> Are beekeepers in NYS really so powerless to get reform? 

I would state unequivocally that the citizens of NYS are powerless to get reform. Every time we get a new governor, he sets up a committee to look at corruption, they find it rampant, promise to do something about it, etc. Quite often these panels are formed by the same people who are responsible for the corruption. They make recommendations and things go back to the way they were. 

This is from the NY Times:

Panel Appointed by Cuomo Says Corruption Is Commonplace in Albany

A panel appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued a stinging assessment of the state’s political culture on Monday, saying it had found evidence of probable wrongdoing and recommending sweeping changes to New York State’s elections, ethics and campaign finance laws.

The panel described a political system in Albany where money is dominant and misconduct has become commonplace. “The commission’s preliminary observation is that both the general state of our political system, and the way business is transacted within it, cry out urgently for reform,” the report found. “New York needs comprehensive reform to restore the public trust.”

The commission’s study offered a bleak picture of New York’s government. The panel said its investigation, which is continuing, had found “deplorable conduct, some of it perfectly legal yet profoundly wrong; some of it potentially illegal,” and promised to refer some findings to law enforcement. While providing limited details, the report described “a pay-to-play political culture driven by large checks”

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