Early days in the capital Our Take

Amid everything else going on in Albany, some good news to report.

Freshman Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, who represents the Upper East Side, has passed five pieces of legislation through the assembly in her first months in office, an unusually prolific early showing. Four have been approved by the Senate.

Seawright’s legislation spans a wide range, including a bill that provides financing for new initiatives to clean up the city’s waterways; protection for people receiving spousal maintenance and child support; funding for community programs on Roosevelt Island; and health-insurance safety nets for the city’s small businesses.

It’s easy to let Albany’s dysfunction, and the ongoing squabbles between the mayor and the governor, distract us from the fact that real work nevertheless continues in the capital. It’s not all federal investigations and gridlock. (Unfortunately, nothing is happpening on rent laws or school control, both critically important to the city.)

In the bruising primary battle for Seawright’s seat, other candidates criticized her for not presenting a clear plan for exactly what she would focus on when she arrived in the capital. In an impressive opening salvo, Seawright has answered their concerns.