| QUESTION: Tell us a little about yourself.
MICHELE: I grew up on the west side of Buffalo and graduated from Kenmore West High School in 1978. I'm an executive member with Hasek's Heroes. I also was a small business owner. I opened up a pizzeria. I had a good business but couldn't get good help.
I went to school to become a paralegal and worked in a law office for five and a half years. In 2003, I was elected as a trustee in the Village of Kenmore and then became an Erie County legislator in 2006.
I'm married and have a 17 year old son who is attending Kenmore West High School.
Q: Why did you choose to run for the 61st Senate District seat?
M: When I ran for Kenmore village trustee, I took on a 26 year Republican incumbent. That Republican dropped out of the race, I won a difficult primary and I went on to defeat the Republican opponent by a large margin and I was the number one vote getter out of the entire field.
In December, I prepared to take on Mary Lou Rath. I shared my plan with Genesee County and Erie County. Looking at the numbers, I determined a woman with some ethnic background could win this seat. In 2000, there were 13,000 more Republicans than Democrats. This year, there are now 6,900 more Republicans than Democrats to go along with a 35,000 overlay of blank registered voters. My heart is in campaigning and I know what it takes to win thanks to my four years of elected experience.
Q: What are the issues you will focus on while campaigning throughout SD-61?
M: Three months into my legislative term I cosponsored a five part reform agenda for change and I would like to take some of those reforms to Albany.
Albany needs to be more transparent in the budget in the budget process. I would look to enact term limits for legislators and tough new ethics rules. We need to get budget spending under control and what I have proposed is performance-based budgeting.
We did put Erie County on a debt diet. We also need to focus on property taxes and reduce the tax burden by cutting wasteful spending. I've always looked for cuts and I've always found them, but it's about getting other people to go along with you. There is always room to cut wasteful spending.
Another thing we need to focus on is unfunded state mandates like Medicaid. Unfunded mandates are not acceptable. We need to reform Medicaid and crack down on the fraud. In the Erie County budget, 88 percent of that budget are state mandates with the other 12 percent being actual Erie County budgeting. There are some more unfunded state mandates coming down the pipe. The 50 percent match juvenile detention centers was cut.
This is what gives me insight. I can really voice the opinions of the people I would be representing. I think that we will be able to obtain new funding for agricultural purposes and those are the jobs that we need to keep going because those are the people who are here and we need to provide for them.
Q: What are your thoughts on the Empire Zone program?
M: We need to reform IDAs and Empire Zones. We should call back provisions and make sure companies deliver on promises of job creation. We need to make New York more business friendly. It's not a game. This is a serious situation. We want to help people. We need to lock into granting minorities low interest rate loans to allow them a chance to open their own business.
If they have goals and expectations, they can't say they didn't know.
Good paying jobs are something that we need to look for. At Erie Community College and Genesee Community College, we should create a curriculum for green collar jobs. Investing in job education and job retraining programs to ensure workforce for these new jobs is important for wind mills or anything else. Job training is necessary for these green collar jobs.
Q: What is your opinion of the Upstate Revitalization Plan?
M: I think the Upstate Revitalization Plan needs to be detailed more. Who is going to have the say in how this money is going to be distributed? I have been cautioned about the Homeland Security money. It's needed and anything is going to help. But we need more details. How are the municipalities going to apply for those monies?
Here, we have the NRG Huntley Plan which will create 1,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs. This will be something that takes us to the cutting edge of the technology of carbon. As a result, we will need more from the hospitality industry - more hotels and restaurants, for example. New hotels and restaurants mean more jobs and it takes part of the stigma off of doing business in New York. We need to capitalize off of the food, beverage and hotel industry.
Q: What would you do to reform the Thruway Authority?
M: I definitely feel that all the authorities need more accountability. There are perks being given to employees, education being given, free E-Z Pass and we are being double taxed. As a Western New York community, we are being insulted by having to wait in line to a pay a toll. We have $22 million taken in from bridges and only $6 million needed for toll takers and repairs. The rest of that money then goes back into the big pot. We need to look at some sort of legislation to hold these authorities accountable for what they are doing.
Q: How will you bridge the gap between upstate and downstate?
M: What we need to bridge that gap is to communicate with the legislators that work in different parts of the state. There is a lot to be learned about legislators and their districts. We need to understand issues that face upstate and downstate so that you can do more. If Democrats takeover the Senate, you will see a lot more cooperation with that.
If you are communicating what the needs are, by working together and making it a team and looking at it as a whole state and not just the district you represent, you can get educated. We need the Upstate Revitalization Plan to be accepted and supported by downstate legislators and doing that will take us in the right direction to make this one New York.
Q: What other ideas do you hope to bring to the state level?
M: Regarding energy, we bought energy efficient for Erie County and I think we should focus on building and reconstructing buildings with lead standards. We have the silver standard here in Erie County. We should bring that to the state level to reduce energy consumption.
People are forgetting we have an energy crisis and they are forgetting to recycle. I support the Bottle Bill and it;s something I'm definitely going to look into as part of my platform. I want to take the money from that and give it to wildlife conservations. That way, we have some accountability and we are doing something beneficial for the environment.
Q: What makes you the best candidate in this race?
M: This is why I will win this race. People are sick of career politicians and are in favor of fresh faces. I'm relatively new to the political scene, but I have common sense and a proven record of bringing change to the Legislature.
After looking at the numbers, I can be the one that will win against the Republicans in November. I know how to win and I know what it takes to win. Most importantly, I'm a dedicated hard worker and I will outwork any one of my opponents. I will do what it takes to win this seat and bring change to Albany and I will fight for reforms in government because that goes along with what I've been.
I think that after looking at the numbers, I can be the one that will win against the GOP in Nov. I know how to win and I know what it takes to win. Most importantly, I'm a dedicated hard worker and I will outwork any one of my opponents. Do what it takes to win this seat and bring change to Albany.
I will fight for reforms in government - goes along with where I've been.
My Take: Michele is a strong candidate. She has also made a pledge that if she is not the endorsed candidate, she will drop out of the race immediately and not force a primary. She believes that winning this seat takes a team effort and I admire that attitude. That's something that those of us in Western New York don't see.
I will be attending Michele's announcement in Batavia tomorrow. I should have video of it.
She is smart and would bring a lot to the table in Albany and in the 61st Senate District. |
