Davis running again for Senate 44
TROY, N.Y. » A Cohoes man is once again running for a State Senate seat in the 44th district, which includes Troy and Albany.
Christopher F. Davis, a Republican, announced Wednesday that he’s looking to unseat Democratic incumbent Neil Breslin, of Albany.
Breslin has held a Senate seat for 21 years. He handily defeated Davis in the last election by a margin of 63 percent to 27 percent.
Davis said Monday that it’s extremely difficult to defeat an incumbent senator and that people vote largely along party lines, however it’s important to try and break people out of the party mindset. Davis said many on both ends of the political spectrum would find something to like in
his platform.
He said he’s been endorsed by the Reform Party, and will seek the Republican and Conservative party endorsement.
A spokesman for Breslin said the senator intends to run for reelection and will make a formal announcement soon.
Corruption
Davis is a supporter of term limits, which he says would reduce corruption among public officials. He plans to spend no longer than eight years in office, if elected, and would also like the state legislature to be full-time.
“These people are making $80,000 a year for part time work,” he said in a release. “It is full time pay and should be full time work.”
Davis would also like to see a spending cap on election campaigns, and voter ID laws. “...since you have
to show an ID for far more trivial things than electing lawmakers,” he said. “But I also support reform to increase voting such as electronic voting, easier registration, early voting options.”
Infrastructure
Fighting for more state and federal aid is something Davis said there needs to be more of in the 44th Senate District. Right now, New Yorkers aren’t getting what they’ve been paying for in terms of roads, water quality, and public safety. He hopes to reduce people’s energy bills and improve roads and bridges.
“These are the services people expect their high taxes to go toward. I will fight for the funds we need to revamp our landfills and to repair the rusting and crumbling water lines throughout the Capital Region. It is an absolute must. Simply look at the water main breaks, which are growing every year, pressuring local governments to raise their taxes,” he said.
Crime
Eliminating the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse is another of Davis’ goals, as are incentives and tax breaks for small “momand pop” businesses.
“It’s been two years and small businesses continue to feel the pinch of more control, costly regulation, and wage mandates,” he said. “Because family businesses are the crux of our economy, employing more than half of New Yorkers, I’ll push for a 20 percent tax cut for mom and pop shops to help hire workers and provide raises, while increasing their capacity to grow.”
He’s also opposed to the state’s scaffold law, which holds contractors under strict liability for any gravity-related mishap on a construction site. Critics of the law say it’s outdated, doesn’t protect workers, and drives the cost of projects up significantly.
Healthcare
More needs to be done to prevent illness, says Davis.
“Healthcare is taking our budget, and yet we continue to gut prevention to pay for treatment. This is backwards. To promote the health and well-being of our society, we need to recognize that investment in early childhood development, addressing adverse childhood experiences, promoting nutrition and physical activity, as well as ensuring social support services are in place is key because these strategies offer huge returns in health and well-being,” he said.
Background
Davis, 34, was born in Troy and grew up in the area. He’s the current chairman of the Cohoes City GOP Committee. He works for Health Research Incorporated in the Office of Public Health Practice at the New York State Department of Health. He graduated from the University of Albany with a PgD in epidemiology.