Join the Empire Center for a morning of briefings and conversations about New York and its local governments.
Hear from experts about important trends and key policies affecting our towns, cities, villages and counties.
Itinerary:
- New York State Economy & Finances Unraveled with E.J. McMahon (Empire Center)
- NY Property Taxes: Navigating Albany’s Challenges with Ken Girardin (Empire Center)
- Local Government Practitioner Panel with Ari Brown (NYS Assembly), Phil Barrett (Clifton Park), and Mark Grimm (Albany County)
Empire Center’s Policy Academy
A look at the key policy areas that impact local governments.
Wednesday, August 23rd, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM
About the Author
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ThinkNY: Medicaid Overdose
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Empire Center Senior Fellow for Health Policy Bill Hammond will walk us through his Read More
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ThinkNY: Proposition 1
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Cam Macdonald will discuss its disputed status on the ballot and how it got here. We’ll als Read More
ThinkNY: Healthcare Taxes
We're excited to welcome back Bill Hammond, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at the Empire Center. With almost three decades of experience in journalism and a deep understanding of New York's healthcare industry, Hammond brings unparalleled insights.
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ThinkNY: Taylor Law
Join us Friday at 11am for our next ThinkNY webinar. This month, we'll dive into the Taylor Law, New York's public-sector collective bargaining law.
The Taylor Law plays a huge role in how state agencies, local governments and school districts operat Read More
Green Guardrails Webinar
Join us for a webinar on Empire Center's latest report, ""
Report author Ken Girardin examines the implementation of New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the sweeping 2019 law that allows state agencies to regulate nearly every p Read More
ThinkNY: Medicaid
Medicaid is a taxpayer-funded safety-net health plan that covers a third of the state's population, and it's one of the costliest and fastest-growing programs in the state budget.
This webinar will give an overview of what Medicaid does, why it's so ex Read More
ThinkNY: NYS Budget Process
For this monthly installment, E.J. McMahon provides insight into the NYS budget process and how we should expect the following months to unfold.
ThinkNY serves as a platform for everyday New Yorkers and key decision-makers to come together for thoughtf Read More
Policy Academy
Join the Empire Center for a morning of briefings and conversations about New York and its local governments.
Hear from experts about important trends and key policies affecting our towns, cities, villages and counties.
Please register for the in-person seminar below.
Empire Center’s Policy Academy
A look at the key policy areas that impact local governments.
Wednesday, August 23rd, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM
About the Author
You may also like
The Bottom Line of Hochul’s Essential Plan Overhaul
Now that New York has won partial federal approval for overhauling its Essential Plan, it's worth being clear about what the state is doing and why.
The is not primarily about "pre Read More
New York’s Residents Hit with Record Electricity Prices
New York has some of the highest household energy prices in the nation, according to Empire Center and U.S. Energy Information Administration . In December, the state’s average residential electricity price reached 27.39 cents Read More
Emails Conflict with Health Commissioner’s Testimony on CDPAP
The company selected to manage an $11 billion Medicaid home-care program discussed the job in detail with top Health Department officials – and submitted a 46-page takeover plan – two weeks before state lawmakers author Read More
Testimony of Zilvinas Silenas on FY 2027 New York State Executive Budget Revenue Article VII Legislation, part K
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President, Empire Center for Public Policy
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Hochul continues to bribe Big Health with reckless Medicaid spending
For the fourth year in a row, has used the word “unsustainable” to describe her own .
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Mamdani Gets an Important Tax Fact Wrong
At a hearing in Albany last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lobbied state lawmakers to help him balance the city's finances with a two-percentage-point hike in the city's income tax on people making over $1 million Read More
New York’s Electricity Prices Among the Highest in the Country
Albany, NY — New York households continue to pay some of the highest electricity prices in the nation, according to from the Empire Center and the U.S. Energy Information A Read More
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Electricity. In October 2025, average residential electricity price in New York was 26.95 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and ranked 8th highest in the U.S., exceeding the national avera Read More