The Courage to Stand (Almost) Alone – The Rockland County Times has learned that freshman Assemblyman James Skoufis (D-Stony Point, Orange County) was one of only a handful of Assembly Democrats to vote against Governor Cuomo’s NY SAFE gun control act.  Skoufis did not bow to political pressure at midnight and sign the bill, and instead chose to vote his conscience. This took courage, as Skoufis had only been in the Assembly less than a month at the time and he said he was under great pressure to vote yes.