Daily Campaign Roundup: Kaplowitz Calls For Pension Reform
By Mike Connery on 07/26/2010 @ 04:36 PM
TODAY'S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Today's installment of campaign-related news. Democratic Candidate Mike Kaplowitz presents his ideas for pension reform. Democratic Candidate Dave Mejias interviewed by The Albany Project. Democratic Candidate Joanne Yepsen fights for the future and security of the Saratoga Race Course.
- Democratic Candidate Mike Kaplowitz tackling pension reform - Westchester County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz proposed eliminating the use of overtime for calculating a public employee’s pension and called for creating a pension plan for new public employees that would be similar to a 401K plan. Both measures, he said, could save taxpayers an estimated $2.2 billion over the next three years. “The costs of public pensions are killing New York State taxpayers,” he said. By 2013, Kaplowitz said, public employee pensions will cost taxpayers $6.8 billion -- up from $2.4 billion in 2009.
- Democratic Candidate Dave Mejias profiled by The Albany Project - Dave Mejias, running against 21-year Republican incumbent Kemp Hannon on Long Island, was interviewed by The Albany Project. Readers were able to send in questions in advance to ask Mejias, a former Nassau County Legislator. Mejias started out making his case quite strongly: "After 34 years in Albany, Kemp Hannon has forgotten who he represents. He works harder for party bosses and political insiders to maintain the status quo than he does for us. Why else would he have blocked ethics reform, voted to raise taxes over 400 times and most recently voted against restoring school aid?"
- Democratic Candidate Joanne Yepsen fights for the future of Saratoga Race Course - The head of the state Senate’s racing committee, Sen. Eric Adams, saying he’s concerned about the selection of Aqueduct Race Track’s gaming operator because only one bidder remains. Last week, Adams and Democratic Candidate Joanne Yepsen held a roundtable at Saratoga National Golf Club to discuss the racing industry’s impact on the local economy. Yepsen said all stakeholders — New York Racing Association, New York City Off Track Betting and the Aqueduct racino operator — should be brought together to deal with racing’s future collectively. Several years ago, NYRA had a management contract with MGM to run Aqueduct’s racino, but the state wouldn’t approve it for unexplained reasons. “We’ve got different people running the state now,” Yepsen said.
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