Barber, Oberacker square off in 51st district Senate race
Democrat James Barber and Republican Peter Oberacker will square off in the race for the 51st state Senate seat now held by Republican Sen. James L. Seward.
The 51st Senate District stretches from Ulster County west to Tompkins County and north to Herkimer County. In Ulster County, the district includes the towns of Rochester, Olive, Shandaken and Hardenburgh.
Seward, R-Milford, announced on Jan. 20 that he’ll step down at the end of the year after serving 17 two-year terms in the Senate. Seward has been battling bladder cancer and cited the illness in announcing his decision not to seek re-election.
Barber is a Middleburgh resident and fifth-generation farmer who will hold
the Democratic line on the ballot.
Oberacker, of Schenevus, is the founder and president of Form Tech Solutions, and a member of the Ostego County Board of Representatives. He will hold the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines.
On their campaign websites, both men said helping small businesses would be a priority and said the state needs to reexamine, and if necessary roll back regulations they say place an undue burden on small businesses.
Both also said they sup
port the Second Amendment, with Barber saying he “strongly support(s) the second amendment, the first amendment, and every amendment that provides the citizens of this country with our rights, freedoms, protections, and equal justice.”
Oberacker criticized the state’s SAFE Act as “poorly written, hastily passed and horribly implemented,” and said he would “oppose any unconstitutional legislation like the SAFE Act that restricts gun owners’ rights.
The two also said they would push for the expansion of broadband into the more rural regions of the district and both said the state needs to do more to protect farming and agriculture in the state.
Oberacker said he opposes the recently enacted bail reform laws, which he called a “dangerous plan that puts criminals back on our streets.” He said he supports giving judges discretion over bail and said he will “fully support our police and all of our critical emergency personnel.”
He criticized the way he said the state allocates federal funds to municipalities stating on his campaign website that “we need to make sure
all federal money goes to where it belongs: local governments.”
To revitalize the economy, he said, he would work to eliminate what he called the undue burdens that are placed on businesses.
Barber said he opposes fracking and would fight to codify the state’s current fracking ban and as the state works to develop a more green economy he will fight to make sure the economies of upstate communities benefit from the jobs that shift will create.
Barber also said the state needs to address its current tax system, which he called “inherently unfair,” and said he would fight against unfunded mandates that are passed down to local communities. He also said the state needs to develop a more equitable way to fund education, saying “a child’s zip code should not affect the quality of their education.”
Barber said he supports universal Pre-K both for the benefits it will provide the children and as a way to provide daycare to working families.
Barber said on his campaign website that as a vocal advocate and statewide leader in New York’s agriculture business, he understands the needs of working families and said he would give voice to those who feel they are unheard by Albany.