By Sarah Hall

Editor

Constituents in the 129th Assembly District overwhelmingly support statewide investment for upgrading New York’s water and sewer infrastructure. They also think local officials should be required to make the same financial disclosures state legislators do. They don’t, however, think the state should spend $15 million on a gondola to transport people from the New York State Fairgrounds to its parking lots or the Onondaga Lakeview Amphitheater.

Those are just some of the findings of a constituent survey conducted by 129th District Assemblyman William Magnarelli, who mailed a questionnaire to every household in the district in January. Magnarelli received a total of 2,133 responses, which represents about 10 percent of the district.

The 129th District includes the towns of Geddes and Van Buren and several neighborhoods in the city of Syracuse. In a release, Magnarelli’s office provided the results of the survey divided to show the responses from constituents from each area, as well as by age group. Questions are directly quoted from the survey as written in the release from Magnarelli’s office.

Should Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing organizations be allowed to operate in Upstate New York?

The majority of respondents favored bringing such a service to Central New York, provided there was some government oversight. Overall, 81 percent of respondents wanted ride-sharing. The option was most popular among those 55 and older: 83 percent of those surveyed wanted to bring ride-sharing to CNY, while only 64 percent of those under 35 wanted it.

If ride-sharing was to be presented free of government regulation, those numbers are significantly different. Only 14 percent overall approve of bringing it to CNY, and only 11 percent of those over 55 answered favorably.

Do you agree with allowing wine/beer to be legally sold in movie theaters in New York?

While the answer here remained relatively similar regardless of geography — in B’ville/Van Buren, 29 percent of respondents voted yes; in Syracuse, 29 percent said yes; and in Solvay/Geddes, 36 percent said yes — the response was significantly different depending on age. Younger respondents—those under 35 — generally approved, with 80 percent answering in favor. Meanwhile, those ages 35 to 55 were relatively evenly split, with 50 percent in favor. Those over 55 were pretty solidly opposed; 74 percent answered in the negative.

Do you agree with a proposal for a gondola that will carry people from the New York State Fairgrounds to the Fair’s parking lots or the Onondaga Lakeview Amphitheater, at the estimated cost of $15 million?

The gondola proposal was fairly universally panned. Overall, survey respondents disapproved of the option, with 77 percent responding negatively. The breakdown by geography only varies by one percentage point at most (77 percent in B’ville/Van Buren, 76 percent in Syracuse, 78 percent in Solvay/Geddes), and there’s little variation by age, as well (76 percent among those under 35, 73 percent among those 35 to 55 and 77 percent among those over 55), with all responding in the negative.

Do you agree with the proposal to provide free college tuition for families making up to $125,000 per year for SUNY colleges and universities?

This controversial proposal was, predictably, more evenly split on the survey. While the suburban areas of the district were less inclined to support the initiative (55 percent of respondents in B’ville/Van Buren and 52 percent of those in Solvay/Geddes responded negatively), it was a bit more popular in the city, where 56 percent of those surveyed answered in favor.

Age also played a role in how people responded. Older responders were slightly less likely to favor the proposal (50 percent of those over 55 opposed it) while it had more support among those under 55 — 66 percent of those under 35 and 59 percent of those 35 to 55 approved of the plan.

In a note on the release, Magnarelli’s office said most respondents were concerned about how the tuition program would be funded and its potential effects on private colleges and universities.

Do you support extending for another three years the current higher tax rate in effect for those making more than $300,000, while lowering the rate for those making less?

In this case, the overall numbers — 85 percent in favor and 13 percent against (the numbers don’t add up to 100 because not all respondents answered all of the questions) — closely reflect those as broken down by geography and age. Not surprising, considering that the U.S. Census Bureau lists the median income for Onondaga County as $54,498.

Do you agree with adding a 4 percent sales tax on online purchases made through marketplaces like eBay? This would generate approximately $136 million per year.

Again, the responses show a relatively even split with little difference between the overall percentages (52 percent in favor ad 44 percent against) and those divided into geographical and age brackets.

Would you support a “Buy American” provision for state procurement contracts over $100,000?

There is little difference here between the overall numbers (80 percent in favor and 13 percent opposed) and the geographic breakdown. However, there is some variation by age. While the majority of all ages supported the proposal, the age breakdown was as follows:

• Under 35: 69 percent in favor, 21 percent opposed
• 35 to 55: 76 percent in favor, 14 percent opposed
• Over 55: 82 percent in favor, 12 percent opposed

Do you agree with changing state law to treat some 16- and 17-year-olds charged with non-violent crimes as juvenile offenders rather than adult criminals?

New York is one of only two states (along with North Carolina) that prosecutes children as young as 16 as adults. A variety of groups have been advocating for the state to change the law and raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18. Last year, when Magnarelli asked 129th District residents this question, a total of 52 percent of responders said yes, while 43 percent said no.

This year, it appears the 129th district has had a change of heart. Overall, 70 percent of those who responded to the survey agree that the law should be changed, while 27 percent disagree.

Do you support the investment of $2 billion statewide for water and sewer infrastructure?

Given the crisis in Flint, Michigan, as well as Syracuse’s own infrastructure issues, again, it’s not surprising that the overwhelming majority of respondents approved of this measure, 92 percent to 5 percent.

Do you support requiring counties across the state to work with town, village and other local governments to create a consolidation/shared services plan that will be placed on the November ballot for a vote?

Despite the unpopularity of the Consensus proposal countywide, this proposition has significant support. Overall, 60 percent of those surveyed were in favor of such an idea. They did specify that what they wanted was not governance, but shared services, and they wanted to enter into those agreements slowly with just a few changes at first.

Do you believe local government elected officials should be required to make financial disclosures of their assets and outside income, similar to state legislators?

As part of ethics reforms enacted in the last few years, New York state legislators are required to disclose sources of outside income.

The proposal was viewed favorably by 129th District constituents, 82 percent of whom approve.

Do you support prohibiting companies that bid on state contracts from making political contributions to state officials during the bid process?

Another effort at ethics reform, this proposal also has significant support among residents of the 129th District. Overall, 92 percent of respondents are in favor of such a measure, while 6 percent oppose it.

For more information on the constituent survey or any of the legislative measures proposed, contact Assemblyman Magnarelli’s office at (315) 428-9651.