Voters won’t be casting any primary ballots in the newly redrawn 111th Assembly District, but the bell has been rung and general election candidates are already jousting.
GOP leaders in Albany, Schenectady and Montgomery counties issued a joint statement on Tuesday, Sept. 4, calling on Democratic assembly candidate Angelo Santabarbara to renounce any support of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and hand back previous campaign contributions received from the state Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, of which Silver is honorary chairman.
The following day saw the issuance of a statement from Schenectady County Democratic Committee Chairman Brian Quail, who said he “denounced” Republican assembly candidate Tom Quackenbush for trying to shift the focus away from his “abysmal tax record.”
In his previous campaign against Assemblyman George Amedore, Santabarbara accepted more than $127,000 from the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee. Quackenbush argued Silver “controls the money” for that group.
“Whenever you take money from an interest … you would then be expected to vote in line with the person,” he said.
Silver is under investigation for his alleged role in organizing taxpayer-funded settlements for women who worked in Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s office. Lopez was found by a government ethics panel to have sexually harassed several women.
Quackenbush said asking Santabarbara if he would vote Silver back to his leadership position was a fair question. He said he wouldn’t vote for Silver.
In response, Santabarbara said receiving donations for the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee doesn’t equate him to voting for Downstate interest and issues. The committee handed out funds to several candidates for Assembly, he noted.
“I am a Democratic candidate, so I am going to have support from the party,” he said.
Santabarbara said he is not committed on how he would vote for Silver’s reappointment. He said the ongoing investigation should reveal more information around the incident and would shape his decision.
He also accused Quackenbush of using the news as “campaign fodder” and said the discussion should stick to the issues. Quackenbush argued the controversy around Silver is an issue.
The two candidates also debated their fiscal qualifications in recent days.
The district includes all of Montgomery County; the towns of Rotterdam, Princetown and Duanesburg and a portion of the City of Schenectady in Schenectady County; and the towns of Knox and Berne in Albany County.
Santabarbara pointed to his record in the Schenectady County Legislature since being elected in 2007. Four out of the last six years the legislature has approved a budget decreasing the property tax levy, with the other two years holding the line.
“I want this race to be about my record and comparing records,” he said. “I am the only candidate in this race that can say I have never voted to raise taxes.”
Quackenbush, however, said as Town of Minden supervisor there have been no increases or “very slight” tax increasessince he entered office. On the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, he said there have been some “bumps in the road,” with the county tax levy decreasing and increasing.
“Overall, we have done a good job at the county level,” Quackenbush said.
Democrats have also been critical of fund balance usage by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, and Quackenbush admitted savings are “a little bit low.”
Over the past few years, Quackenbush said the board has approved using reserve funds to help “balance and stabilize taxes.” He said he doesn’t believe in filling up reserves more than necessary.
The Montgomery County fund balance is around $5.5 million, according to Quackenbush, with the optimal target $9 million. The fund balance was more than $20 million a few years ago. Recent media reports put the current fund balance at less than $2 million, though. The county used about $5 million of reserve funds in its adopted 2012 budget.
Quackenbush is planning another rally at his Rotterdam campaign headquarters on Saturday, Sept. 15, but Santabarbara is also planning to hold a grand opening ceremony and rally for his Rotterdam office on the following day. Santabarbara said he has been operating out of it already, but hasn’t formally opened the facility.
Santabarbara said in about two weeks he would open a second campaign office in Amsterdam to help connect with residents of Montgomery County.
