Siena Poll: Cost of living is the top priority for NY Voters

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--- A new Siena poll asked New Yorkers to rank the top priorities they would like to see the governor and state legislature work on. They were given 7 issues: crime, migrants, housing, environment, cost of living, health care, and New Yorkers leaving the state.

"Far and away the winner, the cost of living in New York," explained Siena Pollster, Steve Greenberg. " 29% of voters said it was their top issue. 49% almost half of New York Voters say it’s one of their top two priorities. Second place, the recent influx of migrants and 3rd place crime. 13% of New Yorkers said housing— affordable housing, was their top issue. 29% so somewhere between a third and a quarter of New Yorkers say it’s one of their top two issues."

Governor Hochul’s executive budget proposes $500 million for infrastructure upgrades on state properties that could be repurposed to create up to 15,000 units of housing.

Assemblyman Scott Gray has legislation that would look into identifying which SUNY buildings could be converted.

"Ultimately, what it would do is relieve some of the campuses, individual campuses, of the costs of those buildings," said Gray. "And then take a look at potentially repurposing those. It could be senior housing. It could be a lot of different— really leave it up to the individual communities to determine if there is a need for housing in their communities."