""New York Coalition

HTTP://WWW.NEWYORKCOALITION.ORG

Grand Island, New York, April 3, 2006. A new grass-roots political action committee, New York Coalition, will announce its formation in simultaneous press conferences in Albany, Buffalo and Manhattan on Thursday, April 6^{th at 12 noon:}

Albany Capitol steps

Buffalo 125 Main St. (outside the office of Assembly Majority Leader

Paul Tokasz)

Manhattan 250 Broadway (outside the office of Speaker Sheldon Silver)

Rus Thompson, a Grand Island contractor, and key figure in the Upstate Tax Revolt, is interim chair and treasurer of the group, which registered with the State Board of Elections last week.

Thompson announced that the Coalition will recruit and support candidates to oppose ten key state legislative leaders many of whom have served for decades:

Joseph L. Bruno (R) S43 30 yrs. 37 yrs.

John A. DeFrancisco (R) S50 14 yrs. 25 yrs.

Thomas W. Libous (R) S52 18 yrs. 18 yrs.

These legislators represent almost every major population center of the state including Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley, Albany, Binghamton, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara County.

Thompson, who co-founded Primary Challenge and Free Buffalo, said the recently passed State budget "shows that these leaders are completely out of touch with the need to sharply cut state spending in order to revise New York’s depressed economy and reverse decades of population and job losses."

New York Coalition is open to all like-minded groups and individuals and invites people with no prior political experience to step forward to challenge these incumbents. Thompson pointed out that these legislators have gerrymandered their districts to ensure their election in November. However, he noted that many of these legislators have never been challenged in their own party’s primary elections where they are most vulnerable to defeat.

Interested citizens and potential candidates can register to receive more information at http://www.newyorkcoalition.org .