SD-1: An Update From Regina Calcaterra

by: NYProgressive

Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 07:10:04 AM EST

In the initial interview, Calcaterra shared her views on why it's important to have a regulated Wall Street to help Main Street. She also expressed her support for marriage equality, discussed property tax reform and ethics reform.

In her second interview with TAP, Calcaterra provided updates on her campaign, thoughts on the expulsion of Sen. Hiram Monserrate (she called for his resignation in October and, last month, for his expulsion) and her opinion of the ethics reform bill passed by the legislature.

CALCATERRA ON THE CAMPAIGN

"The campaign has done tremendously well very early and keeps gaining steam. We have had great success in our daily engagements with voters of the 1st Senate District. Hard working men and women are paying attention to the issues and are providing a clear and strong indication that voters of eastern Long Island want meaningful change."

"In fact, more residents of the district contributed to our campaign financially than that of my opponent, who is a 34-year incumbent. Interestingly, my candidacy has also drawn the support of admired Americans like Pete Dawkins, a West Point legend, Heisman Trophy winner and former Brigadier General of the U.S. Army and Marie C. Wilson, co-founder of Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day, founder of the Ms. Foundation and founder and President of the White House Project. Additionally, our campaign has already begun receiving endorsements from the Women's Campaign Forum, NARAL Pro-Choice New York and the National Organization for Women in New York State, which is also gratifying given how early it is in the electoral process."

"Taking on an entrenched incumbent has always been difficult in New York, and will be this year, but we've gained good traction early which has already proven to be a tremendous help."

CALCATERRA ON MONSERRATE'S EXPULSION

"As a victim of, and witness to, childhood domestic violence, I am far too familiar with how emboldened the abuser gets when he/she gets away with their actions. If Monserrate remained as a sitting New York State Senator, in the eyes of abusers and victims, he did in fact get away with it. His continuation as a sitting New York State Senator could have led to a decrease in domestic violence reporting. A victim's decision to report domestic violence is most often influenced by fear of retaliation from their abuser or a belief that our criminal justice system cannot or will not stop the violence. Then, added on top of that belief was the assumption that Monserrate's actions were sanctioned by those in power, our Albany lawmakers."

"We have a long path to walk before New Yorkers will begin to look toward our state legislature with a sense of gratitude or appreciation, but the expulsion of Monserrate by his colleagues was a significant step along that path. Worth noting is that the Democratic Senate majority had a difficult decision to make, given how closely the Senate is split and the implications that doing the right thing could throw the leadership structure into turmoil. But even with knowing that, they made the right choice and put decency, integrity and the best interests of good government first. That is a welcome step in the right direction for honest government in Albany - and the kind of step that New Yorkers hadn't seen for a long time."

"New York is still in a recession. We have an ever-widening budget gap, 8.9 percent unemployment, children in 16.3 percent of all New York families living below the poverty line, and overtaxed residents who can no longer afford to live here. The New York State Senate has critical work to do and it should not have had to even waste the past few months investigating how to rid the Senate of Hiram Monserrate. However, now that he has been expelled it is time for the Senate to get back to the people's business."

The rest of the interview below the fold.

ON THE WEB:

Regina Calcaterra for Senate

Regina Calcaterra ActBlue Page

Follow Regina on Twitter and check out her Facebook page.

What did you think of the bill passed by the Assembly and Senate?

"The bill was a flawed bill, and didn't go far enough in adopting the pragmatic suggestions of the Brennan Center. However, in this case, the perfect shouldn't be the enemy of the good. New Yorkers and voters of eastern Long Island are demanding higher ethical standards in the Legislature once and for all. They are tiring of reading about the convictions of their state legislators. This legislation was fine for a first step and would have set the stage for even more improvements to follow, had its passage not been prevented by those who had the power to do so."

What did you think of Gov. Paterson's veto of this legislation?

"Gov. Paterson vetoed some of the same proposals he once advocated when he, himself, was a member of the state Senate so it was a little difficult to understand. While his stated goal - - a better ethics bill - - was noble, it was an ill-timed veto given the clear demands of the public. Responsible state senators attempted to override this veto, but unfortunately were held back by the business-as-usual Albany insiders who blocked the override."

What did you think of the override attempt by the Senate? Obviously, most of the Republicans, including your opponent, who voted for this bill initially voted against overriding the veto. What is your reaction to that?

"Those who voted for the bill but voted against the override were, at best, disingenuous. Even before the initial vote, Gov. Paterson had indicated he would veto the legislation. That provided Sen. LaValle and his colleagues cover to pretend they actually favored ethics reform. At the end of the day, Sen. LaValle showed that he stands in the way of making government better. By refusing to fully back even a small step in the right direction, Sen. LaValle is giving his endorsement to business as usual and a continuation of the back slapping, back room dealing and dysfunction of Albany. The ethics bill would have called for more financial disclosure by state legislators, as well as stronger enforcement of lobbying and campaign finance laws. The failure of Senator LaValle and the other Republicans who chose not to vote for the Governor's override just underscores that the only way to change Albany is to fire those who stand in the way of true reform."

CALCATERRA ON THE BUDGET

This is a couple of weeks old, but the Governor released his budget. In it, he proposed several spending cuts and also proposed certain "revenue actions," including the sugary drinks tax and an enhanced cigarette tax. How do you feel about those taxes and what do you think about the cuts proposed OR the whole budget altogether?

"In general, I oppose regressive taxes because those who can least afford it feel the burden the strongest. New York is already overtaxed and we shouldn't let more taxes put a burden specifically on the family dinner table - whether it's for soda, apple juice or milk. If the concern is in making New Yorkers healthier there are better ways to do that. If the concern is to raise revenue, there are also better ways.

The reality is that New York faces an $8 billion budget deficit that must be closed. However, it's incumbent on the Executive and Legislative branches to find more creative ways to raise revenue and close costs while creating good jobs.

There is nothing in the budget, as it stands today, that would make New York more competitive than states like California, Texas or Massachusetts in fighting for venture capital funding of startups and creation of jobs. Just a few years ago, Long Island was benefiting from $300 million annually in venture capital investments. Now all of that is gone. While Wall Street is still limiting lending to small businesses, our state government needs to be working harder to attract regional venture capital investments for small businesses and startups.

Furthermore, with the issuance of new capital and operating revenues, each state agency and public authority, must be required to file quarterly, certified audited public reports on revenue and spending - - line by line, dollar by dollar where possible - - so efficiency becomes part of the culture of New York government. Then each legislative committee overseeing respective agencies should be prepared to review the quarterly reports and question the agency leaders on unnecessary costs and egregious wasteful spending. For example, last year in the midst of a one of the worst financial crises New York has faced in decades, it was reported that one SUNY university budgeted $1 million to hire an advertising agency and launch a branding campaign. More transparency, accountability and strict oversight would prevent that type of behavior in an economy where every dollar counts."

For more on Calcaterra, visit her website.