One New York lawmaker has been tracking the lateness of the state budget in a unique way.
Assemblymember Joe Angelino, a Southern Tier Republican, has been growing a “budget beard” since the state budget’s April 1 deadline.
“The last week of March, it was pretty obvious that the budget wasn’t gonna be on time,” Angelino said. “Somebody mentioned we should do like they do in November, no shave November.”
Angelino, who said he’s never had facial hair, decided to take on the challenge before knowing it would be a “record breaker year” in terms of budget tardiness.
“I came back in the following Monday for the first extension vote and I was the only one,” Angelino continued. “So now I’m committed.”
The Albany legislator said he’s been compared to “any old man with a beard,” including the captain of the Titanic, Edward John Smith, David Letterman, Sean Connery, and even Santa Claus. The only concern he has now, other than passing a budget, is shaving the beard off.
“About halfway through the process,” Angelino said, “I realized something else I’ve never done before is shave a beard. So I’m starting to get a little concerned about what a disaster that’s going to be.”
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: See NY lawmaker who grew ‘budget beard’ to track late state budget
Reporting by Emily Barnes, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
