ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/JOBS
There is nothing more important to me and to our communities than the creation of jobs and economic development to sustain and develop our quality of life. In my position as County Attorney, as a Director of Southern Tier Economic Growth (STEG) and as Counsel to the Chemung County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), I have been at the forefront of marketing and developing our region as an area to expand or locate a business. I am not just concerned about bringing any business into the area, but businesses that will create good-paying jobs and show the promise of having long-term growth and expansion. I want to work within the business community to ensure that our existing businesses, especially those that have been the backbone of our local economy for decades are not threatened by expansion of new business in our area, but that they compliment each other, ensuring the economic development of our region and jobs for the future.
Government does not create jobs, businesses do; Legislators can create a business friendly environment so our economy can thrive. New York’s Empire Zone has been critical to business competitiveness in New York. We have had great success with our Empire Zones in the Southern Tier with projects like: the Corning Inc diesel catalytic converter plant, CVS distribution facility, Schweizer/Sikorsky Hawkworks, General Revenue Corp, Sitel Corp, Schlumberger in Horseheads, Corning research and development expansion, Vulcraft Steel in Chemung, Synthes in Big Flats, X-Gen Pharmaceuticals in Big Flats and the Best Buy distribution facility in Tioga. These projects have created hundreds of local good-paying jobs.
PROPERTY TAXES
Increasing property taxes to fund mandated state programs has to come to a swift end, if our communities and region are going to survive. It’s difficult enough for communities to fund their own infrastructure with property taxes, let alone unfunded state mandates. The biggest problem we face is keeping our tax rate down keep residents in our communities and to attract new business growth. My job as your Senator will take several approaches on this issue. First, initiate and support any bill that reduces/eliminates unfunded State mandates that counties, school districts and communities are forced to incur a financial burden. Second, initiate and support any bill that revises the formula for school funding so that it is understandable, consistent and treats all districts fairly. Third, ensure the state is working with our congressional delegation to ensure that we continue to get our fair share of federal funding at the state and local level.
REFORMING DYSFUNCTIONAL STATE GOVERNMENT
I pledge to work to instill openness and legitimacy to State Government – 20+ years of late budgets and out of control spending increases is unacceptable. I support reform that will put a contingency budget(last year’s budget) in place May 1st, if the budget hasn’t been passed, and also calls for setting school aid two years in advance so that school districts will know well in advance what State aid they will be receiving when they are planning their school budgets. I have sponsored legislation that requires the forfeiture of Legislators’ pay for any period of time the state budget is late.
The Legislative process in Albany is in the hands of too few people – we must put an end to ‘three men in a room’ legislating and provide the rank and file legislators the ability to be meaningfully involved in the process. I support legislative reforms to: limit the time a legislator can be in a Leadership position; allow for petitions to discharge (enable Bill’s stalled in Committee to be moved to the floor for a vote of the full house), prohibit the consideration of any Bill until the Budget has been passed; require Bill’s that increase taxes to be so identified; accelerate the process for home rule requests; allow minority committee members to call for public hearings.
I support the Constitutional Convention effort underway to reform the State Government. This will allow everyday New Yorker’s, not elected officials, to serve as a delegate to make fundamental changes to the way our state government functions, including consideration of term limits, independent redistricting, spending caps and unfunded mandate relief.
ISSUE: MEDICAID
Working alongside Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli, I have been on the leading edge of the fight to reform MEDICAID in New York State. I agree, wholeheartedly, that we need to take care of people in our community and region that need medical care. My concern and the concern of every one of us should be whether Medicaid should be at the level and expense that provides more care than private health plans in the private sector? The answer to that is NO! Medicaid needs to be reformed to provide essential care - cost effectively and not be the Cadillac of health care that it has become in New York State at the expense of the taxpayer. The cost of this program is depleting the funds of our municipalities and putting them on the brink of bankruptcy. The local share of Medicaid accounts for far too large a share of our Counties’ total real property tax levy. This local share, an unfunded State mandate, is driving up real property taxes – the worst job killing tax there is – in virtually every County in the State. That’s why reform of Medicaid is so important to me.
My goal in the Senate is to continue to lead the fight to reform MEDICAID; to save property tax payers and our counties and communities our hard earned dollars. I will continue to fight for reforms such as the Medicaid Cap for Counties and the waiver that was requested for our region to create a reformed MEDICAID program; requiring recipients to use generic drugs and negotiating with the pharmaceutical companies to save us hundreds of millions of dollars; requiring utilization of managed care and easing regulations to qualify more health care providers to render managed care; and fighting abuse of the program. I am committed to fight to reform MEDICAID before it robs us of our future and the future of our children.
NYS EDUCATION FUNDING
There must be a fair and equitable distribution of funds to school districts throughout the state to provide vital educational opportunities to all of our children. The final test for any school aid formula must be that all students and taxpayers are treated the same, with the same opportunities. And the formula must be understandable and consistent. I will fight to assure that we in the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes region get our fair share of education funding.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Our “Quality of Life” is important to every one of us and holds a different definition for each of us. For our grandparents, food on the table, a roof over their heads, and a good radio defined it. For our parents, it meant good schools, college and employment opportunities, and keeping the influence of drugs away from us. Today, most young families see “Quality of Life” as all those things and more. Our region establishes a firm foundation for “Quality of Life” in its communities with low crime, good schools, and the beauty of our lakes, rivers and mountains. This isn’t enough; the excellent education we receive exposes us to more everyday that we want to make a part of our “Quality of Life”. Whether, it’s new and different restaurants, wineries, museums and cultural activities, we have to develop the plans to include these aspects of our region to continue to grow. I am committed to using my position in the Senate to ensure that small communities and rural regions are not overlooked in the NYS budget for arts and cultural funding. This is an area that not only adds to our “Quality of Life” but attracts tourists who visit and want to keep coming back!
SPORTSMEN/2ND AMENDMENT
I am an avid outdoorsman and will be a strong advocate for sportsman’s rights. I firmly believe in our right to bear arms guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I am a member of the NRA and have received an ‘A’ rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund which recognizes me as being a “solid pro-Second Amendment/pro-hunting candidate who supports sportsmen and gun-owners.”
Fishing is my favorite pastime. I often fish our Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario. As Chairman of the Chemung-Schuyler Red Cross I helped organize the Annual Red Cross ‘Reeling for Relief’ fishing tournament held each July on the Finger Lakes.
I will be a strong supporter of programs to preserve and enhance our natural resources and hunting/fishing opportunities. I believe in a cooperative approach to fish and game management favoring inclusion of our sportsman’s organizations in the process.
