AREA NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE RACES
In addition to casting ballots for President, United States Senator and New York's 3rd Congressional District House seat, voters will also be electing representatives to the New York State Legislature this November 8. There are five area races - two for the New York State Senate and three for the gerrymandered Assembly districts that snake their way through the North Shore School District (see maps). The candidates' responses to the questions below were provided to the Nassau County League of Women Voters. READ MORE
STATE SENATE
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Fifth Senate District - Includes Sea Cliff, Glen Head, Old Brookville, most of Glenwood Landing
James Gaughran
Party: DEM, WFP, WEP Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: 1) Making sure Long Island gets its fair share of tax dollars back from Albany. Right now, for every $3 we pay in taxes, only $2 is reinvested back into Long Island. 2) Fighting corruption by supporting real ethics reform and enacting tougher penalties for those who would violate the public’s trust. Corrupt dealings in Albany, and here on Long Island, are costing taxpayers millions. 3) Ensuring that Long Island’s public schools are fully funded. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: We need to eliminate our campaign finance laws that, in essence, allow the ultra-wealthy to buy politicians and encourages pay-to-play. The first step is by eliminating the LLC loophole that allows individuals to skirt contribution limits by creating anonymous companies that can each donate to their preferred candidates. Furthermore, I will propose legislation that completely bans the use of campaign funds for personal use by elected officials and significantly increases the penalties for those who do. The Moreland Commission on Public Corruption identified this as a priority to fight corruption and noted that the current guidelines are ineffectual and in dire need of reform. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: Participation in elections is the bedrock of our democracy, we should be doing everything in our power to facilitate people’s ability to cast a ballot, including all of the methods listed above. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: I believe that we should have elected officials legislate changes to the New York State Constitution as needed. It’s why the State Legislature exists. Holding a Constitutional Convention can open a dangerous door where highly-funded organizations can force drastic changes upon our state that can endanger the rights of students to receive a quality education, of women’s right to choose, of employee’s rights to organize and the rights of many others reliant on protections afforded by the Constitution. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: I will support every ethics reform proposed that increase transparency in New York. Five of the past 7 legislative leaders in Albany have been convicted of corruption and yet we’ve seen little by way of legislation to change Albany’s culture. We need to end the pay-to-play culture that has thrived in Albany for far too long. |
Carl Marcellino
Party: REP, CON, IND, RFM Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: My top three priorities today and into the future are taxes, jobs and education. Over the last six years, I have voted to cut 78 different taxes, saving New Yorkers over $11 billion. We cut income tax rates to the lowest they have been since 1948 and the property tax cap has saved homeowners over $15 billion statewide. That being said, too many families and individuals are still struggling to make ends meet. I believe we can and will do more to allow taxpayers to keep more of what they work so hard to earn. Our State is headed in the right direction, but we have to do even more so the job creators can put more New Yorkers to work. The business tax cuts I voted for this past session will put more money back into the pockets of small businessmen and women so they can invest, grow and hire more employees. If we successfully pair a favorable business environment with job growth, we will reap the benefits of our economy moving forward. I will examine and eliminate current regulations, mandates, and taxes on private business that stunt growth and stifle our economy. Increasing aid to our schools is a critical component of my education plan. Under my watch as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, there was a $1.5-billion-dollar increase for public education statewide in this year’s budget. The schools of the Fifth Senate District saw an increase of $16.8 million, or a 9.6% increase. Over the last six years, the 5th Senate districts have seen an increase of over $45 million, or a 30.9% increase; and nearly $1000 more per pupil. Moving forward, I want to build on the record aid increases of the past few years and continue the discussion to ensure that the goal of higher standards and achievement is not crushed by a bureaucratic bungling of implementation. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: New York State should always review and develop our campaign finance laws to ensure the most fair and honest process. Any reform measure should seek to improve the current law and provide a level playing field for all candidates. I am open to campaign finance reform initiatives that might include lowering the contribution limits, closing loopholes and increasing transparency. I think we can take steps to improve public access to reports. We need to make it easier, quicker and more obvious to see where the money is from and where it is going. In addition to what is already filed, I would support the idea that all campaign or lobbying spending be disclosed online within 48 hours. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: I support the The Voter Friendly Ballot Act (S.7086). This bill will provide a remedy for New York's hard to read ballot by setting forth specifications that will create a ballot layout that is straightforward. At the same time, it provides Boards of Election with the flexibility to ensure good ballot design, regardless of the particular limits of their voting technology, or the number of contests and candidates that must be placed on the ballot in any particular election. As a State, we must take steps to integrate new and expanding technology into our election process. The key to moving forward on such an effort is to insure the integrity of the process and make sure that the ballots and results cannot be tampered with by individuals looking to affect an outcome illegally. There are simple first steps we can take now. For example, legislation allowing the Board of Elections to communicate with voters by email is a common sense step. There are numerous bills on this issue that could be negotiated into one good piece of legislation and passed immediately. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: I do not believe a Constitutional Convention is the best way to address the myriad of problems facing our State. Once begun, the agenda cannot be limited to just a handful of reforms. While a convention could provide some needed reforms, it could also produce the elimination or creation of laws that not everyone would support and at a steep cost to taxpayers. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: During the 2016 Session, I voted for critical legislation that will strip state pensions from lawmakers convicted of corruption and will prohibit campaigns from working with independent expenditure committees that can spend unlimited dollars to support candidates as long as they do not work hand in hand with the campaigns directly. These measures, paired with the increased lawmaker disclosure of outside income, that is now in effect, are substantial steps in the right direction. I will continue to support legislation, S2722B, that will set into law eight-year term limits for leadership positions in the Senate and Assembly and also limits the number of years a legislator can serve as a committee chair or party leader. Working with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, I will support even further comprehensive reforms that will expand integrity in government, ensure greater openness and transparency, and hold dirty politicians accountable for their illegal acts. |
7th Senate District - Includes Roslyn Harbor, Greenvale and western tip of Glenwood Landing
Adam Haber
Party: DEM, WFP, WEP Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: My top three priorities include tackling the burden of too high property taxes, supporting a strong and equitably funded public education system, and addressing issues of corruption in state government. For too long the hardworking families on Long Island have been giving more to Albany in taxes than they get back in services and the time has come for a change. We need an advocate in the State Senate who will fight to put Long Island First and who knows the steps we must take to curb wasteful spending without losing jobs and services, to provide adequate state funding to all of our public school districts and to change the “business as usual” policies that keep corrupt elected officials in positions of power for longer than they should ever be allowed to remain in office. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: The influence of big money in politics is an undeniable problem that leads to power being placed in the hands of special interests rather than in the hands of the voters. There are several changes that must be made to our campaign finance system, but I will focus on two here. First, we must lower contribution limits for corporations and big businesses who donate to campaigns at too high levels in an attempt to impact the outcome of elections. We must also close the LLC loophole, a gaping hole in our campaign finance system that not only treats corporations like people, but essentially allows a corporation to donate unlimited funds to the campaigns of their choice. A corporation can set up an unlimited number of LLCs, all of which are treated as individual entities essentially allowing a corporation to skirt around contribution limits. We must also strengthen our disclosure laws so that the public knows exactly who is spending money in elections and who they are supporting. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: Simply put, I support measures that make it easier for individuals to participate in our democracy. That includes early voting, voting by mail, modernization of our voter registration process and several other steps that will make it easier for people to be part of their government. We must encourage all who are able to participate in the process so that elected officials are chosen by more than just a handful of people. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: The decision to hold a constitutional convention is ultimately up to the voters. However, I do have some concerns about the potential unintended effects of a convention. For instance, hard-fought rights for workers are protected by the current constitution including the right to organize and the right to participate in collective bargaining. By opening the state constitution up for ratification, we risk moving backwards and rolling back protections currently in place for hard working Long Islanders. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: I became involved in public service as a direct response to issues of corruption and ethical misconduct. Several years ago, over $11million was stolen from our children’s education in the Roslyn school district. Something had to be done, so I ran for school board. Once elected, I fought for transparency on how taxpayer dollars were being spent and found creative solutions to the complicated financial problems facing the district resulting in some of the lowest tax levy increases of any other K-12 district in Nassau County. When corruption and self-interest are removed from the equation it is amazing what can be accomplished. I also tackled the issue of transparency while serving on the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, pushing for new transparency measures during the contract bidding process in an effort to bring to light any potential for conflicts of interest or misuse of taxpayer dollars. The opportunity to take these experiences and skills to Albany is one I look forward to, as we have similar problems to tackle in the NYS government. Corruption is a problem that knows no political party, but it does know one thing and that is time. We must enact term limits so that elected officials do not see elected office as an opportunity for a lifelong career where power and influence grow unchecked. We need elected officials who are not interested in running for office to increase their own power, but who want to run to serve the people. We must also ban the ability of legislators to hold jobs outside of the legislature that allow them to interact with clients who have business before the state and enact policies that restrict politicians from using their campaign account as a personal bank. Additionally, we must stiffen the penalties for elected officials who are convicted of corruption by removing their pensions once and for all. Taxpayers should not be footing the bill for the retirement of legislators by way of a conviction. |
Elaine R. Phillips
Party: REP, CON, IND, RFM Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: -- Affordability – I want to ensure that families and seniors can afford to live on Long Island, and so I will work to lower taxes, fight for our fair share of aid for schools and communities, and create better opportunity for jobs and a robust, local economy. -- Ethics – As Mayor of my village, I enacted a tough new ethics law and independent ethics oversight. In the Senate, I will work to clean up corrupt Albany by enacting term limits and greater transparency, and for a new law to take away the pensions of corrupt politicians. -- Conservation – I’m proud to have been endorsed by the state’s leading environmental advocacy group, the NY League of Conservation Voters, in recognition of my record on behalf of cleaner water and air. A clean environment is the gift we leave to future generations and, in Albany, I will fight to protect Long Island and NYS’s environment—and especially our water—and create a cleaner, better future for all. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: I am a strong proponent of greater openness and accountability in government, as evidenced by my record as village mayor, when I created more transparency in our budget in an effort to help increase public participation and build taxpayers’ confidence. Similarly, I believe that Albany is in dire need of more transparency and accountability. I would favor laws that seek to increase disclosure requirements and better enforcement and stronger criminal penalties to prevent the use of so-called straw donors or other means that are designed to conceal the actual source of campaign funds. I do not favor using taxpayer dollars to pay for political campaigns. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: I believe that we should take steps to encourage greater participation in elections, and ensuring adequate resources to local Boards of Elections so that elections run smoothly and efficiently and no legitimate voter is turned away at the polls. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: I am concerned about the potential cost to taxpayers of a statewide convention when there is already a mechanism in place for changing the Constitution without one, as has been done repeatedly and effectively over the course of many years (including last year). The last Convention, held in 1967, cost taxpayers more than $46 million (current dollars) and voters rejected every single one of the proposed changes that resulted from the meeting. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: My record and experience in local government clearly shows my support for increased transparency and accountability. I would support efforts to increase disclosure and public access to government information. |
LOCAL ASSEMBLY RACES
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13th Assembly District - Includes Sea Cliff, areas of Glen Head, Glen Cove
Charles Lavine
Party: DEM, WFP, WEP Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: Honesty and integrity in government; protection of our environment and job growth. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: Public financing of elections starting with the election of judges, a ban on corporate money paying for election advertising, a ban on illegal "soft money," overturning "Citizens United" and increased funding for the Office of the New York State Board of Elections Enforcement Counsel. While some of my colleagues have opposed the independence of the Elections Enforcement Counsel, I fully support that office and, as opposed to some of my colleagues and some members of the State Board of Elections, I support the Counsel's decision to make public the Enforcement Counsel's decision to refer cases to the District Attorneys for criminal prosecution. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: I support all of the above and reforming laws to make it easier for candidates to run for office, automatic at-birth or at moment of citizenship enrollment of every person to become an eligible voter and I have also fought for and supported the National Popular Vote which will ensure that never again does the presidential candidate with the most votes lose an election due to the quirky nature of the outdated Electoral College system. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: I fear that special interests and the major political parties will select the delegates to the Convention and that a nonpartisan public voice will not be heard. Whether to have the convention is a question that will be decided by the voters on the November 2017 ballot. The Convention, which will cost at least $300 million, will be held two years later. It is critically important that the public interest and only the public interest be served. New York should already have established a nonpartisan Commission to establish rules and regulations for the Convention and, importantly, to conduct the research essential for the integrity of the Convention and as importantly to educate and inform New Yorkers of the dangers and benefits of any such convention. Absent such a fair Commission and absent public education on the process, I will not support a Constitutional Convention. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: As Chair of the Assembly Ethics Committee and Co-chair of the NY State Legislative Ethics Commission and as the Chair of the bi-partisan Task Force that developed the most modern, effective and functional Policy on Sexual Harassment and Retaliation in the Nation, which removed the reporting process from the 'chain of command' (Senator Gillibrand is fighting for just such a policy to protect members of our armed forces) I am proud to be a leader in the fight for good government. The Ethics Committee is the only legislative committee composed of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats and is served by a truly independent investigator and counsel. The Committee has forced wrongdoers out of office. Under my leadership, the NY Ethics Commission has imposed fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars on legislator wrongdoers, thereby sending an effective message that sexual harassment, retaliation and discrimination will not be tolerated or enabled. I am proud as well that the New York Times published my Op-ed on Ethics Reform on January 26, 2016, a piece that is well worth reading. |
Jeffery Peress
Party: GRE Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: 1) Stronger environmental laws 2) Criminal Justice Reform 3) Property Taxes Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: As stated from the above question. The new law ending pensions for politicians convicted of corruption does not go far enough. The US Supreme Court just overturned a corruption conviction of the former governor of Virginia. The Supreme Court made it more difficult to prosecute and convict on corruption charges. This law does not go far enough. I would push for a clean elections bill ending private campaign funding similar to Maine and Arizona. This bill would take away any private donations, from Political Action Committees (PAC's) and or Super PAC's., which creates public funding for any candidate is on the ballot. I would also make the paperwork for candidates that are required to file easier. One example is the In Lieu of statement, if you raise less than $1,000.00 for each election cycle not total cycles you may continue to file in the same cycle. If you reach the $1000.00 threshold, you are required to itemize your donations and expenditures. If you do not pass the $1,000.00 expenditures and or total donors, you may revert back to In Lieu of Statement. I would like to see the threshold raised to $5,000.00. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: As a candidate I would support ending fusion in New York State. I would replace it with proportional representation, instant run off votes, rank choice voting and I would eliminate partisan judicial races except for Supreme Court and replace them with only the candidates’ names, eliminate Opportunity to Ballot (OTB) laws that steal or raid other parties without party authorizations from other political parties, change the law and make the New York State Board of Elections nonpartisan like California and replace political patronage at the Board of Elections with civil service jobs earned by civil service exams, make it easier for non-ballot status parties to be recognized as political parties. I would be in favor of felony re enfranchisement eliminating the conviction status while on parole. I am opposed to open primaries; political parties have the right to set their agendas. I support same day voter registration and early voting. As for voter registration I would have a sample of all the political parties’ platforms to give the voters an informed decision on which party to register for or no party if they wish to do so. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: The last time New York had a vote on whether to hold a Constitutional Convention was in 1997. I voted against it back then. In theory I support it, in practical terms I can't support it. I worry that corporations and Political Action Committees (PAC's) may hijack and or influence the outcome of a convention to benefit them. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: I would use the model of second year law students. Mandatory professional responsibilities class. This was adopted after the Watergate scandal. This is a great model for any elected state legislature, including the executive branch. One requirement would be if there is a conflict of interest, the elected official must recuse themselves from any votes that may influence the outcome. See above questions two and three as examples. |
Jeffrey S. Vitale
Party: REP, CON, RFM Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: Heroin and Opioid Epidemic: Nassau and Suffolk counties continue to fight against one of the worst drug problems that we have ever faced. Statistics show that there is an increased amount of opioid painkiller overdose deaths in New York by 30% from 2009 to 2013. While the Assembly has made significant steps in their fight against this issue, more needs to be done. I would vote to help enable family members to involuntarily admit other members of their immediate family who are suffering from opioid/heroin addiction but still don’t seek help. I would also fight to make criminal possession of Fentanyl a class E felony. Brittany’s Law: It is of the utmost importance to make sure that citizens remain informed about convicted violent offenders in their community. There is currently in place a New York State Sex Offender List and local animal abuse lists where you can look to make sure that potential threats in your area are known to you in order to better protect your family. Brittany’s Law is seeking to create a registry where violent offenders who have committed a class A felony (Murder 1st, Arson 1st, etc.) are required to contact the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services to ensure their whereabouts are known to the community. These lists would be made public and could be searched in order to ensure that you are fully aware if someone could be a danger to your welfare. We never want to see the tragedy that happened to young Brittany Passalacqua and her mother happen to anyone else. • Ethics Reform: I want to continue the efforts of Assembly republicans who have called for greater change and transparency in Albany. This includes removing unspent campaign contributions of an elected official convicted of a felony offense related to his/her official duties to be returned or donated to charity. I would also support bill number A.2826 that would require all candidates provide a link on their official website that would direct you to their financial disclosure reports. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: I will continue to fight to pass legislation that would ensure campaign funds are used for the exact reason they were collected; getting elected. While there has been recent action to stop certain abuses such as using funds for fines or penalties against a candidate or using funds to pay for country club memberships, there must be legislation passed that stops the use of campaign contributions to be used to pay for attorney/legal fees in connection with misdoings while in office or within their personal lives. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: Having worked the polls for years prior to running, I can tell you that moving towards a more modern system, such as making the ballots scannable, have made the process easier in some ways, and more burdensome in others. Residents aren't happy when they see that a machine is broken or disabled for whatever reason and they aren't able to scan their ballots. Instead they are left in a drawer within the ballot machine until a technician can come and fix the problem where a bipartisan team can scan them in together. A great system in theory, but leaves the voters feeling apprehensive when they didn't get the satisfaction of seeing that their vote was actually cast. I think that training webinars should be housed online and easily accessible so that residents and poll workers can see the entire process from a spoiled ballot to how to check where they are registered to vote so that they can make the most of this process. With greater understanding of the system we can build trust and hopefully achieve higher turnouts. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: I am happy to know that citizens are given the right to vote on this topic during next year’s election, however you must be careful for what you wish for. The problem with this scenario is that there is no telling what provisions or amendments could be made once opened. A common comparison is “Pandora’s Box” where a number of items could be removed or altered that had nothing to do with the original intention of opening the New York State Constitution. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: Besides what I previously spoke about above, I think that one of the most important things is to pass legislation that would stop lobbyists and other benefactors from donating campaign contributions to public officials and candidates who stand to directly benefit from their being elected. |
Assembly District 15 - areas of Glen Head and Old Brookville
Dean Hart
Party: DEM, WFP, IND, WEP Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: My top three priorities are Cleaning Up the Crooks, Long Island Tax Relief, and Campaign Finance Reform. I feel that the biggest problems we’re facing here is corruption in Albany, Nassau County, and Oyster Bay. If we can get rid of the cronyism, the blatant corruption, favoritism, kickbacks, and nepotism, we can work on passing legislation that actually helps our constituents, and not lining the pockets of the politician’s friends. Reforming our corrupt capital will end up greatly reducing the tax burden for fellow tax-paying citizens. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: Campaign Finance Reform is one of the key tenants of my campaign. I believe that the current campaign finance regulations are far too lax, and have helped contribute to the corruption and cronyism in the state legislature. We need to Ban Super PACS which wind up controlling lawmakers and how one votes. Anyone running for public office should be required by law to disclose all income, holdings, and investments; the public has a right to know of any conflicts of interests that a candidate may have when running. We need to close the LLC Loophole that has allowed nearly unlimited donations to be funneled to candidates’ campaigns through the creation of Limited Liability Corporation. Not only do we need to be stricter in regards to how much money a LLC can donate, we also need to institute much stricter transparency laws in regards to LLC in order to prevent wealthy donors from setting up numerous LLC’s in order to circumvent the spirit of the campaign limits. One of the reasons I have decided to self-fund my campaign, is because the current campaign finance system makes it almost impossible to tell who is funding their campaign honestly and who is not, and I vow not to take a single donation until we pass fundamental reform that will ensure that all donations are honest campaign donations and not just quid pro quo arrangements. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: New York needs to make voting as easy as possible for people; I am in support of opening up the party primaries, extending election day over a two-day period, and create an automatic voting registration system in New York. In the recent Presidential Primaries in New York, thousands of citizens found their names wiped from the voter registration rolls, we need total scrutiny of the registration processes and v to ensure mistakes like this doesn’t happen again. There were also millions of unaffiliated voters, many of them first time voters, who were unable to cast their ballots for a presidential candidate because they are not registered to a political party. We need to open up the primaries and allow all voters the opportunity to have their voices heard. Reevaluate the way we vote in the state. Whether it’s creating a week for early voting in designated locations in the county, or holding election day over a two-day period, we need to make it more convenient for citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. I am also in favor of creating an automatic voting registration program for all eligible citizens. We can base it off the successful system that has taken shape in Oregon, which automatically registers citizens who request or renew a driver's license through the DMV, and gives them 21 days to opt out of the voting rolls, which shifts the burden of registration from the person to the state. The State’s goal should be to get as close to all citizens voting as possible, and I am open to any ideas that can help achieve that. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: Yes! Every 20 years the NYS Constitution mandates a referendum to voters on whether or not to hold a Constitutional Convention, and the next one will be held in 2017. We need to start informing and educating voters to this referendum right now. The last constitutional convention was in 1967, and the State has made tremendous changes in the last 50 years that I think it is vital that we convene another meeting. Furthermore, I want to amend the constitution to change the referendum process from every 20 years to every 10. This is because of how important the state's constitutional amendment process is to our democracy; it gives voters a chance to enact meaningful and long lasting change via a direct vote. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: Improving the ethics and transparency of the state capital is fundamental in reforming our corrupt system of government, and restoring the public’s faith in our democracy and elected officials. In the past year, we’ve seen the Leader of the Assembly Sheldon Silver and the Leader of the Senate Dean Skelos, and two of Governor Cuomo’s top aides get convicted of corruption charges, which shows that this blatant corruption crosses both party lines, and all branches of government, and we need to act now to rid the government of cronyism, fraud, abuse, and waste. I have several ideas on how to cleanup Albany including: instituting term limits for all public officials. The state legislature should be a place for serving the public, not sustaining a career; Banning outside income from a legislator, apart from exceptions such as pay for military service, book or artistic royalties and pensions from prior employment, we need to ensure our legislators are there to represent us, and don’t have a conflict of interest with other employers. Any legislator found guilty of sexual harassment must be forced to resign. This sets a bad example for our children and casts New York in a poor light. We need to ban per diem payments. A new law would allow compensation only for documented travel expenses and ban per diem payments, which provide a daily payment for legislators while they are in the Capital Public officials convicted of criminal acts should be barred from receiving pensions. It is shameful that those who are now headed for jail will still receive money from the public in the form of a pension. We need to support an Amendment to the NY Constitution to do this, since payouts to felons who were legislators could total millions of dollars, after they lost and stole billions of our tax-paying dollars. There needs to be greater oversight of lobbying activities, including more financial disclosures on the part of those lobbying legislators. |
Michael A. Montesano
Party: REP, CON, RFM Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: 1. Increase funding for services for people with disabilities, Expanding the availability of residential homes, and preservation of day rehabilitation programs and life skills training for them. 2. Secure more adequate funding to continue improving our roadways and bridges. 3. Increased ethics reform measures and penalties and more aggressive enforcement of the current laws, and more transparency into government operations. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: First there needs to be more aggressive enforcement of the current laws. In addition, there needs to be precise language in the rules about what a candidate can and cannot do with the campaign funds, right now there are too many grey areas that are left to broad interpretation. There should be no expenditures for legal fees for criminal charges or the payment of fines, and no payments for personal expenses not specifically associated for the campaign. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: I would support modernization of voter registration especially via the web. Unfortunately, due to the constraints of the new voting machines I do not think we can do much more with the ballot design however I would like to see the print size increase. As to early voting I would like to see some realistic proposals as to how this would be accomplished and some proposed costs. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: I am not fully decided on the issue yet as I would like to see a firm proposal on the legislation as to the workings of a convention and the members of the convention and their duties and responsibilities, and closely review the necessity of even having a convention. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: As a current member of the Assembly ethics & guidance committee and the NYS legislative ethics commission, I am a strong proponent and sponsor of the Public Officers accountability act, which among other things place 8 year limits on all leadership positions and committee chairs. Make each elected official a mandated reporter for report acts of corruption that they know about or have witnessed. I would like to see enacted a prohibition of elected officials having any association or supervision of not-for-profits, and restrict the members of their immediate families from being employed by them or from serving on the boards. I would like to prohibit all vendors and contractors who contract with the state from contributing to the states elected officials’ campaigns. I would like to expand and continue the live streaming of all our committee meetings and proceedings and Beverly restrict the Governors use of the message of necessity to rush legislation through the Assembly/Senate the last minute and late at night without proper review and debate of the legislation. |
Assembly District 19 - Areas of Glen Head
Gary Port
Party: DEM, WFP, WEP Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: 1. Ethics reform for elected officials. 2. Economic growth to increase the tax base for Nassau County 3. Veterans' issues Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: 1. Public financing of campaigns. Unfortunately, money pollutes the political process. 2. Term limits. Term limits to my mind are linked to campaign finance reform. When the elected official becomes too invested in his/her elected position, s/he will be more tempted to engage in financial indiscretions to keep the job. 3. Complete open disclosure for officials, spouses and children. As the Adam Skelos scandal showed, favors to children are just as corrupting as directly bribing the official. 4. A complete embargo on monies received from people or businesses involved with government by elected officials. 5. In the alternative to #1, reducing contribution limits to $500 per person or business regardless of race. The current system of tracking limits to population has proven to be unworkable. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: Tuesday voting disenfranchises working people. Patronage employees are given the day off to work, and get the vote out. We need to have early voting, voting by mail, weekend voting, and perhaps 2 consecutive weekend voting, Saturdays and Sundays. We should also launch an examination of other locales and countries which use internet voting. Anything that increases voting participation is to view positively. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: A Constitutional Convention should not be held on a whim. A Convention must only be convened to resolve significant and serious issues after due deliberation and not to address the emotions of the moment. There must be a broad consensus on the issues to be addressed and a voted upon agenda. The problem with the current system is that we have an up or down vote on a constitution every 20 years. No agenda is agreed upon beforehand and this can open up the convention to the battle of the interest groups. I am not sure that a convention is a good idea at this juncture until ethics and election reform are accomplished. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: Yes. Elected officials should not view government as their job and a method to create wealth for themselves. We also need to address how the Senate and the Assembly are governed. At present those bodies are held hostage to a small group of leaders, who stifle the voices of reformers. An elected official, should, in effect, live in a glass house. You want the job; you get the scrutiny. |
Edward P. Ra
Party: REP, CON, IND, TRP, RFM Questions: Q: 1. Priorities: What would be your top three priorities? A: (1) Ethics reform - We must continue to work to restore the people's faith in our State Government to have the credibility to work on the issues facing New York State. We need internal reforms to how the Assembly operates to stop "three men in a room" budget negotiations and adopting bills with no transparency in the middle of the night. We need term limits for legislative leaders and committee chairs and an equal allocation of resources to prevent leaders from becoming all powerful as this is a recipe for corruption. (2) Taxes and job creation - I am proud that we have adopted two middle class income tax cuts during my tenure and have restored property tax rebate checks. We must now focus on adopting policies to help our small businesses grow in order to grow our economy and create good paying jobs. Gimmick programs like START-UP NY are not the answer but rather initiatives that provide across the board improvements to our business climate like reducing fees and cutting bureaucratic red tape and reducing necessary regulations. (3) Education - As the Ranking Member of the Education Committee I have been at the forefront of the fight to reduce our over-reliance on standardized testing and to ensure fair opportunities for every student. I will continue to fight for fair and appropriate standards, a teacher evaluation system that utilizes true measures of learning and instruction and for alternative assessment models that allow for opportunities for all of New York's students to succeed. We also must continue to ensure adequate funding is provided to Long Island's school districts because our receiving our fair share from Albany reduces the burden on our property tax payers and helps preserve essential programs. Q: 2. Campaign Finance: What further changes, if any, to campaign finance regulation and enforcement in New York State do you propose? Please explain. A: We should focus on ensuring all political activity is properly disclosed and close loopholes like the LLC loophole. Those entities should be subject to the same restrictions as corporations and not be an opportunity to give endless sums to candidates and party committees. We also need to enact tighter restrictions on campaign spending as there are virtually none under current law so long as the expenditure promotes a "legal" purpose. Q: 3. Election Reform: What election reforms would you support, such as: early voting; voting by mail; better ballot design; and voter registration modernization? A: Ballot design is important given the computerized system now utilized as well as the proliferation of "vanity party" lines. Ballots should be clear to ensure the public can cast their ballot with confidence. Simplicity in the voting process encourages participation. I would also support efforts to modernize our registration to ensure people can register closer to primary and general elections and further outreach to ensure people know of all deadlines. Q: 4. Constitutional Convention: Would you support holding a Constitutional Convention in 2017? Please explain. A: I have grave concerns about a Constitutional Convention. Having studied past conventions we have seen expensive and unproductive conventions that were dominated by the same special interests as a typical legislative session. We also need to be careful with regard to what level of detail belongs in our State constitution. Our State Constitution is currently over 55,000 words which is 6 times longer than the U.S. Constitution and more than double the average State Constitution. Constitutions should be written for posterity and I am fearful that changes adopted through this process may be reflective of current challenges without regard to its effects on future generations. Q: 5. What are you prepared to do to improve the ethics and transparency in the NYS govt.? A: As stated above I think one of our major issues is internal to the Legislature and Executive. Simply put "it's always been done that way" is not an excuse to continue business as usual. This year saw perhaps the least transparent and most secretive budget process in Governor Cuomo's tenure. The rank and file of both houses should refuse to participate in passing a budget in the middle of the night as a matter of course. We need to empower the rank and file members and abandon the concentration of absolute power in a few individuals. I am also open to further restrictions on outside income including limiting the amount of such income but I think an outright ban would threaten the ability of our State government to gain the diversity of opinions, knowledge and expertise that our members currently provide. |
