Two weeks before election day, the candidates for election to the NY-121 assembly district, Bill Magee and John Salka, sparred at a forum held in Cazenovia. While the forum covered many topics, the theme of the night was that of an energetic outsider, Salka, seeking to oust a 26-year incumbent whom he characterized as “part of the Albany establishment,” while Magee rebutted that Salka’s promises to change the culture of Albany were naïve and unrealistic, especially for one who would be a freshman in the minority party if he won.
The Oct. 25 candidate forum, sponsored and hosted by the League of Women Voters in Cazenovia, was attended by about 40 people in the Cazenovia Public Library community room. Both candidates were given the opportunity for opening and closing statements, but the majority of the forum consisted of Magee and Salka responding to questions posed by the audience.
Salka, the current supervisor of the town of Brookfield and a former president of the Brookfield Board of Education, opened the evening by saying that people want change in New York state, and this is the year to do it. He said the politicians in Albany right now have “a misappropriated sense of priorities” with all the power and the money downstate. “We need new energy, new enthusiasm, new ideas” in the assembly, “and the will to do what is good for constituents,” he said. “People are tired of the Albany corruption. I’ll be part of that change.”
Magee, a lifelong resident of the town of Nelson, is a 13-term assemblyman who previously served for 19 years as the supervisor of Nelson. Magee said that for 26 years he has done a “good job” representing the district and has done things such as bring home money for education and fire departments, fight for tourism and business growth and be a champion for farmers. “I try very hard to concentrate on the needs of the people of the district,” he said. “I have a pretty good record I think of constituent service … It’s been a good time and I certainly would like the opportunity to represent the people of this district another term.”
Following is a summary of where the candidates stood on the issues, with their comments written in the order in which they answered:
Corruption and ethics reform
Both candidates agreed that ethics reform was the most important issue for the upcoming term of the assembly.
Salka said people have a “fundamental mistrust” of government and he will work to clean up Albany and help make state government more transparent. He said Magee’s constant support of indicted former speaker of the assembly Sheldon Silver was disgraceful and that Magee’s stance that he had to support Silver or lose his clout in the chamber is unconvincing. “I will not deal with crooks in order to bring home the bacon,” Salka said. “I will call people out in Albany.”
Magee said he is “very aware” of the ethics issues in Albany and he will “continue to advocate for more openness and transparency.” He said he did not know how he could have known of Silver’s illegal actions, as Salka suggested. “I have not been part of that; I don’t know how I could have prevented that; I don’t support it,” Magee said.
Minimum wage increase
Salka said that as a former small business owner he looks at how a minimum wage increase will affect businesses and, in his experience and conversations throughout the district, small business owners and farmers cannot afford a $15 an hour wage. He said he “vehemently opposes” the $15 minimum wage and he criticized Magee for voting to approve the bill.
Magee said he voted for the minimum wage increase because it was attached — by Gov. Cuomo — to another bill increasing school funding aid. He said he fought for the minimum wage upstate to be only $12 an hour and phased in over a period of years; he also negotiated to get tax credits for farmers to help them face what may be a difficult circumstance with the wage increase. “This was a situation where I had to make a decision and perhaps it was the wrong one,” Magee said.
Bringing jobs upstate
Magee said bringing good jobs to Upstate New York has been the “number one topic” of the past few years, which is one reason why the governor’s economic development councils were created. He said that while the councils have not created as many jobs as people had hoped, they had created jobs. He said there needs to be incentives for businesses to help them grow and we need to have an educated workforce to be hired from.
Salka said the high taxes and stringent regulations of New York state are killing small businesses, and he will build a “coalition of like-minded people” in the assembly to reverse the trend and “turn it around.”
New York SAFE Act
Salka said he will call for and work toward a “full repeal” of the SAFE Act.
Magee said he has been and will continue to be “strongly opposed” to the law and is the sponsor of legislation to repeal it.
Limiting outside income for legislators
Magee said the issue is something that should “certainly” be looked at and that there should be some sort of limitation on outside income.
Salka used the question to address the proposal to increase legislators’ salaries by 47 percent, saying they won’t need outside income if they get that high of a pay raise. He said such a pay raise is “wrong” and if is elected he will take that 47 percent increase (which he said is about $36,000) and donate it to charity, and he challenged Magee to do the same.
Drawing a pension and a state salary
Magee said that his decision to draw his state pension of 45 years while also continuing to accept his state salary was a personal decision he made to consider his wife’s finances if something were to happen to him. “Right or wrong it was allowed and I did it,” he said.
Salka, while conceding that such “double dipping” was allowed when Magee participated in it, said that it is now illegal and called it “unethical.”
Position on Village Edge South development in Cazenovia
Salka, who serves on the Madison County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) board, said he has been watching the proposal closely sees it as a “wonderful opportunity for economic development as long as it is done right and with sensitivity to the community.” He said he sees this as an issue of home rule that is up to the village board.
Magee agreed that this is an issue of home rule for the village and said the impact of the proposed development on the “beauty of the village” should be “carefully looked at.” He said he would support the development if it can be done right.
The election for the NY-121 assembly district will occur on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. around Madison County.
More information on the candidates can be found on their respective websites: Bill Magee: assembly.state.ny.us/mem/William-Magee; John Salka: salkaforassembly.com.
