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Race for New York's 101st Assembly District

Carol Montana - Reporter/Photographer
Posted 10/22/20

The Sullivan County Democrat recently administered the following questionnaire to candidates running for the 101st NYS Assembly District, whose area of representation includes the Towns of Denning …

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Race for New York's 101st Assembly District

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The Sullivan County Democrat recently administered the following questionnaire to candidates running for the 101st NYS Assembly District, whose area of representation includes the Towns of Denning and Neversink. Chad J. McEvoy and Barbara A. Kidney are challenging incumbent Brian D. Miller.

CHAD J. MCEVOY

Running on the Democratic and Working Families party lines.

Q: Tell us about yourself. Where you grew up, what you studied and have done in your professional career?

A: I grew up in Seattle and hold a Master's in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins. I currently work as a Project Manager at SUNY Oneonta and am a proud member of UUP - United University Professions union. I have spent the majority of my career helping nonprofits such as the American Red Cross and Heifer International grow their capacity. As a volunteer, I have conducted climate change research with the Harvard Department of Forestry. I have also built agricultural databases for USAID-funded projects, for which I was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award by President Obama.

Q: Why did you decide to run?

A: I first decided to run in 2018 because I thought that it was important for voters to always have a choice. I came closer than any Democrat in recent history to winning this extraordinarily gerrymandered seat. I am running again to finish what I started and bring a strong voice for rural communities to Albany.

Q: If elected, what are the top three issues you want to focus on and why?

A: First, our rural towns and communities desperately need investment in everything from roads and bridges, to high-speed broadband and cell service, to education and health care. If elected, I will be a strong voice who is able to advocate inside the majority party where the decisions are made about resource allocation, for our rural and suburban upstate communities.

Second, we need a health care system that works for everyone, providing quality affordable care to everyone in New York. And we need a system that isn't tied to employment or making big profits for insurance company executives and shareholders.

Third, we need to make sure that upstate New York benefits from the coming green energy economy. We cannot have a repeat of the watershed where we provide the resources without benefitting appropriately and materially from doing so. We need a voice at the table making sure that we have the opportunity to be the battery for the state, and to benefit from doing so.

Q: Through your time campaigning, what have been your thoughts about the Town of Neversink? What do you like and what do you think the area needs help with?

A: I love coming to Neversink and have missed the opportunity to visit more frequently this year. You have wonderful community events like the Little World's Fair and the Pumpkin Festival, and the Neversink General Store is one of my favorite destinations. Despite once actually being sunk to make way for the reservoir, it's a town with a lot of community spirit! Like many small towns, though, it suffers from underinvestment and a lack of representation in this gerrymandered district. Neversink should simply not be in a different Assembly District than the rest of the county. It makes it challenging to get the resources and attention that you need. If elected, I promise to change the shape of this district to give the voters more representation, even if it means that I lose my seat.

Q: Why are you the best person for the job?

A: I am the only candidate running who will have the opportunity to bring resources back to the community because I am the only one who will be able to work inside the Democratic super majority in the state Assembly. Voters may not like that fact, but it is how the levers of power work. I also know that as a long-shot candidate in a district designed to keep me from winning, if I should win, I will have to work that much harder to serve the people and keep my seat. I believe the voters deserve someone who is willing and ready to work hard on their behalf.

BRIAN D. MILLER

Running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence party lines.

Q: For our readers who don't know a lot about you, please refresh their memory on where you grew up, your studies, and your professional career before you were elected a NYS Assemblyman.

A: Before I was elected to the New York State Assembly, four years ago, I was both a sales and design engineer. I've worked for Pratt & Whitney, Bartell Machinery, and SMC Pneumatics in engineering capacities.

I was also a small business owner, as I owned and operated my own apple orchard for a decade.

I grew up in Sauquoit and attended college at Mohawk Valley Community College. I have also served as the Bridgewater Town Supervisor for eight years and an Oneida County Legislator for 16 years prior to my current role.

Q: Reflecting on your first two terms as an Assemblyman, what are some of the things you're most proud of accomplishing?

A: Honestly, the most rewarding things for me as a New York State Assemblyman, are the things I accomplish at the local level. Our office has helped local small business owners obtain essential funding for expansion projects; we have helped other businesses obtain necessary licensing and certifications to open their doors; and we've helped Chambers of Commerce acquire funding to offer state-mandated training programs at discounted rates for member businesses.

We have helped areas in our district obtain certain designations that have made them eligible for much needed federal economic development funding and we've worked with the Department of Education to provide an advance in school funding to some of our schools in need.

We are very responsive to constituents when they call our office looking for help, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic when residents have been struggling to obtain money owed to them by Unemployment. We have gotten specific areas cleaned up or roadways repaired when constituents voice concerns as well.

These are what I consider accomplishments and what I am most proud of thus far: resolutions to issues that matter to and make a difference in the everyday lives of our residents.

Q: What has been your takeaway from meeting with constituents in the Town of Neversink? What is going well and what does the region need help with?

A: It is a very interesting situation representing only one town in all of Sullivan County, but I am proud to represent the residents of the Town of Neversink. These residents are very caring, thoughtful, and concerned people.

One of the major issues right now has been the state of local swimming holes, as these once treasured and fairly private areas are now swamped with visitors during the summer months. This has led to a lot of pollution and a blatant disregard for others. I have met with Supervisor Chris Mathews very recently about this issue. We are working with the supervisor, with the county legislature, and with the state to put together a plan to address this issue. We have heard from quite a few residents regarding this problem, so we are taking action.

Additionally, roadways are always a concern. This isn't just a problem in Neversink or in Sullivan County. The state's infrastructure is crumbling and dilapidated from Long Island to Canada, but our region always seems to be last when receiving funding to make our roads, bridges and waterways safer. That is why I have continued to push for a historic increase in state funding for infrastructure.

Q: If re-elected, what are the three issues you look to address?

A: The state barely provides enough funding to manage the declining condition of our infrastructure. We cannot maintain our roads and bridges in their current state, let alone upgrade them. Additionally, too many residents in rural regions still do not have broadband access. I am continuing to push for broadband expansion and infrastructure funding.

Even before the governor's proposal to withhold school aid to offset a loss of tax revenue due to COVID-19, our schools were woefully underfunded, especially in our more high-needs school districts. We cannot expect a bright future for our state if we aren't providing our schools with the proper resources to provide the best possible education to our children. I am continuing to fight for higher levels of funding and a more equitable distribution of that funding.

Our economy continues to struggle, even more so now, and we have too many residents out of work. The jobs the state is bringing in are not well-paying jobs for the most part. The millions of dollars the governor has wasted on his flawed and failed economic policies have yielded little in return. I continue to fight for investment in local businesses to create good, local jobs for New Yorkers.

Q: Why are you the best person for the job?

A: I believe I have worked hard and done a good job as the Assemblyman for the 101st District. I am the only candidate running for the seat who has any experience as a legislator, and I have built strong working relationships with legislators and administrators at the state and local levels that help me accomplish things for our residents. Those relationships take years to build.

I have a record of putting partisan politics aside to address the needs of our residents and that has served my constituents well.

People are tired of your average politician who does nothing but sling mud, play partisan politics, make false promises and play the blame game. They want a regular person who thinks and feels like them to represent them.

I'm your average person. I am an engineer by trade. I am a very analytical thinker. My profession, prior to serving as an Assemblyman, taught me to analyze problems, get to the root of those problems, and come up with ways to solve them. That is something Albany has been missing for a long time and, as my experience during the last four years has taught me, it needs a lot more of.

BARBARA A. KIDNEY

Running on the Green party line.

Q: Tell us about yourself. Where you grew up, what you studied and have done in your professional career?

A: I'm a native New Yorker. have lived in Shawangunk for nearly 20 years, and in the Hudson Valley since 1985. I served on my town's Environmental Management Committee for about 10 years. I grew up in Manhattan, and I've always loved Nature, so I wanted to live “in the country” since age two. I waited till I was 18. I went to Cornell Ag School on a National Merit scholarship, and was very flattered when my fellow “Aggies” thought I came from an upstate farm! I continued my agricultural studies, but changed my major as a doctoral student in plant disease epidemiology at Penn State, after I concluded that pesticide companies were driving the research to get farmers of Central PA to use pesticides, unnecessarily, to make more money for those companies. Disillusioned, I studied psychology instead, became a caseworker in Appalachian PA, and then accepted a Presidential Fellowship at the University at Albany, where I obtained my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. I've had a successful private practice in Orange County for over 25 years. My strong interest in assisting others to live more authentically has fueled my desire to help improve socio-political conditions for the good of us all.

Q: Why did you decide to run?

A: As a citizen, I've long been acting, in ways that are feasible for me, to promote well-being of people and planet. I've long been involved with organizations and political committees, to improve socio-political conditions, and co-founded the Hudson Valley Green Party, an official affiliate of GPNY in 2016-17. I am a Green because that party's core values - peace that comes from assertively and non-violently promoting respect for all, social and environmental justice, democracy - coincide with my own values, and unlike the major parties, the Green Party and its candidates accept NO corporate donations. That's a real effective way “to get the money out of politics.” The Green political ideals are life-promoting and life-enhancing, for the good of all, human and non-human, and would be very helpful to all of us if implemented. To do that, candidates with these values need to run for office. As an active Green, I decided to do my part and run for this legislative office, and also because there has been no (post-primary) candidate running for this district from our part of our long, whimsically snake-shaped district.

Q: If elected, what are the top three issues you want to focus on and why?

A: I'm focusing on issues that I perceive as crucial to the well-being of our district, state, and beyond.

One is economic well-being via tax reform. I believe that whenever any citizen (or their business) makes money beyond what is needed to fulfill basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, etc., and emergency and retirement savings), it's the citizen's responsibility to contribute to financial needs of the municipality. But when citizens are earning no more than or even less than what it takes make ends meet, they should not be taxed, because doing so creates poverty.

So, I support taxing only surplus wealth incrementally, raising the standard deduction to the actual cost-of-living, eliminating property taxes on non-luxury primary residences.

We all need reasonably clean air, water, soil, and a reasonably healthy climate, to survive, so we need to transition to community-controlled safe renewable energy asap; ban new toxic fuel projects and pipelines, and support local businesses / endeavors that sustain and support life, rather than those that destroy it for financial profit.

I'm also for Ranked Choice Voting in NYS, to promote real democracy, so no voter feels compelled to vote for “the lesser evil” ever again.

Q: Through your time campaigning, what have been your thoughts about the Town of Neversink? What do you like and what do you think the area needs help with?

A: My immediate thoughts about Neversink have been, “Gosh, it's so beautiful!” - like the Alps, or maybe it's the Alps that are like Neversink! And it's highlighted by charming and useful places, like bistros, music and art studios.

As someone who lives near, but not in, Neversink, I leave it to the citizens of Neversink to tell me what their burning issues are. My ears are open, and I can be reached at BarbaraforAD101.com, or via text or voicemail at 845-699-3051.

My educated guess, as a near neighbor, is that chief issues in Neversink may be economic stressors, enhanced by COVID, which also brings stressors related to health -

and worries about health - of self and loved ones, and to raising and educating kids while working at home, and increased social isolation, which especially impacts kids, single people, and the elderly. Economic stressors can be a big contributor to people falling into substance abuse; I'm aware that the epidemic of opioid abuse has hit Sullivan County hard. I believe that my main positions would help mitigate these stressors; e.g. fair taxation only on surplus wealth; tax breaks to local businesses rather than to giant corporations.

Q: Why are you the best person for the job?

A: My campaign positions would be highly beneficial to the district and beyond.

My tax reform positions (eliminate most property taxes, tax only surplus wealth incrementally, etc.) would create a healthier economy and alleviate financial and psychological stress.

Eliminating disease-causing fracked and nuclear fuels, and transitioning to community-controlled renewable energy would promote the health of people, environment and climate, and provide good jobs.

Ranked choice voting would allow voting for the candidate we really like without fear of the “spoiler effect.”

I'm the only candidate endorsed by Voters for Animal Rights As well as standing against abuse and neglect of pets and livestock, I stand for respecting wildlife, their homes, and food and water sources. Environmental protections not only safeguard the health of our own bodies, but the health of wildlife of all kinds, including those that eat mosquitoes, decrease the tick population, and pollinate our crops.

I'm the only candidate not backed by big money based political parties. The Green Party and its candidates accept NO corporate donations.

My ag science and psychology backgrounds have honed my skills in statistical analysis and critical thinking.

I'm also the only candidate who lives anywhere near Neversink. I'm your local candidate!

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