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The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Capital District and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Member Items,
Redistricting,
Opportunity for Youth
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. "007" accounts, better known as member items, account for $200 million in tax payer dollars doled out to individual legislators each year. These pork barrel funds are not covered under New York State's Freedom of Information Laws. Do you support efforts to make the distribution of these funds public record?*
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Answer from Michael C. Eidens:
I support making distribution of Member Items public, but go further and support eliminating them entirely. Member Items results in spending our tax dollars that is not specifically voted upon, not awarded competitively, not the subject of legislative hearings, and serves only a local or special interest.
Answer from James N. Tedisco:
There is an old saying that goes something like "Sunlight is the best disinfectant" - and I am committed to that principal. The taxpayers of New York, overburdened as they are, have the absolute right to know what we are doing with their hard earned money.
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2. Legislative district boundary lines are drawn by the legislators themselves and are tied directly to the advantages of party politics. Would you support the establishment of an independent commission as a more open and ethical way to create districts?*
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Answer from Michael C. Eidens:
Legislative District boundary lines should be established by an independent, non-partisan commission. This would open the political process in NYS and make legislative elections more competitive and not skewed to protect incumbents. Several states have shifted redistricting from the legislature to a board or commission, and NY should also.
Answer from James N. Tedisco:
I support the idea so strongly that we Assembly Republicans included this very idea in our "Restore New York" legislative package in 2006 (A.9441). Uncompetitive legislative districts make for lazy and even corrupt legislators, who never need to fear a reckoning from their constituents on Election Day.
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3. Amid the recent reports that more and more young people are leaving upstate cities for better opportunities, what would you propose to reverse this trend?*
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Answer from James N. Tedisco:
If anything, the question understates the problem. I think it's less that young people are leaving voluntarily than that the high costs imposed by all levels of government in New York State are driving them out. This is why I have led the fight against our crippling real property tax burden.
Answer from Michael C. Eidens:
Young people will leave upstate cities until we capitalize on our research and technology strengths and our higher education system in helping grow the Upstate economy. Coupled with cutting property taxes by eliminating wasteful spending and reforming our state government, we can make upstate NY a desirable place to live.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
- Original answers for a published Voters Guide
were limited to 50 words and are presented as submitted. Candidates have
since been invited to supply answers of any length for the Web.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
