I'll PUT PEOPLE FIRST IN THE 53rd DISTRICT
Albany caters to special interests and the power elite, not average New Yorkers. Let's turn that around. I'll fight for you, not the special interests who stuff incumbents' pockets with cash and stifle legislative action.

I'LL WORK TO END PARTISAN GRIDLOCK by working across the aisle. That's what I've done as Mayor of Elmira, and that's how we turned a $3.1 million deficit into a $500,000 surplus in just 18 months. Despite a 4-3 Republican-Democrat balance, we have never cast a single party-line vote. By contrast, my opponent has spent 30 years in Albany cultivating a reputation as an obstacle to bipartisan solutions.

I SUPPORT COMPREHENSIVE TAX REFORM that's fair, not election-year gimmicks or PAC-sponsored sacred cows that hurt schools and local governments. A tax cap without simultaneous and specific mandate relief will hurt schools and taxpayers. Any circuit-breaker must be tailored to protect seniors. And, overall, we must reform New York's antiquated tax code and it's hodge-podge of exemptions and loopholes so we all pay our fair share.

I'M FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM that focuses on prevention, broad access, and tort reform. Only a new bipartisan approach will help all New Yorkers, including the 2.5 million who are uninsured. Without reform, the Southern Tier will continue to lose doctors and health care professionals, and citizens will continue to live in fear of a single injury or illness that will keep them from working -- and surviving. My opponent pushes one-house bills and then blames the Democrats in the Assembly for their failure to pass. I won't play these games; I'll work across party lines to develop real solutions.

I'LL CHAMPION GOVERNMENT REFORM that ends the era of special interests and powerful lobbies that pour money into Albany to get their way at the expense of citizens' interests. One-house bills and the era of "Three Men in a Room" must end. I support new technology that enables citizens to communicate directly with their legislators, Web and television broadcasts of committee and chamber action, new transparency that shows true attendance and votes, and all efforts that return government to the people. I support the Attorney General's Project Sunlight effort, which clearly reveal the PACs and corporate interests that have funded my opponent's re-election bid.

I'LL FIGHT TO END PAY-TO-PLAY that puts corporate interests before individual interests. Anheuser-Busch Inc., Chesapeake Energy Corp., Bayer Corp., Eli Lilly & Co., Fortuna Energy, Nationwide, Pfizer, Philip Morris USA, Verizon, and dozens of other corporations have given thousands to my opponent. What do they get in return? Legislation that favors their interests over the people. I vow to fight this corruption. I don't accept corporate PAC money. My senate seat will not be for sale.

I'LL PUSH FOR ELECTION REFORM that makes Albany more transparent and elections more competitive. Gerrymandering and antiquated election laws have helped ensure that 95 percent of incumbents are re-elected. In the State Senate, an incumbent is just as likely to die in office as be defeated by a challenger. This isn't what American Democracy is about. I support appointment of an independent commission to draw balanced districts, public funding of campaigns, and campaign finance reform that limits spending by unauthorized committees and political action committees (PACs).

I'LL DEFEND YOUR PROPERTY RIGHTS against unscrupulous developers and landmen, and I'll make sure our environment and farmlands are protected. Gas mining will be a boon to the Southern Tier -- as long as property owners aren't ripped off and bullied, and the environment is protected. As a private attorney, my opponent has represented gas companies and utilities against his own constituents. This is unconscionable.

I SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT that recognizes global competition and leverages green technologies, emerging markets, and local labor. Half a million New Yorkers lost their manufacturing jobs since 1990. We can and must do better. Government can help create new demand for these jobs through smart policies like the Bigger Better Bottle Bill. The new waste stream created by recycling more plastic and glass will spawn new industry and jobs, and make New York a leader in the green economy.

I'M PRO SECOND AMENDMENT because I believe in the rights of New York sportsmen and women. New York's gun laws are tough enough, and the recent Supreme Court decision adds more certainty to an individual's right to bear arms. Though I don't hunt myself, my step-father was an avid outdoorsman from whom I learned to appreciate outdoor sports of all kinds. Responsible use of firearms, to my mind, does not lead to an increase in crime. However, as the mayor of a small city, I do not favor anyone being able to out-gun police, whose job it is to protect citizens.