Murphy Has Served 40th Senate District Well
Listening and responding to the needs of constituents is one of the main responsibilities of being an elected state representative, and that is something state Sen. Terrence Murphy (R-Yorktown) has excelled at during his first term in office.
Murphy, whose widespread district covers three counties and about 325,000 residents, has worked tirelessly on a variety of issues, most notably being in the forefront of trying to find solutions to the heroin and opioid epidemic that has taken a stranglehold on the region.
He was appointed co-chairman of the Senate’s Task Force Against Heroin & Opioid Addiction, and after absorbing hours worth of testimony from families, addicts and experts, he unveiled a comprehensive legislative package addressing all sides of the multi-faceted problem that was widely hailed.
Another issue that Murphy tackled head on was the U.S. Coast Guard plan to anchor barges in the Hudson River, which caught everyone in the region off guard. Murphy rounded up a large group of fellow elected officials and environmentalists to raise awareness about the proposal and two weeks ago held an informal hearing to try to pressure the Coast Guard to reveal its intentions and specifics.
The former Yorktown councilman has consistently responded to requests from veterans and municipal and school officials, delivering more times than not in his friend in Albany capacity, providing the type of outreach that is often expected from state lawmakers.
But his first term hasn’t been without some controversy, most notably when it was disclosed in the media that his family-owned Yorktown restaurant owed more than $146,000 in back school and town taxes. Murphy, who has maintained his business interest in Murphy’s Restaurant is minimal and primarily with the property, explained the restaurant suffered like many small businesses do from time to time, but stressed the bill has been paid in full.
His opponent, Democrat Alison Boak, unleashed some harsh criticism against Murphy for that situation, questioning his ethics and remarking, “I wouldn’t go to someone (for help) who wasn’t a role model for me.”
Boak has a tough hill to climb since a Democrat hasn’t represented the district since 1914. Her work with child trafficking over the last 20 years is admirable and she appears to be running for the right reasons, but she has expended too much time on why Murphy shouldn’t be re-elected rather than focusing on her qualities. Boak hasn’t presented any compelling reason why she would serve the district more effectively than Murphy.
Much of Boak’s attention has centered on ethics reform, which Murphy has also addressed. She also agrees that the first job of a state senator is to be accessible to constituents, which the incumbent has mastered.
In short, Murphy has, in many ways, exceeded expectations when he moved up the political ladder and has earned another two years to serve his district.
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