Hopefuls face off in debate
BURNT HILLS >> Longtime Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco faced off against Democratic challenger Chad Putman Wednesday in a sometimes contentious debate for the 49th Senate District seat.
The two men are vying to fill the seat long held by Sen. Hugh Farley, R-Niskayuna, who retired earlier this year. The Candidates Forum was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County and the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County. It featured debates between the candidates seeking to represent the 112th Assembly as well as the one for the Senate seat.
Speaking before a sparse crowd of around 60 in the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School auditorium, Tedisco, R-Glenville, trumpeted his 33 years of experience in the Assembly, his fortitude in standing up to powerful opposing forces, the many bills he has passed and two new ones he has ready to go. He also stressed what he believes is a need for continued Republican control of the Senate as a check on an all Democratic government in Albany.
“It’s all about the character, quality and content of any representative,” he said in his opening statement.
Putman is the deputy city clerk for the City of Schenectady and a newcomer to politics. He announced his bid for office this spring before Farley announced he would retire.
At Wednesday evening’s debate, he noted his upstate roots and his awareness of those areas in the large district that continue to struggle economically. He asked voters to join him in a “shared belief that we can do better for more people”.
If his “out-of-the-box” campaign is successful, Putman said he will work closely with the residents of the district to upend the status quo in Albany. His platform is centered on economic development for the district, fairness in funding public education of the
district’s schools, and tackling inequality and discrimination.
“This is our government and we need to wrestle it back from greedy politicians,” he said.
The questions for the candidates came from the audience, many of which were posed by audience members standing just beyond the room’s orchestra pit.
The night’s topics were many and included campaign finance reform, ability to work in a bi-partisan manner, having a full-time legislature, economic development, open primaries, corruption in state government, and the candidates’ positions on their party’s presidential nominee.
For much of the evening the two men cordially albeit forcefully staked out their positions on each question with Tedisco needling Putman at times that he was all rhetoric and no record. Several times in answering a question Tedisco launched into the bills he’s sponsored or passed, and his documented confrontations with former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
The unfazed Putman forged ahead answering each question basing his answers on what he has witnessed as the result of state government action, the effects it has had on the people in the 49th Senate District, and his plans for changing the gridlock in Albany.
The night got heated when Tedisco veered from discussing his party’s presidential nominee and attacked Putman for not stating any record of achievements or denouncing Hillary Clinton for allegedly bleaching emails, having a home server for her digital communications, and actions undertaken while U. S Secretary of State.
That brought booing from the audience which only angered Tedisco more.
“People with personal opinions should get in the race if they want to make their opinions known,” he said to the audience.
The evening’s debate got testy a second time on the question of corruption in state government, term limits and campaign financing.
After Putman said he supported term limits and Tedisco explained why he did not, Putman used extra time to make an additional point that he would be a reformist through a self-imposed term limit.
That got Tedisco to use his extra time to explain his opposition to having a state constitutional convention which would include a review of term limits. Those remarks got Putman to use a second allotment of extra time to again hammer Tedisco by saying longtime legislators don’t always do what they say they will and that change was what was needed in Albany to bring real reform.
Tedisco immediately used his second bit of extra time to describe the inner workings of the political process in Albany. He described how he had been such a thorn in the Democrats side on the issue of reform he was redistricted three times to get him out of office.
Earlier, in a much more low-key and cordial debate, Republican candidate Mary Beth Walsh faced off against Democrat Michael Godlewski for the 112th Assembly District seat, the one now held by Tedisco.
For one hour the two candidates showed they shared much in common with each other saying several times they agreed, in some part, with the other’s position.
Both are attorneys. Walsh has served on the Town of Ballston Town Board while Godlewski is making his initial run for office.
Walsh said she was running for office to bring her experience as an attorney, former town legislator, a member of the Saratoga IDA, and a member of a community and constituency she knows to the Assembly.
Godlewski said he would like the opportunity to bring a five point plan of lowering property taxes, creating jobs, fighting for children’s education, protecting children from neglect and making home care for seniors as reasonable to Albany.
The issues on which the candidates were questioned in this debate were similar to those asked of the senatorial candidates, corruption in state government, property tax reform, open primary voting, business development, bi-partisanship, and term limits.
On the last question Godlewski said he sees no need for term limits when voters have the right to choose another candidate every two years.
“You have the chance to get new representation by voting,” he said. “I’m 32 (years old). I represent a new generation, the Millennials. What we need to do is end the culture of pay to play that’s been there so long.”
Walsh finds term limes necessary and said she would support it for leaders as well and the rank and file in the legislature.
“Getting new people is good to combat the corruption problem,” she said. “Term limits are a component (of doing) but not the only one.”
More information on the candidates and answers to other questions posed to them by the LWV can be seen on the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County website at: http:// www.lwvsaratoga.org/