed,” in response to Bui’s arrest and release. That’s a nice sentiment, but the concern here feels far more like an attention ploy than an earnest effort to actually make New York safer. If the governor was so inclined, she could revisit the failing reforms made to the state’s bail and parole laws and fix the problem at its root. Afterall, we’ve been asking for years, months, and now weeks for someone to use common sense and repeal these ridiculous laws. Governing in reaction to front-page headlines is no way to lead a state, and that is exactly what she’s doing here.

The Assembly Minority Conference has repeatedly expressed concerns about how dangerous the near elimination of bail in the state would be for the public. Crime is out of control. It is clear to anyone who lives in this state that it is not safe. That’s why my colleagues and I have called for a special session of the legislature to fix the broken criminal-justice system. If Gov. Hochul really wants to “get involved” and make New York safer, she knows exactly what she needs to do — fix the broken laws that led us here in the first place. If she doesn’t, she can expect to be on the phone a lot for the duration of her time in office. 

William (Will) A. Barclay, 53, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. 

There is no doubt that the global semiconductor-chip shortage is problematic across many sectors. Phones, vehicles, computers, ATMs and health-care devices use this important technology and power us through our daily lives. While it’s encouraging to see New York’s elected leaders recognize the gravity of the current chip shortage, it’s incredibly discouraging to consider New York’s climate goals may crush the opportunity to bring semiconductor companies to the Empire State. 

 Under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), New York plans to dramatically reduce the use of organic fuels that help power semiconductor-chip manufacturers across the world. By the end of 2040, New York’s electrical grid must be completely free of greenhouse-gas emissions. How state leaders plan on making that goal a reality is a huge question mark at the moment. There are many unknowns about the renewal of nuclear-power plants which produce a tremendous amount of power for our state. There are also a lot of questions about the capability of renewable-energy sources to make up for the loss of organic fuels plus the added electricity demand on the horizon. 

In its 2022 Power Trends report, the New York Independent System Operator put the issue of reliability under a bright spotlight. The executive summary of that report states the following: “The pace of deactivation of current fossil-fueled resources must not exceed the pace of development and deployment of new, non-emitting electricity supply resources that can provide the reliability services that New Yorkers expect.” 

 Additionally, a July 2022 analysis from The Empire Center found that without nuclear power, wind and solar sources will have to generate 67 percent of New York’s electricity. According to data from the United States Energy Information Administration, wind and solar accounted for just 6.5 percent of New York’s energy production in 2020. This massive gap will likely cause semiconductor companies to disqualify New York for future chip plants. 

 The unfortunate reality is that New York’s harsh business climate is already forcing companies to build transformative projects in other states. Earlier this year, Intel chose to build two chip plants totaling $20 billion in Ohio. Additionally, Samsung executives decided to build their new $17 billion chip plant in Texas. While those selections were made before the passage of New York’s Green CHIPS bill, large subsidies played a role in those deals. 

 If Gov. Kathy Hochul and policy makers are serious about recruiting chip makers to New York state, they need to reconsider the state’s final climate plan. With so many questions about energy reliability, semiconductor manufacturers are likely to bet their chips elsewhere.        

Justin Wilcox is executive director of Upstate United, which says it is a non-partisan, pro-taxpayer, pro-economic growth and pro-upstate education and advocacy coalition made up of business and trade organizations from across upstate New York.