New York State Senator Tom O’Mara, a Republican representing Chemung County and surrounding areas, expressed concerns about state policy changes and government spending in a series of posts on his official Twitter account during early May 2026.
On May 4, 2026, O’Mara criticized the impact of bail reform measures implemented in 2019, writing “While many agree that changes for fairness to the accused were warranted, the 2019 policies went too far the other way. They have proven unworkable… consequences for community safety and security have been equally destructive.” He linked to his weekly column elaborating on these views.
Later that day, O’Mara addressed state budget practices, stating “It’s a terrible way to be running government… terrible way to be spending over a quarter of a trillion dollars annually in our state budget…unsustainable spending with no explanation for New Yorkers. This process needs to change.” The post included a link to further remarks published via YouTube.
On May 5, 2026, he continued this theme by warning about unchecked budget growth: “The budget just continues to grow, seemingly exponentially from year to year. It’s unsustainable. Somebody needs to be in check on where this spending is going because seeing what it’s leading to, which is New Yorkers fleeing the state.”
O’Mara has served as counsel to local organizations such as the Chemung County Industrial Development Agency and St. Joseph’s Hospital and participated in regional economic development efforts through groups like the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council (official website). He was elected to the New York State Senate after three terms in the Assembly for the 137th District and serves on committees including Finance; Investigations and Government Operations; Codes; Energy and Telecommunications; Insurance; Judiciary; Rules; and the Legislative Commission on the Development of Rural Resources (official website). Born and raised in Horseheads, Chemung County, O’Mara resides in Big Flats with his wife Marilyn and their three adult children (official website). He holds degrees from Syracuse University College of Law (J.D.) and Catholic University of America (B.A.) (official website).
