The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of New York State and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Gambling Revenue, Redistricting, Opportunity for Youth, Redistricting, Joint Committees, Public School Financing

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Answer from Peter D. "Pete" Lopez:

The best way to address this issue is to offer an environment which supports and promotes other forms of economic investment.

New York State is widely recopgnized as one of the most heavilly regulated and taxed states in the nation. When considering state taxes in combination with local property taxes, one could agrue that NYS is the highest taxed state in the nation.

The prospect of attracting gambling interests will likely remain a priority for many communities across the state unless and until other forms of economic investment can be effectively promoted.

Answer from Peter D. "Pete" Lopez:

I would be open to this dialogue.

Answer from Peter D. "Pete" Lopez:

This is one of the main planks of my candidacy - An urgent priority in my book.

Growing jobs which have higher pay scales and benefits can help stem this tide.

Along with this, we must find ways to concentrate on bringing down the relative tax burden to help young famlies be able to afford homes and a future in New York.

Answer from Peter D. "Pete" Lopez:

I would be open to this dialogue.

Answer from Peter D. "Pete" Lopez:

Yes- We've seen this work effectively in recent years with the state budget deliberation process.

Answer from Peter D. "Pete" Lopez:

Both inner city schools and rural schools tend to suffer from the same socio-economic and financial disadvantages (high proportions of persons in poverty, etc.) - Driving dependence on state aid to backstop their budgets. The more suburban schools on the otherhand, tend to rely less on state aid, and make more use of local property taxes to fund their budgets.

Due to their relative affluence, Suburban schools then get the resources they need to offer a broader array of progrems and activities.

In regards to our schools, we need to look at total spending and the "opportunity costs" associated with the likes of unfunded/ underfunded mandates, as well as explore opportunities for promoting shared services, distance learning, etc.

The challenge will be to revisit the school aid formula on a statewide basis. A look at this funding mechanism will be required to address discrepancies across the board.

A major challenge will be to rationalize adjustments to school aid, while seeking to remedy New York's taxation levels. An additional challengwe will be to address the broad acknowledgement that on average, NYS already spends relatively high levels per student (one of the highest, if not the highest, in the nation).

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.