Rachel May is a champion for the environment

The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

Central New York is home to some of the world’s most precious freshwater resources.

Skaneateles Lake is so clean that Syracuse residents have been able to drink its water unfiltered. But our fresh water is vulnerable. In my own backyard, Cazenovia Lake has experienced harmful algal blooms over the past several years, as have many of the Finger Lakes. Climate change and efforts by the federal government to roll back clean water protections are twin threats to our stewardship of water resources. In the face of these threats, it is important that we do everything in our power to protect our environment. Fortunately, those of us in the 53rd Senate District are represented by an environmental champion, State Sen. Rachel May.

Before she ran for office, May built a career around environmental advocacy. An alumna of SUNY-ESF, she served as Syracuse University’s director of sustainability education, and she helped push the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency to build a state-of-the-art food composting facility. 

Since she was elected in 2018, May has emerged as one of the Democratic majority’s strongest voices on environmental issues. She was a leader in shaping the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, an ambitious plan for tackling climate change. She helped make the state’s ban on fracking permanent. Her leadership was recently recognized by Environmental Advocates Action, which named her their Legislator of the Year for 2020.

There are many other reasons to support May. As a Madison County resident, I appreciate the fact that she has worked hard to become familiar with our rural county and its issues. And I am glad, as many of her constituents are, that she has made environmental progress a major focus during her first term in Albany. I urge my neighbors in the 53rd District to support her on Election Day and send her back to Albany for another term. 

Kristi Andersen

Professor Emeritus, Political Science

Syracuse University