George M. Borrello’s Vision, Policy Positions, and Allies: Digital Equity Advocacy

Vision & Regional Goals

Senator George M. Borrello represents New York’s 57th District, covering Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Wyoming, and part of Allegany County. His stated mission is “to lead by bringing people together, facilitating communication and collaboration, setting goals and then achieving those goals”[1]. Borrello prioritizes grassroots engagement, collaboration, and improving quality of life through practical public policy.

Core Vision and Priorities

• Economic Growth: A focus on growing local businesses and manufacturers, supporting entrepreneurship, and rural economic revitalization[1].
• Reducing Taxes & Government Cost: Committed to lowering New York’s tax burden, cutting government spending, and fiscal responsibility, which he links to stemming “the outflow of New York jobs and residents”[2][3].
• Protecting Environment: Supports clean water and infrastructure initiatives in the region[1].
• Broadband Expansion: Strong advocate for improving broadband access to rural and underserved areas; considers this essential for education, economic development, and civic participation[3].
• Affordable Energy: Promotes policies to ensure affordable and reliable energy for his district’s residents and businesses[3].
• Safe Communities: Opposes bail reform policies he sees as detrimental to public safety; advocates for crime reduction[3].
• Standing Up for Locals: Champions small businesses, local institutions, and entrepreneurs who drive rural community success and cohesion[4].

Policy Positions (Comprehensive List)

• Digital Equity:
  • Expanding reliable broadband infrastructure to all rural areas.
  • Ensuring affordability and access, especially for low-income, elderly, and isolated residents.
  • Supports leveraging state programs (like ConnectALL) but advocates tailoring solutions to the needs of his district[3][5].
  • Raised consumer concerns about digital-only coupon access and supports automatic inclusion to prevent exclusion of non-digital consumers[6].
• Tax Reform/Fiscal Discipline:
  • Advocates controlling government spending and reducing taxes to prevent population decline and economic hardship[2].
  • Skeptical of budget proposals he feels drive higher costs for residents and local businesses[2].
• Economic Development:
  • Active in securing grants and awards for small businesses (e.g., Empire Award for local entrepreneurs)[4].
  • Supports incentives and transparency in public economic investment[5].
• Community & Local Control:
  • Favors returning certain regulatory and oversight functions (e.g., Medicaid transportation) to local county governments for better fraud prevention and efficiency[7][8].
  • Champions “bottom-up” approaches rather than top-down mandates.
• Public Safety and Rural Issues:
  • Vocal on issues impacting rural and upstate NY, including agriculture, access to health care, and infrastructure.
  • Fights against gaming policy changes that affect the Seneca Nation and local revenue sources[9].
• Opposition to Unfunded Mandates
  • Calls for Albany to recognize the unique needs of rural counties, pushing back against one-size-fits-all regulations.

Opportunities in Digital Equity

• Economic Revitalization: High-speed internet can enable entrepreneurship, remote work, online education, telehealth, and agricultural tech innovation in his district.