The economy, jobs and faith were some of the main topics discussed during an Oct. 20 debate between candidates vying for the 46th state senatorial district seat, and incumbent Sen. Neil Breslin, Bob Domenici and Michael Carey sometimes found themselves in a heated discussion.
With some fiery press releases doled out by the Domenici camp in the days leading up to the debate, the republican challenger came out roaring against Breslin for driving people out of the state, one of them being his own son, who is stationed in Afghanistan as part of the U.S. military.
I said, ‘Rob, what are you going to do,’ Domenici said to his son when he returned home. `He said, ‘I’m going to stay in the military.’ Why? Because, Neil, he said he couldn’t find any opportunity here in Albany County.`
Domenici didn’t let up as he also called Breslin out for being a part of the 125-day-late state budget process and jumped on a statement he made regarding term limits for leaders in the Senate and Assembly, adding that he has limited himself to only 3 terms.
`I don’t ever want to be in power as long as Neil Breslin,` Domenici said. `And by the way, he’s the deputy majority leader. Wow, you couldn’t affect the process? You’re in power. You’re the deputy majority leader. Affect the budget process, stop hiding behind closed doors.`
Domenici did, however, agree with Breslin that the budget process should be every two years instead of one and added that the state must freeze property taxes, then lower and cap them.
Carey said the budget should be passed by April 1.
Reform Party candidate Carey had a different strategy, as he focused more on moral issues than the state’s fiscal woes. So much so that Breslin has expressed his disbelief as he said, `I did not expect to come to a debate on religion.`
Carey at one point called out Breslin for being pro-choice even though he is a Catholic.
`What would happen if your parents would have aborted you?` Carey asked the crowd. `When a child is being molded and shaped in a woman’s womb, that’s God doing that.`
The debate covered a wide variety of topics, from mandate relief, to whether English should be the official language for state business and all the way to how the state should fight global warming.
Breslin said he feels the issue of global warming was more of a federal and world issue but said wind energy and cutting down on the use of fossil fuels should be considered. Domenici disagreed and argued global warming is, in fact, a state issue as factories are closing in the state.
`We’re affecting global warming, we’re reducing it,` he said, adding that he does believe global warming is real.
`We need to invest in electronic cars, we need to invest in solar power, we need to invest in drilling for natural gas that we have in New York to make us energy independent.`
He went on to argue Pennsylvania is drilling laterally and taking gas away from New York.
`Thanks, senators,` he said.
Breslin said he would wait for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to release their Environmental Impact Statement on that matter. He added, though, that hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling for natural gas in New York `has the potential to be a win-win for New York State as long as it doesn’t damage the environment and the watershed.`
While he said he’s heard hydraulic fracturing can be a dangerous process, Carey said he is `not super familiar with hydrofracking` and that he would like to discuss it more with experts.
As a member of the South Colonie School District Board of Education, Domenici said he supports the competition provided by charter schools, but said they must accept every student as opposed to just picking and choosing.
`If they don’t want a special [education] kid, they don’t have to accept him,` said Domenici. `That costs 40 percent more to educate him, and that comes back public school.`
Breslin, who said he originally opposed charter schools all together, agreed there is `cherry picking` occurring in charter schools, and said there is an overabundance of charter schools just in Albany.
`It’s really created chaos for the Albany public school system,` Breslin said. `When a student goes to a charter school, the money follows him; the fixed costs, the heat and the light, so the Albany school system gets left behind. There has to be additional transitional aid to the Albany public school system when the student goes over.`
Candidates were asked how they would deal with lobbyists if they were elected into office, to which both Domenici and Carey jumped on Breslin for accepting donations from insurance companies, the very industry he regulates as chair of the Senate Insurance Committee.
Carey, who said he would not accept any money from lobbyists, came out against Breslin for the autism insurance bill he was a main sponsor of after he said legislators can sometimes get `buddy, buddy` with lobbyists to the point they start making decisions `irrationally.`
`This bill is a discriminatory bill,` Carey said. `It favors insurance companies. The superintendent of the insurance industry is part of making the decision of what services a child with autism has and will actually override want a doctor wants.`
Breslin informed Carey the bill was vetoed by the Gov. David Paterson earlier that day, which Carey was delighted to hear.
To close out the night, the question was posed as to how each candidate would turn the state back around, to which Domenici simply answered: `Jobs.`
He said there has to be an environment where the state government is `seen as a friend and not the enemy: by reducing taxes.
`This past year’s budget we put 97 new fees on small businesses, $14 billion in new taxes, $1.8 billion in new personal income tax. They’re not going to stay here, they’re going to leave and they’re leaving in droves,` Domenici said.
Carey said the state must look to moral reform and that `people have to turn to God.`
`Everybody wants to separate church and state but the issue is trying to separate God from what we’re doing,` he said. `We’re spiraling morally and we’re suffering the consequences.`
Breslin looked ahead towards bringing high technology jobs to the state.
`We just saw a company leave here this past week that’s going to New Hampshire,` he said in reference to Albany International Corp. `It was a paper company, a paper company that had been here forever. Paper is beginning to end and computers changed that. We have to be along for the ride.`
As promised, here is a link to video of the debate provided by YNN:
http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/politics/521286/debate-for-46th-senate-district–breslin–domenici–carey/“
