Parra gets local kudos for water decision

It's a tale of two reactions. When Nicole Parra, Kings County's Democratic representative in the state Assembly, refused last week to vote on a budget package crafted by her own party, the discipline was swift: Banishment the next day to a nameless office across the street from the Capitol in a building where no other legislators are housed. But in Kings County, the popularity of the soon-to-be-termed-out assemblywoman has soared. The reason? Parra vowed she wouldn't vote on a budget package unless legislators agreed to put a water bond on the Nov. 4 ballot -- something farmers in the area have long sought to address mounting shortages.