New York State Senator Pete Harckham hosted a “Coffee and Conversation” gathering on Saturday, May 9, at Briarcliff Manor Public Library, where more than 25 participants asked questions and shared ideas and opinions on a wide range of subjects.
“Our residents have concerns about many different issues that they want to be able to share, face to face, with their elected officials,” Harckham said. “These coffee and conversations also give me an opportunity to speak about the work we’re doing, both in Albany and here in our local communities. We truly appreciate Library Director Kim Naples for allowing us to host this event here.”
Some of the topics that participants mentioned at the coffee and conversation gathering included much-needed road repairs affecting local residents, possible changes to New York’s Climate Action law, PFAS contamination in groundwater and social media restrictions for school-age children.
Regarding road repairs, Harckham noted that New York State has invested more than $300 million into Senate District 40 roadways since he has been in office. Additionally, Harckham pointed out that three separate roadway rehabilitation projects on Route 9A totaling $39.3 million—from the Saw Mill River Parkway to Route 9, between the Taconic Parkway and Pleasantville Road, and from Route 133 to Maiden Lane—had been completed, while a fourth project on Route 9A from Belmont Road to North State Road totaling $13 million is set to begin soon. Additionally, Briarcliff Manor received a $159,000 increase in state funding last year for local road work.
Harckham spoke about his ongoing fight to maintain the emissions goals in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) but admitted that targets may be pushed back by a few years. He also mentioned his bill, introduced earlier this year, to help homeowners test for PFAS from private wells and then if contamination exceeds state standards, help pay for the installation of filtration systems or connection to a nearby public water supply.
Discussion about utility costs and gasoline prices, as well as grid support for electric vehicles, turned to another one of Harckham’s bills, the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act, which would raise New York’s distributed solar target from 10 gigawatts (GW) to 20 GW by 2035 and also streamline the process for connecting new projects to the grid. The ASAP Act would make solar more accessible to homeowners: one study says enactment of this legislation will save ratepayers $1 billion per year.
Harckham started the event by talking about the 2026 legislative session in the State Senate, where he serves as Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, and some thoughts about the ongoing state budget negotiations. He highlighted his efforts to increase school funding for the Briarcliff Manor School District, whose Foundation Aid has increased $617,000 (41%) since he took office in 2019.
Since taking office in 2019, Harckham has hosted monthly “Coffee and Conversation” events to stay connected with constituents and ensure their voices are heard.
