Democrats Help New Yorkers While GOP Helps Themselves
By Mike Connery on 06/28/2010 @ 11:45 AM
TODAY'S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Today's installment of campaign-related news. Regina Calcaterra fights for higher quality and lower tuition at SUNY schools. Tony Avella stands with Queens residents in protesting MTA service cuts. Democrat Edward O'Shea to run against Republican incumbent Michael Nozzolio. Steve Levy and Senate GOP still desperately plotting. Sens. Aubertine and Johnson passing comprehensive legislation that will help New Yorkers across the state.
- Democratic Candidate Regina Calcaterra assails opponent’s support of SUNY tuition hikes while fighting reform – Calcaterra criticized her opponent, 34-year Republican incumbent Ken LaValle, for fighting much-needed reforms throughout SUNY while being on record as supporting regular tuition hikes for students and their parents. "Before students and their parents have to pay one more additional dollar in tuition at SUNY, we need to institute major accounting and oversight reform throughout the entire state university system," she said. "Ken LaValle has it exactly backwards. He's fighting reforms even though he's previously said publicly he'd be OK if SUNY increased tuition on a regular basis."
- Democratic Candidate Tony Avella stands with Queens residents in protesting MTA service cuts – Avella is standing with the residents in Queens who are irate over the recent MTA service adjustments that severely effect the country’s service. One of the most controversial changes was with the Q15A, a new alternate route of the Q15 bus meant to pick up riders stranded by the elimination of the Q14. The route has now routed down a residential stretch of 10th Ave. that residents say is too narrow. Avella stood with dozens of Queens residents yesterday in front of one of the Q15A buses in a show of solidarity and support.
- Edward O’Shea to challenge 18-year Republican incumbent Michael Nozzolio in SD-54- O’Shea, the vice chairman of the Wayne County Democratic Committee, announced he is running against Nozzolio - only the third person to do so in the past 18 years. O'Shea is an English professor at the State University of New York at Oswego. "When our main government agency, our legislative body, is not working for us, that's a major problem," he said. "Senator Nozzolio has been in office for 18 years, and if he were a reform-minded person, he would've done something about this already."
- Steve Levy continues desperate political maneuvers, teams up with Senate GOP – Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, who left the Democratic party in a failed effort to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination, is now looking to remain politically relevant by working with incumbent GOP lawmakers, Liz Benjamin of Capital Tonight reports. As she writes: “The point here really isn’t what the party-switching county executive is calling for, but rather that he’s continuing to stand with the Republicans even after their county leaders rejected his effort to run on their line for governor.” Levy’s presence continues to be a potentially divisive issue for Republicans as he has not yet endorsed GOP candidate Rick Lazio, nor has he ruled out running on a third party line.
- Sen. Craig Johnson passes legislation that will improve quality of life for seniors, upgrade New York’s infrastructure- Sen. Johnson was successful in pushing two integral legislative packages through the Senate last week. Sen. Johnson passed a comprehensive legislative package that will expand and increase access to services for seniors on Long Island and across New York. “After a lifetime of hard work and providing for their families, our seniors deserve fundamental protections and services in order to continue to lead healthy and active lives,” he said. “My legislation would expand the opportunity for seniors to get the tax relief for which they are entitled. While more needs to be done, this package will help more seniors stay in their homes and in their communities.”
Sen. Johnson was also responsible for the passage of a comprehensive strategy to build safer roads and highways which will cut costs for municipalities and improve the quality of life for residents throughout the state. “This is a blueprint that will help Long Island and the rest of New York State plan better and plan smarter,” he said said. “I am proud of this legislative package, which will help make Long Island more pedestrian friendly, less congested and more environmentally sustainable.” - Sen, Darrell Aubertine fights to restore crucial agriculture funding and pushes local trade benefits for district – Sen. Aubertine continued to fight for the additional funding and support of local businesses in his district last week. Aubertine first made sure that the most recent budget moved around limited revenue for agriculture programs to better target essential programs, while also restoring key funding the governor’s budget would have omitted. “This budget agreement restores more than $2.5 million in local funding for agriculture and reprioritizes funding to help our state’s number one industry,” Sen. Aubertine said.
Also, a bill sponsored by Sen. Aubertine that would extend Foreign Trade Zone benefits from Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority's industrial park and port to businesses throughout St. Lawrence County passed the Senate last week. This was a step officials said would be required to argue for the change to the U.S. Foreign Trade Zone Board, who makes the final decision. "We need to give our communities the ability to create and sustain jobs, and this legislation is part of a larger effort to grow the economy of St. Lawrence County," he said. - Sen. Brian Foley hosts forum to educate school administrators about addressing bullying – Sen. Foley hosted a forum for school administrators his school district to inform them on how to best address the issue of bullying within their schools. "Bullying is something that cannot be tolerated among our students, whether it occurs within the four walls of the school or within the limitless walls of the internet after school hours," said Foley. "The goal of today's event is to give school administrators the most up-to-date information about the known dangers and effects of bullying, the legal aspects of it and how administrators can best work with parents to address concerns.”
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