Incumbent faces challenger in Legislature District 14
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Ulster County Legislator Craig Lopez and political newcomer Adriana Magaña are facing off in the race for the Legislature’s District 14 seat.
District 14 comprises parts of the towns of Shawangunk and Wawarsing.
Lopez is a Republican running for a fifth twoyear term. He will be on the GOP, Conservative and Independence Party lines on the ballot.
Magaña is a Democrat making her first foray into elected politics. In addition to appearing on the Democratic line, she will hold the Working Families Party line in the upcoming election.
Magaña said tackling the opioid crisis is a priority, and she called the rise in opioid deaths in the county “a crisis of leadership and accountability.”
She said that, if elected, she will focus on removing the stigma of addiction through education and “work tirelessly” to hold those responsible for enabling the deaths.
Magaña supports the county’s Green New Deal but said the practical aspects of it are often missed in dialogue. She said she has a “bold vision” that includes investing in the county’s workforce and working with Ulster BOCES and SUNY New Paltz to create a “green jobs” training hub in Wawarsing.
Magaña opposes the idea of siting a landfill in Ulster County, which she said would harm the environment and reduce property values. Instead, she said, the county should look at solid waste as a resource and divert its waste into biogas digesters with the byproducts used to replace less environmentally friendly alternatives.
Lopez said reducing property taxes and bringing down the cost of living in the county will be among his priorities if reelected.
Lopez was critical of recent environmental efforts by the Legislature to eliminate plastics and other single-use items from the county’s waste stream, calling those measures “feelgood political nonsense.”
“Our priorities should be focused on creating jobs that make our communities affordable to live, work and raise a family rather than banning ketchup packets,” he said.
If re-elected, Lopez said, he will work to focus the Legislature’s priorities on business-friendly policies that cut what he said is the red tape and overregulation in order to enable small businesses and the free market to succeed.
A self-employed graphic artist, Lopez, 43, lives in Wawarsing. He is a Pine Bush High School graduate and holds an associate’s degree from Orange County Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Ashworth University.
Magaña, 51, is an Ellenville resident and owner of a permaculture design, education and consultation business.
She is a 1986 graduate of Point Loma High School and attended San Diego City College.
Voters can cast their ballots at any of the county’s eight early voting sites between Oct. 26 and Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 5.