Candidates Seek Votes At Civic Meet
Less than four weeks away from the general election, candidates for local Congress, State Senate and Assembly seats made their case to voters during a candidates’ night forum held by the Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association (MVPORA) last Monday, Oct. 8, at St. Margaret Parish Hall. Z State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, the Democratic incumbent, and City Council Eric Ulrich, the Republican challenger, stumped for votes in their battle for the 15th State Senate District seat. In addition to speaking with, and taking questions from the audience, both candidates were given the opportunity to ask each other one question regarding a “hot-button” topic on the campaign trail, as described by MVPORA President Salvatore Candela.
Additionally, City Council Member Daniel Halloran, the Republican nominee for the Sixth Congressional District seat, and local civic activist Tony Nunziato, the Republican candidate for the 30th Assembly District office, also got the opportunity to speak with voters. Their respective Democratic rivals-Assemblywomen Grace Meng and Margaret Markey-were not in attendance for the session.
Out to ‘change things’
Ulrich, who represents the 32nd City Council District previously held by Addabbo, led off last Monday’s forum by explaining to voters that he is running for the State Senate “to make a difference.” This was the same motive he had for running for the City Council seat over 3 1/2 years ago.
“We’ve improved the quality of life for my community. We addressed the local concerns and issues that people were concerned about” such as graffiti vandalism and illegal dumping, Ulrich said. “I’m running for the State Senate today for the same reason that I decided for the City Council three years ago. Because I wanted to make a difference. I took a look around my neighborhood. I didn’t like what I saw. I wanted to change things for the better.”
Two of the major issues he focused on were jobs and taxes. Ulrich told residents he would support methods toward creating “good-paying jobs” and protecting current jobs across the state. Regarding taxes, he also stated that he would work to ensure that taxpayers get the services they need for the rates which they pay.
“Everywhere you turn, there’s another tax. We pay these taxes and expect very little in return, except for the basic services that we believe we are entitled to,” he said. “Time and time again, we have seen the city, state and federal government cut these services to pay for welfare and entitlement programs that are overbudgeted [and] overburdened.”
Asked by Candela about providing support for small businesses, Ulrich stated that he would support reduction in business taxes in order to retain and create jobs and eliminate government red tape which inhibits entrepreneurs from gaining access to loans from financial institutions.
The Council member also stated he would work to provide funding for the NYPD to bolster crime-fighting efforts in the wake of a reported citywide increase in overall crime.
One attendee questioned Ulrich’s support of legislation raising the minimum wage. The Council member explained that mandating a higher minimum wage not only helps New Yorkers bear with a higher cost of living, but would also reduce the number of people on public assistance.
“In New York City, it is impossible to have a decent standard of living on $7.25 an hour. We shouldn’t make it more lucrative to stay on welfare,” he said.
Addabbo asked Ulrich to explain his position on hydrofracking, the controversial drilling process for natural gas in underground shales. The state is considering allowing the use of the method, which involves the high-pressure injection of chemicals into the earth in order to reach the plume of gas.
Ulrich stated that allowing hydrofracking has the potential to reap numerous economic benefits for the state in the form of new jobs and greater tax revenue for state government. However, he noted that the state must ensure that such drilling must be conducted safely.
‘All about the people’
In asking for support in his reelection bid, Addabbo stated that the state legislature is now in the process of restoring programs and services which were previously cut to close budget gaps. He noted that he and other lawmakers made difficult decisions to eliminate the deficit.
“Yes, we had to do some cuts and yes, we had to do some minimized pain in raising some taxes. But we are now in the process of reducing those taxes and fees that we did back in 2009 and 2010 to protect our essential state services,” Addabbo said. “But it’s all about the people, putting people first. Too much these days, it’s about putting politics first.”
During his tenure, the senator stated that he took a proactive role in reducing economic burdens for small businesses and finding work for the unemployed. Addabbo pointed out a program with Con Edison and National Grid in which local small businesses received information on how to reduce their utility bills. He added that he’s sponsored five job fairs to date, with a sixth taking place later this month at Resorts World New York casino.
“We can sit on the sidelines as elected officials and do nothing about creating jobs,” Addabbo said. “I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to do something about it.”
A resident asked Addabbo about the ongoing efforts to address noise and air pollution associated with early morning freight train activity along rail lines in the neighborhood. The senator stated “we need to reach as many federal” elected officials and agencies on the matter since railroad activities fall under the federal Interstate Commerce Clause.
“This can’t be a one single elected official issue. It’s not going to be resolved. We need a cooperative effort of all, and right now, certainly we’re on that page,” he said. “We’re talking with attorneys to see what legal ground we have on this issue. … But I cannot ignore it. It’s too much of a quality of life issue for my people.”
Rebutting the response Ulrich gave to his question about hydrofracking, Addabbo stated that while there are stated economic boosts for people upstate, the drilling process itself puts “our drinking water at stake.
“It’s a resource that you cannot replace,” he said, adding that contamination would affect residents and businesses alike.
Ulrich later asked Addabbo about the potential impact of the federal health care reform law colloquially known as “Obamacare” on state taxpayers. The senator stated that “we won’t really know its effects until two years from now,” but informed residents that he would push federal legislators to change the law if it does not affect “people in a positive way.”
While both candidates declared different positions on a host of issues at the session, Ulrich and Addabbo did find common ground on the NYPD’s “stop-and-frisk” program. They both agreed that the initiative is an “effective” tool for law enforcement to combat major crimes.
Not ‘from a machine’
With his opponent absent from the proceedings, Halloran appealed to Middle Village residents for their support, claiming that his experience as a prosecutor, a businessman and a homeowner makes him qualified to represent them on Capitol Hill.
Halloran stated that his campaign is not “coming at this from a machine perspective,” noting that he has made decisions on certain bills in the City Council independent of the party line. He explained that his voting record indicates that he sided with the Republican Party about 70 percent of the time; Meng, he pointed out, voted with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver “99.7 percent” of the time.
“People in Washington have absolutely no idea what’s going on here on the ground anymore, because they’re there for 20, 30 years,” he added. “There’s something when people in Albany or Washington, D.C. walk down a line and don’t deviate from it.”
Halloran also stated that he wasn’t “afraid to tell the mayor what to do to himself” when he disagreed on an issue put forth by the Bloomberg administration. He slammed the mayor’s support-and the Department of Health’s ultimate adoption- of a ban on the sale of large soft drinks at certain retailers.
“If he wanted to fix obesity, he’d put gym teachers in every school,” Halloran said. He also criticized the mayor for supporting tighter gun control laws, claiming that they were ineffective at preventing violent crime.
“Economics is the problem. Get people jobs, get people schools, and then you don’t have crime,” he added. “Why? Because they’re too busy working, going to school and feeling good about themselves. Until we address those socioeconomic issues, we will never get anywhere. And we have to start taking responsibility for ourselves.”
The Council member stated that he would fight to bring additional federal resources, claiming that for every $1 in taxes city residents send to Washington, the city only receives 70 cents back in funding. He called for the tax code to be flattened and simplified while also “cutting out that red tape” that prevents small businesses from growing.
If elected, Halloran also claimed that he would put forth a threepronged “good government amendment” to the U.S. Constitution instituting an annual mandate for a balanced budget; campaign finance reform in which unions and corporations would be prohibited from contributing more than the individual limit; and term limits on Members of Congress and the Senate. On the term limits, Halloran suggested no more than four, four-year terms for the House and three, six-year terms for the Senate.
“That’s the way you put America back into the hands of Americans,” he added.
Need the ‘right representation’
Nunziato, a businessman from Maspeth who is also an active member of the Juniper Park Civic Association, urged Middle Village residents living in the realigned 30th Assembly District to support him in his challenge of the incumbent Assemblywoman Markey.
“We don’t have the right representation in the Assembly,” he said, charging that Markey has supported legislation and rules which do not reflect the values of local residents. One such example he provided was Markey’s support of a bill extending the statute of limitations to hold religious institutions liable in cases of sexual abuse.
Nunziato stated that he has been on the civic scene for many years and advocated for improvement such as the environmental cleanup of the former Phelps Dodge smelting plant in West Maspeth. If elected, he stated that he would advocate for small businesses and middle class residents to keep them sustainable.
“We’re being slaughtered. When the small businesses close on the main avenue, there goes your homes,” Nunziato said. “Those are the backbones of our residential areas. Does anyone like seeing empty stores everywhere? No. It makes the neighborhood look bad and it brings in crime.”
The civic activist went on to note that he wants “to be the people’s advocate,” adding that “we need somebody that cares” in elected office.
“I want to be in the Assembly seeing what’s going on, making sure $100,000 in tax dollars is not being paid for sexual deviant coverups,” he added, referencing the scandal involving Assemblyman Vito Lopez and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “It’s time to fight to make sure we exist.”
The next Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday night, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Margaret Parish Hall, located on 79th Place south of Juniper Valley Road.
