Unless you've been in a coma for the last month, or getting in touch with your inner spiritual self at a remote monastery, you're likely aware that New York is heating up as the next battleground in the gay marriage fight. In April, the NY State Assembly passed Gov. Patterson's Marriage Equality bill, and it's now working its way through the Senate, where passage is still very touch and go. Democrats have a very slim majority in the Senate, and a handful of Democrats from conservative districts are not supporting it (while some Republicans, on the other hand, are.)
Sullivan County is part of the 42nd Senate District, a seat held by Sen. John Bonacic, a Republican who is not currently a supporter of the marriage equality bill. But it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings, and Sen. Bonacic has been getting a lot of comments from constituents (both pro and con) on this issue.
Sure, for me, marriage equality is personal. But others in the real estate community for whom it isn't necessarily a personal issue should look at it as a business one. Supporting marriage equality is good for real estate.
Why? For gay and lesbian people, marriage equality has become a bedrock issue. We are very aware of which states are in the marriage equality camp, and which aren't. Consciously or not, that awareness will impact spending patterns. If a gay or lesbian couple from NYC have the choice of buying a vacation home in a marriage equality state or a non-equality state, a state's position on marriage equality will be a factor. It's not just a matter of legal ownership of property (which can be handled by contract in a non-equality state), but one of putting your discretionary dollars where you're most welcome.
True, Connecticut is a marriage equality state and there hasn't been an exodus of gay and lesbian people moving their primary homes from Chelsea to Greenwich. But choosing whether to move your primary home location isn't as discretionary as where to buy a second home.
Once New Hampshire approves marriage equality, which is likely to happen very soon, all of New England except Rhode Island will have approved marriage equality. If New York doesn't follow suit, the states to New York's east will siphon off some second home business. But that will likely have more impact east of the Hudson, in the counties bordering Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, than here in Sullivan.
How it's good for business here is the impact on buyers making a choice between Sullivan, Delaware and Orange Counties in New York and the adjacent counties in lower-tax Pennsylvania. While I have a preference for the NY side for a number of reasons (which I'm not going to get into here), it is challenging to counter the lower-tax appeal of Pennylvania. (By the way, I'm licensed to sell real estate in both states, so it's not a matter of being able to sell in NY but not in PA.)
If NY approves marriage equality and Pennsylvania doesn't (and it will probably be quite a while before Pennsylvania falls into the marriage equality camp), gay and lesbian buyers from NYC will likely look much more favorably on New York for a second home than Pennsylvania. The emotional pull to be in a marriage equality state will carry substantial weight over the financial pull to be in a lower tax state.
So marriage equality doesn't just make good 'justice' sense, it makes good business sense. There just isn't much economic downside to approving marriage equality — I doubt there will be a major exodus across the river into PA by opponents if we say 'yes'. But there is a very tangible upside. I encourage all of my colleagues to contact Sen. Bonacic to express your support for marriage equality. Here is the link to his contact information:
Thank you for posting the link to Senator Bonacic's offices. I have written to him in the past about marriage equality and received a curt-bordering-on-dismissive response. In connection with the current bill, I have telephoned and emailed him; his staff has been non-comittal about his position.
There are several other State Senators who have yet to commit and may be lobbied. Here are their contacts:
John Sampson (D-Brooklyn)
(718) 649-7653
(518) 455-2788
sampson@senate.state.ny.us
Brian Foley (D-Suffolk County)
518-455-2303
631-360-3356
bfoley@senate.state.ny.us
Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D-Bronx)
(718) 547-8854
(518) 455-2061
hassellt@senate.state.ny.us
George Onorato (D-Astoria)
(718) 545-9706
(518) 455-3486
onorato@senate.state.ny.us
William Stachowski (D-Buffalo)
(518)-455-2426
(716)-826-3344
stachows@senate.state.ny.us
David Valesky (D-Oneida)
518-455-2838
315-478-8745
valesky@senate.state.ny.us
Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica)
(718) 523-3069 Office
(518) 455-3531 Office
shuntley@senate.state.ny.us
Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau County)
516-739-1700
518-455-2200
hannon@senate.state.ny.us
Thomas Morahan (R-Rockland County)
(518) 455-3261
(845) 425-1818
morahan@senate.state.ny.us
Vincent Leibell (R-Putnam and Westchester Counties)
(518) 455-3111
(845) 279-3773
leibell@senate.state.ny.us
James Alesi (R-Rochester)
(518) 455-2015
(585) 223-1800
alesi@senate.state.ny.us
Posted by: Tom Wilinsky | May 29, 2009 at 09:32 AM