League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
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Paul D. Tonko
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This is an archive of a past election. See http://www.smartvoter.org/ny/state/ for current information. |
League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
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Paul D. Tonko
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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.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).Questions & Answers
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?
Yes.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?
Yes + if it was truly independent and nonpartisan.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?
The next Governor and Legislature have a lot of work to do in the years ahead. After a decade of poorly crafted economic development policy and energy deregulation that has failed New Yorkers, Upstate New York is desperately in need of a comprehensive plan to jump- start its economy, including proposals to: Create a fairer and more progressive tax system + one not as reliant on the property tax; Strengthen the public education system (implement statewide CFE) and SUNY; Have the State pick up more of the local share of Medicaid expenses; Revitalize our cities by investing in infrastructure and job creating efforts in our urban cores; Help our farmers by providing them with tools to reduce the cost of doing business, providing them with incentives to become more energy efficient and implementing technology transfer programs so that they can become even more competitive.
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.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 12, 2006 19:23
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