Neal says partisanship detracts from key issues
HURLEY, N.Y. >> TV actress-turned-candidate Diane Neal embraces some of the traditional values of both Republicans and Democrats, but she says hyper-partisanship has taken attention away from the things that matter most to residents of New York’s 19th Congressional District.
“Since our district is often neglected, what is of immediate importance are the infrastructure that we need,” Neal, who’s running as an independent, said in a recent interview. “Specifically
we need ... internet that is affordable and reliable, at competitive speed and connectivity.”
The Hurley resident also said paying more attention to “classic” infrastructure would provide benefits beyond having traffic move more smoothly.
“Bridges, road work, a [passenger] train line on this side of the Hudson, the west, side with more stops, and we need better education infrastructure — things like BOCES,” she said. “All of these things bring immediate lowskill jobs and thousands of long-term jobs across all skill levels.”
Neal is one of three candidates challenging first-term U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook,
for the 19th District seat. The others are Democrat Antonio Delgado, of Rhinebeck, and the Green Party’s Steve Greenfield, a New Paltz resident.
The district comprises all of Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Sullivan, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego counties; most of Dutchess County; parts of Rensselaer and Montgomery counties; and a small piece of Broome County.
Neal had to fight for a spot on the Nov. 6 ballot. Her nominating petitions were ruled invalid by the state Board of Elections, and a state Supreme Court justice upheld that decision. But an appeals court overturned the rulings, agreeing with Neal that that the invalidation of her petitions should be dismissed because she was not properly served notice of the deficiencies.
Neal is a registered Democrat
but said she has made several attempts to change her registration to a non-affiliated. Typically such changes don’t take effect until after the next election; Neal, though, said she has been trying to make the change since before last November.
Neal, 41, graduated from Heritage High School in Littleton, Colo., in 1993, and earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Harvard University this past May. She is a member of the Urban Arts Partnership, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights and Justice, the Waterkeeper Alliance and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
She is perhaps best known for playing the role of Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak on the New York Citybased TV crime drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Neal lived in Hurley part
time while working in New York City and became a permanent local resident in 2015. She said living upstate has made her aware of the gaps in modern communication technology in rural areas.
Neal said securing highquality internet service for such areas must be a priority for the 19th District’s representative.
“It’s been a huge issue in my neck of the woods,” she said.
“Without any kind of internet service to the majority of the district, people can’t do their homework, just can’t,” Neal said. “You can’t do any online education. You can’t take advantage of any kind of online retail opportunities, or remotely [tele]commute into work.”
Neal also wants passenger train service on the west side of the Hudson River in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
“Most people in New York City, even if they have disposable income, do not have cars because it’s inconvenient, and yet we can’t take advantage of their tourist dollars,” she said. “That’s why Rhinebeck is beautiful, because the train station’s there, but they can’t have access to other parts of the district, other places that could use it.”
Neal also suggests that Americans be required to “give back to the society and the country in which you live” through social programs — “like a version of Selective Service, but it’s not necessarily restricted to the military.”
“You can join the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, you can also join the police force,” Neal said. “At this time where people get so incredibly selfcentered ... a sense of duty to one’s fellow man and one’s country would be a really good thing. In places like our
district, where a lot of the kids don’t have a lot of opportunity, it gives ... them a chance to make money for college, a chance to see a little bit of the county, experience different people, different places, and serve their fellow man. The net benefit to society would be huge.”
On the economic front, Neal suggests having the “Hudson Valley and the surrounding region ... [become] the Silicon Valley of renewables,” while steering clear of building power plants that rely on fracked natural gas.
“It’s obviously more environmentally friendly, and that’s one thing everyone can get behind in the district,” she said. “Whether you’re conservative and a hunter or whether you’re a super leftwing organic farmer, everybody cares about the environment.”