By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
The annual event allows each candidate four minutes to speak to the attendees as they why they believe they are the best candidate for the race they are running in.
The candidates who spoke at the event were: United States 24th Congressional District candidates John Katko (R) and Colleen Deacon (D); New York State Supreme Court Justice 5th District candidates Greg Gilbert (R) and Deborah Karalunas; New York Senate 50th District candidate John DeFrancisco (R); New York State Assembly 127th District candidates Al Stirpe (D), Mike Becallo (R) and Vince Giordano (R) (Becallo and Giordano will run in Sept. 13 Republican Primary); New York State Assembly 128th District Pamela Hunter (D); and Onondaga County Court Justice candidate Rob Coville (R), Matthew Doran (R), Stephen Dougherty (D), Jeff Liebo (D) and Irene Aurora Flores (I) (two seats in this position are open).
One of the races this elections season that many voters will have en eye on will be for the U.S. 24th Congressional District between Katko and Deacon.
Katko, the Republican incumbent, highlighted his first term in office, stating that he has been able to pass 13 pieces of legislation during this time due to the fact he is working across the aisle. Katko, an attorney, first was elected to Congress after beating Dan Maffei in 2014.
“I’m most proud of my ability to be bi-partisan. It’s a lost art in Congress,” said Katko. “Good things can happen when you work across the aisle…I got a lot of thing accomplished in my time as a freshman senator.”
Deacon, the Democratic challenger, said she believes her time working as a press secretary for former Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll and as the Regional Director for Central New York for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has given her insight to the needs of the citizens of this congressional district.
“I have seen first hand that the issues in front of Congress affect real people and I want to go to Congress to be a real voice for the people of the 24th district,” said Deacon “I understand how government works on all levels.”
Another contentious race will be the 127th District New York State Assembly Race. On Sept. 13, Giordano, a Manlius Town Councilor, and Becallo, a Cicero Town Councilor, will face off in the Republican Primary to see who will be the opponent of Democrat candidate and incumbent Al Stirpe.
“What people want from an elected official is someone who will listen to them…They want someone who will be bi-partisan…Someone who is going to fight for them,” said Becallo. “I think I can be that person.”
“I’m a small business owner, I have been for 43 years. I have seen what happened at Carrier after working there for 38 years…These manufactures left because New York State couldn’t work with them,” said Giordano. “We’ve got to be concerned about the people in this district.”
Stirpe identified education, economic development and the environment as some of the top priorities he will look to address if reelected.
“Manufacturing jobs are leaving the area…It’s a problem that manufacturers here in CNY are finding it hard to hire qualified candidates for the jobs they have,” said Stirpe.
The Political Breakfast is an annual event sponsored by the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce. I was started as a means to bring candidates to a forum and allow community members and business owners to be better informed during elections.
“It’s like a rehearsal for the candidates. This is one of the first events where we can get the candidates all together,” said Manlius Chamber President Judy Dardzinski. “Many of us are business owners, so we pay attention to who our elected officials are and what they stand for.”
