94th Assembly District Candidates Participate in Debate Forum

Incumbent State Assemblyman Steve Katz (R-Yorktown) and his Democratic opponent, attorney and Patterson resident Andrew Falk outlined their positions on myriad issues at the candidate debate forum hosted by the Putnam County League of Women Voters and Chambers of Commerce last week.

During his opening comments, Falk said that he was running on a platform to be the voice of the middle class and that he wanted to spur job growth by creating a system of tax credits for businesses that create new jobs or make capital improvements.

Katz used the time for his opening statement to say that he was the first legislator to call for the resignation of Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, as well as for an investigation into the state funds Silver allegedly used to pay off two former staffers of a Democratic assemblyman, who the staffers said sexually harassed them. He said Albany was in, “a crisis of corruption.”

The first question submitted from one of the audience members dealt with the burden of unfunded mandates.

Katz said the assembly had failed to act on legislation he submitted that was based on nine recommendations from the New York State Association of Counties on how mandate relief could be implemented.

Falk said that while mandate relief was needed, any measure to do so should not disturb protections for workers’ rights and middle class families. He said that if Albany wanted to impose new regulations at the local level, they had to provide full funding to go along with it.

Another question from the audience stated that 70 percent of Putnam County residents had to commute out-of-county in order to earn a living wage and asked what could be done to bring higher-quality jobs into the county.

“This county and this state has to make us more business-friendly again,” Katz said, noting that taxes and over regulation were deterring companies from coming to the region.“I’m appalled at the number of hurdles that the county and state requires a small business man to [jump over] in order to have a business here.”

While noting that much needed to be done to bring better jobs to the area, Falk said some of the regulations and requirements imposed on businesses were to protect workers and the environment.

He suggested that the state could partner with private business in order to make the SUNY system a biotech research facility; creating many jobs.

“It’s an opportunity to grow our state economy,” he said.

On the issue of hydraulic fracturing and the use of the waste water derived from the drilling practice and the possible use of it on county roads to melt snow and ice, Falk said that he was wholeheartedly against both the drilling and the use of the byproduct brine on roads.

“We cannot put it on our roads. And it’s not just here in Putnam County; it’s not safe anywhere,” Falk said, adding that there are heavy metals and other toxins in the waste water. “I will do everything I possibly could to stop it.”

Katz said he would not be in favor of using fracking waste on roads, but said that if existing but costly means of detoxifying the waste water were imposed on the oil companies, he would be in favor of allowing the drilling practice to happen in New York State.

“I think it can be done,” he said, adding that he had the, “bona fides of being an environmentalist.”

Falk  later said that he had received the endorsement of the New York League of Conservation Voters.

In closing, Katz said that he sought to have the numbers of days legislator spent in Albany reduced as a cost-saving measure. In addition, he proposed an across-the-board 2.5 percent cut in state spending that he said would create a $350 million surplus.

“All it takes is the political will to do these things,” Katz said.

Falk said that, if elected, he would seek out ideas on both sides of the aisle and promised that he would fight to protect the environment.

He criticized the fact that Katz was promoting a reduction in the amount of time lawmakers spent in session.

“If someone doesn’t want to work every single day, then they should get out of the way for someone who does. And I am that person,” he said.