Election 2020

Delgado, Van De Water clash on gun control, health care

 By Hunter Krause | Manor Ink

Sullivan County, NY – Manor Ink compared positions on the issues between incumbent Representative Antonio Delgado, a Democrat, and his Republican challenger Kyle Van De Water, as they each present themselves on their respective websites. Rep. Antonio Delgado also spoke directly about the issues with Manor Ink. Van De Water had hoped to speak with the paper, but was unable to find a window of time for an interview.

Residents of the 19th Congressional District, which includes Sullivan County, elected Rhinebeck resident Antonio Delgado to a two-year term as their Representative in 2018. He is up for re-election this year. He currently serves on these House Committees: Agriculture, Small Business, and Transportation and Infrastructure.

Residing in Millbrook, Van De Water is challenging Delgado for the House seat. He is a litigation attorney, is in the Army Reserves JAG Corps and has served as a Village Trustee.

Here are the positions the candidates take on the issues.

Healthcare

Delgado: The Congressman proposes universal coverage as fast as possible. He introduced Medicare X, a bill that creates a public option, giving everyone the choice to opt into Medicare.

Van De Water: Pre-existing conditions should never be a factor when it comes to healthcare. “I will always fight to protect people with pre-existing conditions. However, the rest of Obamacare needs to end. In place of it, we will open the markets and force the insurance companies to compete for your business. Competition ensures the best coverage.”

The environment

Delgado: Proposes working to ensure that environmental policies and regulations protect our land and waterways. Working to protect our rivers and waterways from proposals such as the plan to establish new anchorages for oil tankers near communities like Kingston. “I’ve also been deeply committed to making sure communities like Hoosick Falls never face a water crisis like the one they’ve faced over the past few years. Finally, I do not believe that job creation and environmental conservation need to be in conflict.”

Van De Water: The issues listed on Van De Water’s website do not include the environment. The Ink asked for a comment but received no response.

Farming and agriculture

Delgado: Will work to protect local farms, making sure that necessary subsidies reach the people who actually need them. ”Farmers I’ve talked with have told me they don’t want aid, they just want a livable income. We should help them by passing legislation to conserve our environment, provide access to credit and business training, and invest in preparing the next generation of farmers.”

Van De Water: We need to continue to open markets for NY-19 farmers. “Farmers should not be forced to dump milk, instead the demand should be so high that their farms grow and grow. Keeping farms local means that the people of NY-19 do not need to rely on food sources outside of NY-19.”

Taxes

Delgado: Working people pay enough taxes. America’s tax policies should put working families and the middle class first, not the super rich and large corporations. “I vehemently oppose the recent Republican tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest among us, and any other policy that funnels tax dollars from the middle class to billionaires and contributes to an already exploding federal debt. Trickle-down economics has never worked for the American people. I want to simplify our tax code and get rid of the loopholes.”

Van De Water: “I propose a very simple personal tax code. Ten percent of income should be taxed with a maximum of $50,000 of deductions.” Those who make more will still pay more, and those who make less will pay less, everyone will contribute “their fair share. I do not support penalizing anyone, rich or poor, this has led to the export of millions of jobs and the ultimate loss of revenue.”

Gun control

Delgado: “I respect the Second Amendment, but we can’t afford to keep ignoring the facts. Every day, seven children and teens die from gun violence. Overall, 35,000 Americans are killed by guns every year. If a disease were this deadly, it would be considered a public health crisis. We need to start treating gun violence like one.”

Van De Water: “I stand behind people’s right to own and carry firearms. It is a uniquely American right that has deterred crime. I will never criminalize the over 100 million Americans who break no laws simply because a few people have. Our current gun laws work, gun free zones do not.”

Metzger, Martucci on fracking, health care, Internet access

 By Osei Helper | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor, NY –  Election day is coming up next month, so Manor Ink interviewed both Jen Metzger and Mike Martucci to get their individual takes on important issues.

Jen Metzger is the current Democratic NY State Senator, representing the 42nd District (includes the Manor). She was elected in 2018. She’s worked 11 years in public service and cofounded Citizens for Local Power, a nonprofit organization that works to bring down utility costs and work on other energy reforms. Her main focus is on improving economic well-being and quality of life.

Mike Martucci is the Republican running against Metzger for Senator. He opened up a school bus company at age 22 called Quality Bus Service. The company provided bus service to the Greenwood Lake Union Free School District in Orange County, transporting thousands of school children. His main focus is on protecting families and ensuring everyone is and feels safe.

Manor Ink asked each candidate the same questions and allowed them to elaborate on their own to ensure the most objective take and allow the community to make their own educated decision.

Healthcare

Metzger: “I’d say overall, our healthcare system is pretty broken. Insurance and prescription drug costs are out of control. People aren’t getting the care they need. So I do co-sponsor a bill called the New York Health Act, which would provide comprehensive, universal, affordable coverage.”

Martucci: “Our focus certainly needs to be on those New Yorkers who still don’t have coverage. There’s a couple of things I think that we can practically do to make that better. Certainly, expanding health care options is really important. The Marketplace is one of those tools that’s used to do that. A second is increasing competition. I think inviting more health insurance companies into our state is something very practical that we need to do.”

The Environment

Metzger: “Climate change is without question the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. We need to move forward on this issue urgently. In my first term, we passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which is the most ambitious climate legislation in the nation. It set targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions essentially to net-zero by 2050 and to eliminate carbon emissions from electricity generation in New York by 2040. I introduced the Freedom from Fossil Fuels Act, which would prohibit all new fossil fuel infrastructure in New York State, and another bill to permanently ban fracking that was actually passed as part of the budget in April of this year. I’ve introduced a number of bills to accelerate the shift to clean transportation, electric vehicles, and zero-emissions trucks and buses. I very much believe that our farmers should be compensated for the social benefits of sequestering greenhouse gases.”

Martucci: “What we need to be doing as a state is working toward practical solutions in addressing climate change. I’m opposed to fracking – there are tremendous environmental concerns around fracking, but as I look toward the future ... we have to be making small steps that are all progress.” Martucci used to work in the school bus industry, and his company made the switch to propane fuel from diesel. Electric school buses were far too expensive, so they went the propane route, which may not be zero-emission, but is a step forward.

Taxes

Metzger: “Over time, the state’s share of education funding has declined and the share that communities have to pay through property taxes has been increasing. People simply can’t afford to stay in their homes anymore. They really cannot afford their property taxes. Last year, we made the property tax cap permanent in New York State, which is a step in the right direction, but our work is definitely not done. From my perspective, we need to reduce reliance on property taxes generally for school funding, because that creates inequalities in access to educational resources. In more rural communities where the tax base is smaller, the kids are not getting the same educational opportunities that kids in wealthier suburban districts are getting. And that’s just not fair.

Martucci: “In the middle of a global pandemic, just about the craziest thing we could do is increase taxes ... the answer to recovering from our fiscal position really comes down to growing the pot. With people leaving our state, the pie is only shrinking. So the businesses and the people that are left are all asked to pay more. And this is simply something that people here can’t afford. So I think that we need to be looking at very practical ways to attract new people to New York.”

Police brutality

Metzger: “We need to end systemic racism and make sure everyone is treated fairly and equally. Immediately after George Floyd’s murder, we took action on a package of ten bills that are important in holding bad actors accountable and preventing undue use of force in policing. These include the Police Statistics and Transparency Act, which would require the courts to publish racial and other demographic data of all low-level offenses so that we can see what’s happening on a precinct-by-precinct level. We also passed the Eric Garner Anti-chokehold Act and a bill requiring that state police wear body cameras. We passed legislation to repeal 50 A, which will enable public disclosure of misconduct by police while ensuring that their personal information is still protected. I think that we have to increase investment in police training, including de-escalation training. I also think we need to increase investment in mental health and substance use disorders programs.”

Martucci: “There are a tremendous number of New Yorkers that are totally fed up and feel like the process has not been transparent. There hasn’t been accountability and that’s something we have to address, because if everyone feels policing is not being done equitably and fairly, then we have a problem. I recognize and respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest. I applaud the people that are doing that because the vast majority of people that are out speaking about these issues are doing it in a peaceful way. Certainly, there are a couple of bad actors who have done things that not only detract from the message of the peaceful protesters, but also create so much noise it’s hard for the important messaging to get through. I support the steps that communities have taken with police review boards. I think that’s definitely a step in the right direction, and I support the efforts to make police departments reflective of the communities they serve. So I think it’s important that we continue to grow diversity in the police departments.”

Reopening schools

Metzger: “We have to have a balance of public health risks and reopen safely in a way that makes sure everyone’s protected. There’s not really a one-size-fits-all solution for school reopening. The state took the right approach in providing guidance, giving districts the flexibility to meet the distinct challenges that they face.”

Martucci: “Generally, I support the hybrid model that you’ve seen in many schools. What we know is there’s over 700 public school districts in New York, and each situation is different. There are some schools that have space to allow students to safely social distance, and they have been able to return in person. Other schools don’t have those same resources. If a local district is able to reopen safely, then that’s a local decision.”

Educational funding

Metzger: “The state faces a severe budget gap due to the contraction of our economy because of the pandemic. We’re estimated to have a shortfall of up to 15 billion dollars in the budget. The economic challenges we face are going to continue for a while, and I believe that we have to raise revenue from those who can afford it, to make sure we do not have to cut funding for education and other vital community needs. I’ve introduced a bill that would place a tax on stock buyback transactions, which is a practice of corporations buying back their own stock to inflate their value.”

Martucci: “For me, this really is about education equity. What I mean is that right here in the 42nd Senate District, over $100 million of foundation aid is owed to our school district. This is federal money that is mandated to be paid to our schools and still hasn’t been paid to our state. What this really is about is making sure our schools receive the aid they deserve. I hold out hope for a package of federal aid because the state is in financial ruin. If the state receives that aid, it needs to go towards schools.”

Broadband access

Metzger: “(Lack of access to high-speed Internet) has been a top priority of mine long before this pandemic. We know in Sullivan County there are just too many households that continue to be without broadband. In the Tri-Valley school district, as many as 15 percent of students don’t have broadband at home, and this cuts them off from the tools and resources that students in suburban and many urban areas take for granted. This just intensifies inequalities and opportunity for young people. A bill I introduced was passed and signed into law during this pandemic that changed the definition of tele-health so that just audio services, in other words, telephone calls with health care professionals would count. Before, you had to have both video and audio services for the “visit” to be reimbursable by Medicaid and Child Health Care Plus. The video component is very important to many aspects of tele-health. So we really need to expand broadband access for that reason. I’ve introduced two major pieces of legislation on broadband. One bill was actually just passed virtually unanimously, and is aimed at closing the gap in New York state. It requires the state Public Service Commission to identify and map broadband gaps in the state, but also to address speeds. And the bill addresses affordability. Many people do not have access to broadband because they cannot afford it. So we have to tackle all of those issues, the actual connectivity, speeds and affordability. Those are the three big issues.”

Martucci: “In the 2019 and 2020 state budgets, not one nickel was allocated for expanding broadband networks across New York, which is absolutely unbelievable. I mean, we’re talking about a $180 billion state budget in which there wasn’t one nickel allocated to expand broadband networks in Sullivan County. As an example, the county legislature has been talking about a plan to utilize a county-owned tower on the jail site to increase high speed Internet access across the county, linking with a couple of other tower sites as well. I would support state funding that would go to a county-level project like that. In the 2019 budget, there was also a new tax levied on cable installers here in New York, and that inhibits the expansion of broadband across the state. So I think two very practical things we have to do right away is repeal the cable installer tax and get real funding in the budget to expand broadband access.”