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The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Syracuse and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Member Items,
STAR Rebates
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’s Freedom of Information Laws. Do you support efforts to make the distribution of these funds public record? Why or why not?*
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Answer from J. Edward "Ed" Putnam:
Yes, I support transparency in the Member Items. I support the publishing on the Internet of all Member Items at the time of their approval, including the names of the Members to whom the Items have been assigned. Member Item funds belong to the people of New York State and are not the private funds of Members. Citizens should know how their money is being distributed.
Answer from William A. Barclay:
Yes, the amount spent on member items, the projects that receive funding and the individual legislator who is responsible for obtaining the funds for the project should be easily accessible to the public. While member items often serve valuable purposes, especially for the entities that receive the funding, they are also used as a political tool by the leadership in Albany to obtain loyalty from rank and file members of the legislature. Further, over the years there have been several news reports about inappropriate use of member items. Shining light on the process will protect against these types of abuses.
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2. What is your view of the STAR tax rebate program? Would you support it as is; increase it; or do away with it altogether? Is it a fair and equitable method of easing the school tax burden for al New Yorkers?*
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Answer from J. Edward "Ed" Putnam:
STAR rebates are a good beginning in the reduction of local taxes for citizens. They should be increased as funds are available. However, STAR is not the answer to the issue of funding public education. The State of New York needs to take its rightful place in funding public education and stop sending unfunded mandates to local communities.
Answer from William A. Barclay:
Property taxes are too high in New York State. The STAR program is an effective program for providing relief to property taxpayers. For that reason, I support the STAR program and would like to see it expanded. I would also support measures that would make the program more equitable-measures such as flattening the sale price differential so that all areas of the state receive a similar exemption.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
- Original answers for a published Voters Guide
were limited 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
