Election2010: Getting down to business

If moms-and-pops all over Westchester County are feeling suffocated these days, it could be from the Democrats”™ and Republicans”™ bear hugs.

Conservative or liberal, white or black, male or female: Every candidate agrees that something must be done to help small businesses, families and the middle class.

The primary way to assist them, candidates say, is by cutting or capping taxes of all kinds.

Held in equal contempt with taxes is the place which many of the candidates are longing to call their home away from home ”“ Albany. To a person, the candidates want to see Albany corralled lest it become even more of a fiscal Sodom and Gomorrah than it already is.

How the candidates are going to do this is another story. Many of their websites are short on specifics beyond tax credits for business, a property tax cap, an easing of regulation and an end to wasteful state spending.

Some candidates want to see an investment in green technology. Others would like to lower medical costs.

Still others are taking nothing if not novel approaches. Mamaroneck software developer Bill Reed, running for the 91st Assembly District on the Republican and Conservative lines, wants New York to reclaim its sovereign rights and be part of a new Constitutional convention. Meanwhile, Patterson”™s Greg Ball, a Republican/Conservative candidate for the 40th Senatorial District, told the League of Women Voters of Westchester that he would make the legislature meet every two years, giving it less time to raise taxes and destroy New York.

GOVERNOR

Andrew Cuomo, D-IN-WF
The current attorney general of New York, Cuomo would implement an Emergency Financial Plan that would freeze taxes and cap state spending and local property taxes. (He”™d also eliminate mandates that hamstring school districts and municipalities in their efforts to contain costs.) On the employment front, Cuomo recently released NY Works, a plan designed to help create and keep jobs in the state partly by lowering business costs and adding tax incentives. His Clean Up Albany plan would introduce voluntary public funding of election campaigns, lower sky-high campaign contribution limits, eradicate corporate subsidiary and LLC loopholes and buttress campaign finance laws.
Running mate: Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy

Carl P. Paladino, R-C-TXP (Taxpayers)
The former CEO of Ellicott Development Co., a  real estate development company he founded, Paladino would declare a fiscal state of emergency, freezing compensation to state, municipal and school employees and cutting the state budget by as much as 20 percent over two years. He would establish a minimum residency requirement of one year for recipients of state welfare benefits and would cut state Medicaid nearly 30 percent. Paladino would take an aggressive approach to negotiating with the unions and eliminate patronage jobs and perks for state employees. Though he would cut taxes 10 percent and get rid of state capital gains taxes and corporate franchise taxes, Paladino likes some taxes: He would enforce excise tax laws on the Seneca nation.
Running mate: Chautauqua County Executive Gregory J. Edwards

COMPTROLLER

Thomas P. DiNapoli, D-WF
As the current state comptroller, DiNapoli says that he has identified more than $2 billion in waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer money through audits. He is also proud of making the state”™s pension fund a model for the nation and for his ethical stance. Dinapoli advocates reforms that would require the state to spend only what the taxpayers could afford.

Harry Wilson, R-IN-C
The businessman who restructured General Motors, Wilson would “conduct a forensic audit of every dollar of state spending to hold Albany accountable for our tax dollars.” He”™d make government leaner and lower taxes while professionalizing the pension fund. Wilson sees his private-sector experience as key to doing this.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Eric T. Schneiderman, D-WF
Schneiderman is a New York state senator from the 31st District with a background in public interest law. As such, he”™s represented straphangers in a series of lawsuits against the MTA. He says he would work to protect New Yorkers from abusive debt collectors and insurance companies and fight mortgage fraud.

Dan Donovan, R-C
The current district attorney for Richmond County, Donovan would seek jurisdiction over all public corruption cases, push for disclosure of state legislators”™ extracurricular incomes and make “member-item” allocations transparent. He”™d also bolster rules to rid the pension system of pay-to-play intrigue and target Medicaid fraud.

U.S. SENATOR

Kirsten  E. Gillibrand, D-IN-WF
Appointed by Gov. David A. Patterson to fill Secretary of State Hillary Clinton”™s Senate seat, Gillibrand would invest in green technology, end outsourcing and give tax credits to businesses that create jobs. She”™d also give tax credits to companies that offer English As a Second Language (ESL) and citizenship programs to immigrant employees.

Joseph J. DioGuardi, R-C-TXP
Congressman DioGuardi favors cutting spending and taxes, limited government oversight, the reform of legal immigration and an investment in solar, wind and nuclear alternatives to fossil fuel. “Making a profit and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive,” he told the League of Women Voters of Westchester.

Charles Schumer, D-IN-WF
Sen. Schumer sees an investment in education and infrastructure as the way out of the recession ”“ a strategy that goes hand-in-hand with support for the middle class. He wants to create jobs by attracting the best minds to America and would require undocumented workers to register with the government and pay taxes. Schumer backs the Clean American Jobs and American Power Act to reduce carbon emissions.

Jay Townsend, R-C
The owner of a marketing and advertising firm, this Hudson Valley resident would repeal the health care bill, extend the Bush tax cuts and work with the state legislators to cap property taxes. He”™s also for immigration reform and the building of more nuclear power plants.

U.S. Representative

17th Congressional District

(All of Mount Vernon, parts of Greenburgh, Yonkers, the Bronx and Rockland County)

Eliot Engel, D-WF
A supporter of job creation, energy independence and affordable health care, U.S. Rep. Engel voted for the Small Business Jobs Act, which provides small businesses with $12 billion in tax cuts to create 500,000 jobs. Among other provisions, the act allows for a 100-percent exclusion of taxes on capital gains on investments in small business and a double deduction for startups.

Anthony Melé, R
Melé, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and global security consultant, likes to say that he is the only blue-collar candidate with white-collar experience. He is a strict Constitutionalist and is active in Rockland County civic groups (the United Way, the Chestnut Ridge Rotary Club).

York Kleinhandler, C
The West Nyack resident ”“ who is a former CEO with a small financial services firm and spent 29 years in the military ”“ believes in a free-market system nourished by controlled spending and lower taxes. He opposes recent health care reform and takes a middle-of-the-road approach to energy and the environment that would reduce pollution but still allow the U.S. to drill for its own oil and natural gas.

18th Congressional District

(Parts of Greenburgh, Yonkers and Rockland County; all of Eastchester, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, New Rochelle, North Castle, Ossining, Pelham, Rye City, Rye Town, Scarsdale and White Plains)

Nita M. Lowey, D-IN-WF
Congresswoman Lowey, who lives in Rye, says she will continue to do what she has always done ”“ extend tax cuts for small businesses and families, support business expansion and hiring and invest in high-tech jobs.

Jim Russell, R-C
An insurance fund case manager who says he”™s been where many economically challenged Americans are today, the Hawthorne resident would also reduce taxes on the middle class and small businesses. He also stands for an end to outsourcing and a cap of about 15 percent on credit card rates.

19th Congressional District

(Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Peekskill, Pound Ridge, Somers, Yorktown, parts of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland counties)

John Joseph Hall, D-WF
U.S. Rep. Hall, a Dover Plains resident, says he has championed Hudson Valley families and small businesses by fighting for legislation that has created thousands of local jobs and cut taxes. He also wants to secure Medicare and Social Security for present and future generations.

Nan Hayworth, R-IN-C
Hayworth, a Bedford Corners resident, is a retired ophthalmologist who believes the new health care laws should be repealed. She says she is committed to curtailing government, spending, taxation and regulation.

STATE SENATE

34th Senatorial District

(Eastchester, Pelham, parts of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Yonkers and Bronx County)

Jeffrey Klein, D-IN-WF
The deputy majority leader in the state Senate, Klein has started a petition that would bring legislation to cap property taxes to the Assembly, where he says previous cap attempts have been blocked. In an effort to retain local jobs, he helped launch the Tuckahoe Trolley to facilitate shopping in Tuckahoe, Eastchester and Bronxville. He also favors investigating the fiscal efficiency of state agencies and restricting state spending.

Frank V. Vernuccio Jr., R-C
The legal researcher says he was one of the earliest candidates to sign the “NY Uprising” reform pledge to end incompetence and corruption in the legislature and is only one of a handful of New York candidates to sign the No Tax Increase pledge. He also supports the mandatory disclosure of any legislator”™s outside income ”“ just one of the ways he would prohibit all conflicts of interest.

35th Senatorial District

(Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, part of Yonkers)

Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-IN-WF
As a state senator, this Yonkers resident voted twice to cap property taxes. A member of the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency, established in March, she continues to examine spending practices in state agencies. Besides transparency in state government, Stewart-Cousins favors stronger ethics laws and more oversight as a way to maximize tax dollars.

Liam J. McLaughlin, R
A senior associate with the law firm of Bashian & Farber L.L.P. in White Plains, McLaughlin would use his background as an attorney, accountant and member of the Yonkers City Council to rein in taxes and end fiscal waste. The Yonkers resident would introduce an open budget process to educate the public about how tax dollars are spent.

36th Senatorial District

(Parts of Mount Vernon and Bronx County)

Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-WF
This state senator”™s legislative work, as relates to business, has been primarily in the area of companies owned by minorities and women. She backed a legislative package to ensure greater fairness in awarding contracts.

Robert L. Diamond, R-C
(Information not found)

37th Senatorial District

(Harrison, Mamaroneck, New Castle, North Castle, Ossining, Rye City, Rye Town, Scarsdale, White Plains, part of New Rochelle)

Suzi Oppenheimer, D-WF
The state senator, a Mamaroneck resident, supports property tax relief and would restore rebates under the STAR program, which provides homeowners who earn less than $500,000 a year with partial school property-tax exemptions. She would improve government efficiency through reorganization and repeal the Metropolitan Transit Authority payroll tax.

Bob Cohen, R-IN-C
The owner of a small real estate and construction company in Manhattan, Cohen favors a cap on property taxes, an end to the MTA payroll tax, making the tax code simpler, holding Albany accountable for its actions and reinstituting the STAR rebates. The Scarsdale resident would also use tax credits to attract manufacturing and research-and-development firms; award funding to universities involved in green technology, medicine and other areas of job growth; and upgrade infrastructure.

40th Senatorial District

(Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers, Yorktown, Peekskill, part of Putnam County)

Michael Kaplowitz, D-IN
A Westchester County legislator and a Katonah resident, Kaplowitz would cut property taxes through a variety of means while balancing the budget. He has signed five major good-government reform pledges and would give legislative committees the power to hold public hearings.

Greg Ball, R-C
Ball, an assemblyman from the 99th District and a Patterson resident, would cap property taxes, freeze school taxes for senior citizens and eliminate the MTA payroll tax. He supports term limits, full financial disclosure and no pensions for elected officials. He says he”™d have the legislature meet every other year, so it would have less time to raise taxes.

87th Assembly District

(Mount Vernon, part of Yonkers)

J. Gary Pretlow, D-WF
Pretlow, an assemblyman and former member of the Mount Vernon City Council, wants to reform the state, in part by limiting spending increases and consolidating most of the 10,000 local governments that make up New York. He supports property-tax relief and developing programs for job creation.

Samuel L. River, IN
The Mount Vernon activist would eliminate the sales tax on clothing and footwear under $150 as a way to stimulate the economy in hard-pressed Mount Vernon and Yonkers.

88th Assembly District

(Eastchester, Pelham, Scarsdale, parts of New Rochelle and White Plains)

Amy R. Paulin, D-IN-WF
A legislator from Scarsdale, Paulin wants to reel in taxes while balancing the state budget. A proponent of reform, she seeks to end Albany fundraisers, appoint an independent group with oversight on ethics, require legislators to disclose outside income and prevent convicted office-holders from receiving pensions.

René Atayan, R-C
The Bronxville-based marketing consultant believes in reducing taxes and cutting wasteful spending in part by eliminating state pension funds. She is also opposed to forcing municipalities to designate a certain percentage of rental space as subsidized housing.

89th Assembly District

(Bedford, Harrison, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, Pound Ridge, part of White Plains)

Thomas M. Roach Jr., D-IN-WF
A member of the White Plains Common Council, Roach favors an open budget process and the consolidation or dissipation of unnecessary state agencies. He would also reduce property taxes.

Robert J. Castelli, R-C-Taxpayers
The assemblyman says he would help small business by cutting the MTA payroll tax, among others, tightening health care costs and lessening regulations.

90th Assembly District

(Cortlandt, Ossining, Peekskill, part of Putnam County)

Sandy Galef, D-IN
Her Circuit Breaker Tax Relief  Program would establish maximum residential property taxes relative to personal income. The Ossining-based assemblywoman would require Senate/Assembly conference committees to develop compromises and committee hearings to be held before votes on key legislation.

William Gouldman, R-C
The Putnam Valley resident, who owns the Vintage Bar/Restaurant in Manhattan, wants to ensure that his district gets its fair share of remuneration from Albany.

91st Assembly District

(Mamaroneck, Rye City, Rye Town, part of New Rochelle)

George Latimer, D-IN-WF
Latimer, an Assemblyman who lives in the city of Rye, voted no on the state budget spending plan and increasing taxes and yes on the deficit reduction plan to close $2.8 billion in the 2009-10 state budget gap. He”™s for reforming school and county property taxes, pension funds and campaign finance as well as reducing local government”™s reliance on property taxes.

Bill Reed, R-C
A database software developer and a vocational musician who lives in Mamaroneck, Reed is a big supporter of states”™ rights and would explore New York”™s role in a Constitutional convention that would clarify the Founders”™ intentions. He would reduce taxes and regulations to create a business-friendly climate and place sunset provisions on all legislation.

92nd Assembly District

(Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, part of Yonkers)

Tom Abinanti, D-IN
As a Westchester County legislator who lives in White Plains, Abinanti”™s  accomplishments have been in the arenas of the environment, women”™s rights and children with special needs. But he”™s also for more accountability in government and creating jobs in Westchester.

Thomas Bock, R
Bock, a systems administrator from White Plains, wants to grow jobs by cutting taxes, excessive regulations and wasteful spending. His b̻te noire is AlbanyӪs penchant for charging fees on everything from nuclear power plants to body waxing.

93rd Assembly District

(Part of Yonkers)

Michael Spano, D-C-WF
The assemblyman says he has helped 1. make it easier for small businesses to receive loans through the Small Business Regional Revolving Loan Program, 2. provide zero-or-low-interest loans for green projects and 3. create the micro-business outreach center. He championed a law to give Yonkers a direct portion of the revenue from Yonkers Raceway and delivered state funding to the Empire City “Racino” for marketing.

Mike Ramondelli, R-IN-Ind (Cut My Taxes)
The Yonkers entrepreneur wants to restore jobs to the city by lifting the tax burden on its residents, easing up on regulations that hamper small business and hold elected officials to high ethical standards (and term limits).

99th Assembly District

(North Salem, Somers, Yorktown, part of Putnam County)

Brendan J. Tully, D-WF
An attorney from Yorktown Heights, Tully would create charter agencies to cut down on bureaucracy, give a Mom & Pop Opportunity Tax Credit to those who invest in small business, create a high tech job fund and cap taxes on income, property and small businesses.

Stephen M. Katz, R-IN
The Mohegan Lake veterinarian wants to roll back taxes to their 2008 level and expand enterprise zoning to attract businesses to New York. He also wants to end medical fraud as a way of helping small businesses lower their insurance costs.

Jim Borkowski, C
This former judge from Brewster stands for tax relief, including a repeal of the MTA payroll tax, independent oversight for the legislature and term limits for legislators and the governor.

Sources: The League of Women Voters of Westchester, candidates”™ websites and supporters”™ websites. Photographs were not available for some candidates.