A crowded field of Democratic candidates for the 109th Assembly District made efforts to differentiate their positions to voters one week before a primary that will see most of their bids ended.
The League of Women Voters, Spotlight Newspapers and other community organizations hosted at forum event on Thursday, Sept. 6, at Albany Law School to hear from candidates in both the upcoming Democratic and Independence primaries. There are six Democrats vying for the seat soon to be vacated by longtime Assemblyman Jack McEneny: Frank Commisso Jr., Patricia Fahy, Christopher Higgins, William McCarthy, Margarita Perez and Jim Coyne. Ted Danz, the Republican nominee, and Fahy are also fighting for the Independence line.
The newly redrawn district encompasses the southwestern parts of the City of Albany and the towns of Guilderland, New Scotland and Bethlehem.
The crowded race meant few questions were asked at the hour-long discussion, but queries were sourced from the audience. Most candidates had similar points of view on issues like hydraulic fracturing, property tax relief and the need to stop unfunded mandates.
“I think we should call for a flat-out ban on hydrofracking in the State of New York,” said Higgins. “I think it’s bad for business, I think it’s bad for our economy and I think it’s bad for our environment.”
Other Democrats said they oppose the method of natural gas extraction until more research has been made available, while Danz said he is in favor of home rule and would vote in line with his constituents. Coyne said the issue should be put up for a voter referendum.
On the issue of tax relief, all the candidates agreed something must be done but pitched different ideas for providing it.
McCarthy said the 2 percent tax cap passed this year by the state was a good first step, but reducing unfunded mandates was key. He also agreed with Commisso that Medicaid reform was needed and it should no longer be the responsibility of local governments.
Fahy said all of her siblings live in bigger homes in different states, but pay less in taxes. She said costs need to be shifted from property owners to the state and that the current state aid formula needs to be done away with.
“It is not fair to taxpayers and no one understands it,” she said.
Perez said she has been looking to purchase property near her current home, but can’t because she cannot afford the taxes.
Higgins directed his comments on taxes toward his fellow county legislators and said he voted against the county budget because more could have been done to reduce wasteful spending. He also felt additional payment in lieu of taxes agreements would bring more private businesses to the area to help broaden the revenue base, and touted his land bank initiative to demolish dilapidated buildings in the county.
Coyne said to tackle to root of the problem, homes needs to be assessed on a more frequent basis.
“When you have a bad economy, government has a tendency not to reassess. When you have a great economy, they’re there every year,” he said. “So, what I would do is propose that every five years is a reassessment that is mandated by every government in the state.”
When candidates were asked to describe their vision of the region 10 years from now, most spoke of a revitalized area with lower taxes and more jobs. Fahy said more should be done to create a mixed-use environment in the City of Albany, while Higgins spoke of a more “sustainable, livable and walkable” future. He also wanted to see more development on the waterfront to the Hudson River.
Coyne said he has a plan to bring the Winter Olympics back to the Lake Placid region by amending Olympic Regional Development Authority legislation in order to go to bid on the event with Albany. Commisso spoke of the need for more investments in infrastructure to create jobs.
The county legislator was also the only Democrat to state that, if elected, he would not vote to retain Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver in his position in the wake of his involvement providing settlements connected to sexual harassment accusations against Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
“We speak of being champions for women’s rights, but now we’re being admonished by the Republican Party,” Commisso said.
Other candidates said they would wait to pass judgment on Silver until they had seen the independent reports being performed, but called on Lopez to step down. However, Danz said there was “no doubt” Silver should lose his position because under the logic of most Democratic candidates, Lopez should not be asked to step down either until the reports are released.
“(Silver) is the poster boy for term limits and has got to go,” Danz said. “He admitted what he did and if someone stole that much money from me, I would fire him.”
Higgins agreed that somehow the settlement money needs to be returned to the taxpayers.
This year’s primary vote will take place on Thursday, Sept. 13. Conservative Party members will also get to vote in the race, with nominee Joseph Sullivan facing a write-in opportunity to ballot challenge.
