While local Democrats celebrated taking control of the state Senate this week, the result was a loss of influence in Albany for Rochester and all of upstate.

The Republican majority heavily favored upstate, while the opposite will be true when Democrats take over in January. And the greater Rochester area is most affected — going from six members in the majority to zero. Only three Democratic senators hail from upstate districts, representing Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse.

"In this environment, with one-party control totally New York City leaning, we are going to have to do our best work," said state Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece.

The city also is exchanging veteran leadership in the state Assembly and U.S. House for newcomers.

"The impacts are tremendously significant for Rochester," said Timothy Kneeland, professor and chairman in history and political science at Nazareth College.

At stake is not only government funding for everything from roads and bridges to schools and libraries, but decisions affecting taxes, human services, economic development and business regulations.

Kneeland sees the glass as half full. Others are more cautious.

"As we transition to the upcoming legislative session, our leaders in Albany must consider the significant challenges facing the upstate New York economy," Michael Kracker, executive director for the business advocacy group Unshackle Upstate, said in a statement. "The taxpayers of New York state cannot afford to have Albany turn back to the days of uncontrolled spending and massive tax hikes."

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, said upstate would not be forgotten under Democratic control.

She said the state Senate conference is a mix of upstate, suburban and urban members.

"We long ago understood that New York is a big state with regional needs," she said Thursday. "In order to grow to be a majority, we need to have members from all parts of New York state, and everybody has embraced that reality."

A voice for the region

Congressman-elect Joseph Morelle will be sworn in Tuesday evening, succeeding the late Louise Slaughter. He's getting a head start on some of his fellow House newcomers because he also was elected Tuesday to fill out the remaining weeks of Slaughter's term.

Were she still alive, Slaughter likely would reclaim her post as chairwoman of the powerful House Rules Committee in the next Congress. But she spent the past eight years in the minority, with a Republican-controlled House. Morelle is headed to Washington as part of the soon-to-be-installed majority.

Given his Albany connections and experience, serving as Assembly majority leader since 2013, his committee assignment could be better than one might otherwise expect for a first-year member, Kneeland said.

In Albany, the loss of Morelle is a blow not only because of his standing in the Legislature but his close relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor has been more attentive to upstate than his predecessors. And for a brief time, in 2013-14, Rochester had both Morelle in the Assembly leadership, and native son Robert Duffy in the lieutenant governor's office.

The next Assembly majority leader likely will come from upstate, but not Rochester. Morelle's 136th District seat will be filled by Jamie Romeo, also hailing from Irondequoit, who won her first-ever general election on Tuesday.

"If you do the work, you can be very effective," said Romeo, who previously worked as chief of staff for former state Sen. Ted O’Brien until Republican Rich Funke, R-Perinton, unseated him in 2014.

"Despite the fact we are new faces, we've had the experience," she said. "We know where the bathrooms are. We know the people. We know what needs to be done."

When it comes to the local delegation, Assemblyman David Gantt, D-Rochester, remains the dean, having won re-election to a 19th term. But his attendance has been severely limited by health issues. And colleague Harry Bronson, D-Rochester, who won re-election to a fifth term, is looking to take more of a leadership role.

"Joe and I have had conversations about how to approach this," Bronson said. "I've met with a number of folks about having to step up and be the voice for the region."

Duffy, in his current capacity as president and CEO of the local Chamber of Commerce, also anticipates having to step up and is planning more frequent trips to Albany and New York City in the year ahead. Sens. Robach and Funke have a history of reaching across the aisle. But Duffy sees a role for himself as well, having presided over the Senate as lieutenant governor from 2011-14, and thus having forged relationships with a number of downstate Democratic senators.

"I wouldn't take for granted they fully understand all our issues up here," Duffy said. "Our job is to really make sure they hear the whole story."

'The majority comes with benefits'

Many suspect that a Democratic state Legislature, with a governor rumored to be building a résumé for a presidential run, will take action on reproductive rights, possibly a more rapid rollout of minimum wage increases, health care, campaign finance, and electoral reforms, possibly to add early voting.

"It's going to be different, that's for sure," Morelle said.

Mayor Lovely Warren is optimistic that Rochester can make headway on issues such as parity in state aid. Rochester receives far less, per capita, than Buffalo and Syracuse. The local delegation carried that message in recent years, she said, but it never rose to a priority of the Republican majority.

"We're hopeful," Warren said.

But to the majority go the resources, affecting capital funding and so-called "bullet aid" for schools, libraries, fire departments.

"Everybody thinks there is this even distribution (of money)," Funke said. "But in reality it doesn't end up that way. The majority comes with some benefits. So now the power and influence has shifted to downstate."

Still, neither Funke nor Robach see their role changing.

Said Robach: "I am going to have to continue to be a loud voice, not only for Rochester but all of upstate." His concern is the loss of a check and balance, as the Republican Senate "could draw the line in the sand" on issues such as the governor's attempts to curb the STAR program.

"I don't know if I have that power anymore without the help of Democrats in upstate," Robach said.

But Kneeland sees Democratic control of the state Senate boding well for urban-suburban areas — adding that Cuomo's attention to upstate through economic development efforts is "going to continue without as much interference from the Senate."

"We going to stick with what we're doing," said Vinnie Esposito, executive director for the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council. "I really think that the momentum continues to build."

Women's issues are likely to be in the forefront, at the state and national level, given female candidates' success on Tuesday and how heavily women voted Democrat, experts say.

The split Congress could find common ground on infrastructure spending. House Democrats also are likely to push health care — a topic Morelle said he hopes to get into the middle of in Congress.

"Health care was the key issue in exit polls," Kneeland said. "Democrats have to do something about it; have to show they are working on it. ... Having legislation pass through the House, even if it doesn’t get enacted, is something that the Democrats can run on in 2020."

BDSHARP@Gannett.com

Includes reporting by Albany Bureau Chief Joseph Spector.

Looking ahead

More upheaval is likely coming, as some historically Republican districts appeared vulnerable Tuesday, and enrollment and turnout trends are expected to continue into the 2020 elections. That also is a census year, setting the stage for redistricting.

The Flower City is split between three Senate districts, Monroe County is divided into six, all with newly re-elected Republican representatives.

"The Senate not being Monroe County centric, it mitigates our voice in the state," said Assembly member-elect and former Monroe County Democratic chairwoman Jamie Romeo. "For the future, we need to make sure the city of Rochester isn't used to crack and pack voters ... our community can't be represented if we are carved up to meet partisan gains."

Sens. Joseph Robach and Rich Funke live in Monroe County, but the remainder of the local delegation hails from Ontario, Erie and Niagara counties.

"There is no question there is a shifting dynamic going on in our community and the state," said Funke, who survived a strong challenge in a blue-leaning district from Democrat and first-time candidate Jen Lunsford. "But every day what we have to represent as a party … is that we have a better plan, that we have better ideas we actually know how to pay for them, and we have to go about executing that plan."