I thought it might be useful to explore state Sen. Serphin Maltese's (R-Glendale) voting record, which has been habitually against the best interests of his middle class constituency.
According to a Drum Major Institute report, he scored an F in delivering for the middle class. This shows he voted for bills that benefited middle class New Yorkers only 36 percent of the time.
His rating with New Yorkers Against Gun Violence was 0 percent, while his rating with the National Rifle Association is 100 percent. He has voted against banning assault rifles and machine gun sales in the state.
Maltese voted against the Empire State Wage Act, which raised the state minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $6 per hour.
Another vote against the middle class was his vote on the Estate Tax Exemption Act. Under the present law, the first $1 million bestowed on heirs is exempted from the state estate tax. This bill would have exempted an additional $500,000 from taxation.
The Amendment to Gun Industry Civil Liability would have made gun manufacturers liable in a civil law suit if a weapon they made was illegally acquired and used to injure or kill someone in the state. The manufacturers could avoid liability if they abide by a safe-sales code of conduct, including selling only to dealers who do mandatory background checks at gun shows, maintain a database of weapons and the names of purchasers, provide access to records to law enforcement, allow a person to purchase no more weapons in a month, have a plan for securing guns in transit and have not sold more than 20 weapons used in crimes. Maltese voted against this bill.
As the state's premier environmental watchdog, Environmental Advocates of NY works to ensure that New York enacts and implements the measures needed to protect its natural resources and environmental health. Maltese has voted on issues to support our environment only 13 percent of the time, according to EANY.
I feel Maltese and the Queens County Republican Party have not successfully reached out to the 15th State Senate District nor represented its middle class constituency well.
David Quintana
Ozone Park
