As a follow-up to last week’s column on the quick turnabout by Governor Paterson and the DEC on the proposed closing of the State’s pheasant program, the appointment of upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill Hilary Rodman Clinton’s Senate seat seems to reflect that the governor has “discovered” there is more to New York, the state, than just New York, the city. Much more. The 2008 Urban Dictionary describes Upstate New York as, “Any place above Westchester, NY is considered upstate NewYork.”
Gillibrand was born Dec. 9, 1966, in Albany in a family that hunted and enjoyed the outdoors. She currently resides in Hudson with her husband Jonathon and their two children. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1988 and U.C.L.A. in 1991. After law school Gillibrand served briefly as special counsel under Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo, before going to work for a major New York City law firm. She was also a law clerk at the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and worked one summer for Republican Sen. Alfonse D’Amato. In 2006 she scored one of the big upsets of the elections when she defeated incumbent GOP Rep. John Sweeney for New York’s 20th District seat.
While this doesn’t sound all that unusual, what shocked many Democrats of the appointment, especially the most liberal ones, is the fact Gillibrand is pro gun and pro hunting. She received a 100 percent rating from the National Rifle Association for that and also her support of the Second Amendment. Although that wouldn’t shock most rural upstate residents, those three things have some downstate anti hunting and anti gun liberals in a tizzy. What seems to bother them almost as much is the fact the governor chose a relatively conservative Democrat from upstate rather than a liberal from downstate. From some of their reactions, you’d almost think he’d appointed an ultra conservative Republican, the likes of Teddy Roosevelt.
For those of us who hunt, fish, target shoot, hike and generally enjoy our upstate outdoors, our collective attitude often appears to be worlds apart from what we hear and read that comes from south of Westchester County. Many of us may harvest our own meat and fish, grow our own fruits and vegetables, do our own snow removal and mow our own lawns. We are accustomed to seeing a wide assortment of wildlife, often up close and personal, and often roaming on our lawns and roadways. We are closer to the earth and natural world, and I’d like to believe that makes us more independent, in our lifestyles and also our thinking. We may not always agree, but we normally respect other’s right to disagree.
However, little by little, we upstate residents have seen our ways of life challenged, often by those who live and work elsewhere (notice, I didn’t say where). We’ve been referred to as “hicks from the sticks,” “upstate rednecks,” “yokels,” and worse. Some may see us as being an unimportant and inconsequential part of the decision-making policies of the state, but as I think the governor discovered, we can be a force to be reckoned with.
For the “honor” of living in New York State, we get to enjoy the second highest taxes in the nation. Our Tax Freedom Date (the date when we’ve earned enough to pay our annual taxes) is May 16, only Connecticut’s is later, May 20. But unlike Connecticut, which has steadily been suburbanized by residents moving from the New York City area, at least we have elbow room to enjoy the natural outdoors at the cost of four less working days income than Connecticut residents. Would you care to guess what state is third? Why, New Jersey, at May 10.
I’m not blaming all of our state’s ills on the Big Apple or the residents of there or other large urban centers, but logic indicates what might work well down there or in a densely populated center may be ineffective upstate or in any predominately rural or less densely populated area. If the majority of a state’s political decision making is done in that manner and with predominately urban mindsets and attitudes, wouldn’t many of these decisions be destined to fail? Governor Paterson has quickly found that out.
While the DEC pheasant program debacle is the most current example, a long-term one might be seen in the Adirondack Park where the Adirondack Park Agency’s (APA) rules and regulations have nearly destroyed that area’s economy and made living and doing business there nearly unbearable for many residents. You see, most of these regulations were the brainchild of people living outside the park, many of them from large urban areas.
Their view of the park seems to be a playground for visitors, many of whom come from downstate or other urban areas to briefly enjoy the great outdoors. What they fail to grasp is seasonal visitors and those who provide the services are generally vastly separated by regional economics and, being service providers, their ability to afford living there year-round. Those who can afford it usually have sufficient wealth to not be negatively affected by the various APA regs and rules, of which there are many.
A politician such as Gillibrand tends to balance the scales between ultra liberalism and ultra conservatism, and the governor’s choice of her for the U.S. Senate may send a message to his fellow like-thinking politicians that those residents and voters north of Westchester County can get downright upset when pushed too far

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NYS Crappie Derby, Whitney Point Lake – January 31
Lions Club Perch Derby, Chenango Lake – February 7