Candidates for the 110th Assembly district and the 44th Senate district faced off in a set of candidate forums hosted by the League of Women Voters and moderated by the Spotlight at Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
BK Keramati (D-Galway) who is challenging incumbent Jim Tedisco (R, C, I-Saratoga) for his seat in the Assembly has built his platform around overhauling campaign finance laws, enforcing term limits and non partisan redistricting, eliminating property tax to fund public schools and creating green jobs, saying his 28-year career with GE will help him accomplish that.
Tedisco, a 28-year incumbent, said he wants to lower property taxes, cap spending, cut taxes to create jobs and that he already has the legislation in his hands to reform redistricting.
I carry the bill on our side of the aisle to reform the redistricting process in New York State to create an outside independent commission to base a district on commonality of the people in the village, town, cities and counties, not on power blocks in majorities, said Tedisco. `I believe I’ve shown one person can make a difference against overwhelming odds.`
Audience members questioned candidates on the anti-incumbency sentiment sweeping voters. Keramati said he thinks term limits could avert this feeling altogether.
`Voters are fed up with the way Albany works. They look at legislaters and say they haven’t been able to do their job, especially ones that have been there a long time,` said Keramati. `I believe in some cases that’s fair. But I believe in term limits it’s good to have a flow of new ideas, backgrounds and walks of life who are more in tune with what’s going on.`
Tedisco said he has faith that voters in the 110th district know who is `part of the problem` and who’s not.
`I think [they’re] smart enough to know who are part of the solution and problem and are smart enough to take their vote seriously and look at the record of people they vote for and look at what they stand for,` said Tedisco.
Candidates were asked to reveal who they support for governor and if they support Paladino, do they renounce his homophobic statements.
`I support Andrew Cuomo. I think Paladino doesn’t have the capabilities or approach to be the leader of this state and I would be embarrassed to have him as our leader,` said Keramati.
Tedisco said that while some of Paladino’s statements were inappropriate and things `no candidate should make,` he’s distracted the media from some major things.
`It’s ironic that Cuomo is talking about standing up to special interest groups, capping property taxes, holding the line on spending sounds like a conservative republican campaign,` said Tedisco, who said his final voting decision should be made in the privacy of a voting booth like all other voters.
Both candidates said that they felt hyrdrofracking for natural gas needed to be researched further to ensure ground water would not be contaminated but that there was a definite need to find alternative fuel sources, with Tedisco referring to the alternative fuel fund he put forth several years ago and Keramati saying resources should be spent on finding renewable energy sources to halt global warming and protect the public.
Candidates were asked for their views on how much legislators should concern themselves with regulating the lifestyles of constituents. Tedisco said there’s a need for guidelines, regulation and educating people.
`We have an obesity problem in New York State and across the nation. One side of the aisle says the answer is to put all the ingredients in the front of a restaurant and tell them they can’t use saturated fatmy proposal called FIT [fitness income tax credit] says if you enroll a child in a fitness program, in little league, we’ll give you income tax credit because you’re working on the other side of keeping people healthy,` said Tedisco.
Keramati said it’s the responsibility of a legislator to protect the public and if there’s enough scientific data to prove something is harmful, should put proper incentives in place to drive people away from it.
`Healthcare is a huge cost in our nation I am for the government to control sugary drinks and when we put a large tax on cigarettes their use when down significantly,` said Keramati.
Tedisco rebutted, saying the cigarette tax might discourage people from smoking, but that means they’re not paying taxes on cigarettes.
`If from smoking they won’t pay taxes on cigarettes I’m trying to say they’re talking out both sides of their mouth,` said Tedisco.
Campaign funds were an issue, with Keramati calling for full public funding of campaigns and Tedisco pushing for legislation on bundling.
`I think the effect of money on politics is so corrupting I am for full public funding of elections. It doesn’t take a lot of money, compared to the overall budget it’s peanuts. If they get elected using public funding, we know they’re working for us and I think any other measure will be a band aid,` said Keramati.
`The thing that concerns me about having taxpayers fund elections is they support me and my opponents because they believe in our ideaswhat if a candidate is a Ku Klux Klan member I don’t want my taxpayer dollars forced to pay for candidate that have nothing to do with what my constituents agree with and then we will have a bunch of millionaires running for Congress,` said Tedisco.
A big question posed to both candidates was regarding the government lockdown and how to avoid it. Keramati said it comes down to trust in the legislature.
`What an ugly year for the state of New York the fundamental problem we have in the state is we don’t trust our legislators, don’t trust they’re working for us. We prevent that starting from reforms I talked about which is campaign finance reform so they at least have the right motivation,` said Keramati, who closed saying every problem is an opportunity if treated correctly.
`I agree that there were some problems if possible, my answer would be to get in a time machine and go back 35years people say we have a revenue problem, we don’t have a revenue problem, we have spending priority problems and structural spending problems in New York State,` said Tedisco, who added a property tax cap is needed to take the first step in putting power `back in the hands of the people.
Susan Savage (D-Niskayuna), challenging incumbent Hugh Farley (R-Schenectady) for his seat in the 44th Senate district, said she decided to run after the government coup.
`When Sen. Farley raised his hand to make Pedro Espada senate president, putting him a heartbeat away from being governor, that’s exactly what is wrong with Albany now,` said Savage, saying in his 34-year incumbency Farley has voted to raise taxes 680 times and rubber stamped 1,000 percent increase in state spending.
Farley said his platform is built around building upstate economy, creating jobs through small business, support reform to campaign financing, reforming non partisan redistricting and giving upstate New York a voice. Farley later said the coup was about protecting the interests of his constituents and that he wasn’t `enthusiastic` about it but `it was clear we couldn’t continue with the status quo.`
Farley said he had a good record of creating jobs and was proud of the Metroplex program that he authored, saying it has been successful and made a positive differene in downtown Schenectady. Savage said that endeavor was a boondoggle for its first five years and didn’t turnaround until she became chair of he Saratoga County Legislature.
Both candidates said change was needed in the legislature, with Savage saying it was time for new people and Farley saying it was time to take back the senate.
`Our state legislature is known for being dysfunctional and its an embarrassment. I’m going to start change by bringing new people who have new ideas to state government. It is repetitious to keep sending the same people there over and over again and if we continue to do that we’ll continue to have the same problems in the state of New York,` said Savage.
`One reason I’m running for reelection is the need to change the senate, take back the senate we have to get rid of this mentality that everything is run by one party. That’s how it is in North Korea and shouldn’t be the way in New York State,` said Farley.
Candidates were again asked to reveal who they support for governor, with Farley saying he supports many of the things Paladino is supporting and Savage, a Cuomo supporter, saying it’s time for Farley to disassociate himself with Paladino.
With many families dealing with tight budgets, candidates were asked how they would put state government in the same mode. Savage said Farley’s use of thousands of dollars to send mailings to constituents was irresponsible and also said he took vacations on the taxpayers’ dime.
`I think the fact that some families in the 44th earn less than $40,000 a year, it’s absolutely ridiculous to send mailings to tell them you’re fighting to cut their taxes and that families and businesses need to tighten their belts,` said Savage. `He utilized about $85,000 of taxpayer money to take vacations in places like Honolulu, the Caribbean, Miami, Disney World, San Diego, San Francisco, the list goes on and onfamilies can’t afford vacations in this climate and our elected officials shouldn’t be taking vacations on taxpayers’ dime you won’t see that from me when I’m a member of the senate,` said Savage.
`I do communicate with my constituents as does every single elected official in New York State. I think that’s important. I was national chairman of the council of state governments, which is the premier research organization in the U.S. there are 50 states and we meet in a different place every year when I go to a meeting I’m working the entire time,` said Farley.
Savage said the state is at a crossroads and voters need to choose between staying with `decade old dysfunction or finally moving in a new direction.` Farley said he has served his district `with honor and integrity` and is proud of his record.
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