SD-44: Meet Susan Savage

by: Roatti

Wed Oct 13, 2010 at 15:06:51 PM EDT

Why are you running for the State Senate and why do you think you could do a better job than Hugh Farley?

I have built my record in Schenectady County by focusing on job creation and economic development, and would like to continue fighting for those issues in the Senate.

As most people know, I have 9 children, and like any parent I want them to be able to grow up, get a job, and build their own family Upstate. Unfortunately, during Senator Farley's 34 years in Albany, he has not been a very effective voice for Upstate. He has focused on finger pointing and name calling, and has been more concerned with the size of his office than his constituents losing their jobs.

His record really hurts local taxpayers. Montgomery County, for instance, has one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the state, yet Senator Farley was the longtime Chair of the Banking Committee. He voted to raise taxes more than 680 times just since 1989, and he was one of the first people to raise his hand and vote to put Pedro Espada a heartbeat away from the Governor's office. Now he's ready to turn over the keys of the Governor's Mansion to Carl Paladino, a man more focused on attacking women, communities of color, and LGBT New Yorkers than explaining how he would actually run our state.

If we want to change Albany, we need to change the people we send to Albany.

In your tenure as County Legislative Chair, you restructured the county's economic development strategy with strong results, netting 3,500 private sector jobs since 2004.  Can you talk about the details of that restructuring and how you would apply lessons from this in the legislature if elected?

When I became Chair of the County Legislature in 2004, the County was as dysfunctional as the Senate is today - there were warring factions of legislators, including one led by Robert Farley. Pettiness, parochialism and bomb-throwing were what Schenectady County was known for. And buildings were literally falling into the streets.

Around 1999, Senator Farley proposed building a convention center/hotel/courthouse complex in Downtown Schenectady known as "The Metroplex". It was a bad idea, and the plan they ended up putting into place was an absolute boondoggle which wasted $8 million in taxpayer funds each year. I started by changing the leadership of Metroplex, including the Chair and board members, and then streamlined 32 competing economic development programs into a single, strong and professional one. I also expanded the focus of Metroplex from Downtown rehabilitation to job creation - for real economic development people need jobs.

I rebuilt relationships with businesses who had one or both feet out the door. I also worked with businesses and businesspeople like General Electric, Angelo Mazzone, the Mallozi family and Villa Italia, as well as John Marcella and The Galesi Group so they would reinvest in our community.

There have been real wins. GE's Renewable Energy HQ, for instance, could have gone anywhere in the world but has now brought 650 new engineering jobs to the county.  I did not do it all alone, but am very proud to have put an exceptional team in place and to be the leader of that team and our county government.

more after the flip

Schenectady County has turned a corner and bucked the trend of decline we see across Upstate. I believe this is because we have taken a comprehensive approach to economic development. Yes, urban centers attract people from across the community but cannot be the only focus. Schenectady County's income sales tax receipts have risen 100% since 2005 because we redeveloped Downtown and provided people with places to do their shopping.

We have also completed several projects throughout the County. Prior to 2005, plans would be announced to great fanfare but never completed. We finished the jobs we started. As a result, the average income has risen nearly $10,000/annually while growth statewide has been stagnant.

You want to improve education in New York -- what specific programs or reforms do you have in mind?

Right now, taxpayers in this area are paying incredibly high taxes to support our schools and not enough of that money is making its way to the classroom because of cumbersome state and federal mandates. Senator Farley and Senate Republicans never met a mandate they didn't like (because it allowed them to take credit for lots of new programs, without ever having to accept responsibility for how they were to be funded). Senator Farley also supported sending Upstate education dollars to Long Island where his leader resides, which really disadvantaged our kids for many years.

I will fight for innovative programs which strengthen public education for our kids, such as an expansion of BOCES. I would also like to build bridges between public schools, local colleges and businesses - when we brought GE's Renewable Headquarters to Schenectady County they pledged 500 engineering jobs; that is now up to 650 new positions. When I walk door to door I often meet these workers and find they are recent graduates of RPI and local colleges, and am very happy they have the opportunity to grow up, get educated, and build their own families in our community.

You also are running on making health care more affordable and accessible to New Yorkers.  What steps would you like to see the state take in this regard?  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act gives states latitude to innovate health care solutions, like establishing a state-level public option.  Would this be something you would want the state to consider?

We have proven in Schenectady County there are smarter, more affordable ways to ensure health coverage for all New Yorkers. I strongly support the federal healthcare plan because the lack of healthcare is crippling families and communities and government can no longer ignore that, and believe NY should adopt a public option.

A few years ago Schenectady County established the first Canadian Drug Program in the state, saving local taxpayers more than $10 million annually in each of its first 5 years.

Also, the County's bonus waiver program for employees who decline County insurance coverage also saved taxpayers more than $1.6 million in 2010 ($6 million since 2005). And we instituted a prescription cost-containment program that saved county taxpayers more than $300,000 in its first three months of the program.

As country chair, you led the fight for three property tax cuts.  How would you deal with reducing property taxes statewide?  Specifically, what are your thoughts about municipal consolidation to decrease the tax burden throughout the state? The New N.Y. Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act is a good start, but would you support a stronger bill that categorically consolidates certain types of taxing districts, like sewer and fire districts, into county governments?

We just passed our 2011 budget, which is the 4th time in the last 6 years we have provided property tax relief. The tax rate in 2010 for Schenectady County is $6.18/thousand; before I became Chair of the County Legislature the rate was $7.98/thousand - 29.12% higher than today! Schenectady County has also become the model for shared services, and in the Senate I will fight for increased flexibility for local governments.

Because of what we have accomplished, the county now has the lowest tax rate for local homeowners since 1956. However, the county portion of one's tax bill is less than one-quarter of its total - despite the relief we have provided on the county level, in many instances the tax rates for school districts, city, town and villages have actually increased because of my opponent's unfunded mandates.

Many people don't know NY is the only state is the nation that forces local property owners to cover the costs of Medicaid. This unfunded mandate from Albany accounts for half of all homeowners property taxes! I think that is just wrong. Since 1976 the amount that Schenectady County has been forced to hand over to the state for Medicaid has risen from $3.2 million to $33.1 million - a 934% increase.

I believe the biggest relief for local governments will be making the state accountable for needed changes to its own Medicaid program, and know moving towards a fiscally responsible model of shared services and government consolidation works.

What is your position on marriage equality and would you co-sponsor a marriage equality bill in the next session if elected?

Absolutely! I will be a vote for equality.

If elected, what plans do you have to increase ethics oversight and transparency in Albany? Would you support an ethics enforcement agency that is fully independent from the legislature? Would you vote for redistricting plan that is not written by an entity independent of the legislature? Do you support campaign finance reform such as Clean Money, Clean Elections?

Albany needs significantly stronger ethics standards and it is clear long-time incumbents have failed to hold themselves accountable. I support independent redistricting because it will make people in Albany better legislators, and have pledged to introduce legislation banning lobbyists from lobbying family members who are members of the Legislature. I also believe the state's anti-nepotism laws must also be strengthened and enforced, and that there should be full disclosure of outside sources of income to prevent conflicts of interest.

I want to see the state's campaign finance laws cleaned up, too - not only do I want to reform how money is raised, but how it is spent. Too often politicians use campaign cash to fund a personal lifestyle.

If the Farm workers' Bill of Rights comes up in the next session, how would you vote on it?

My record is one of standing with my brothers and sisters in organized labor. There are several versions of this bill out there now, and cannot predict which version will move legislatively, but I absolutely support the intent of this effort!

What is your position on hydraulic fracturing or "hydrofracking" in natural gas deposits in New York?

It's untested and reckless. There are too many questions and with one mistake an entire economy could be destroyed and an environment decimated -- just to line the pockets of big business. This is a desperate effort by those with a well-established record of failing Upstate and our economy, and I will oppose any effort to rush into drilling.

Would you like to comment about the recent defeat of Sen. Pedro Espada?

YES! I hope he finally takes the hint. Pedro Espada had no place in any position of elected office in any form of government. I was shocked when Senator Farley voted to make him Senate President. It was nothing more than a power play by a group of individuals who care more about the size of their office, then the constituents they are supposed to represent.

Weeks before his primary, I warned Espada that if he won he could not count on my support for any position of leadership or authority within the Senate. That put me at odds with some members of my own party, but it was the right thing to do. Senator Farley turned his back on the constituents of our district when he sold his vote to Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate.