SHERBURNE – Speaking at Lewis’ Restaurant in Sherburne Saturday afternoon, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo told area officials that New York’s local and state governments are too big and Albany’s way of business needs to be fundamentally changed.

“The changes we need to make we’ve been talking about too long,” said Cuomo. “I think the planets are finally lined up now where change is going to happen.”

“How do you know it’s out of control? You can’t even get a list of the 1,000 state agencies, that’s how you know it’s out of control,” he said, adding that there are more than 10,000 governments in the state.

Cuomo attributed over-sized government to the state’s increasing property tax which he told the audience was higher than any in the country, rising 5 to 6 percent annually in recent years.

“It has to stop and it has to stop now,” he said, calling Albany’s current management of the state an “embarrassment.”

Cuomo was welcomed by dozens of local Democratic and some Republican officials at 11 a.m. Saturday, when spoke to a select crowd of about 60 people for around 30 minutes. Following his remarks, the candidate mingled with the audience, taking pictures and holding brief conversations for about another half-hour before speaking with the media.