NEW YORK STATE — Two candidates are on the ballot for the New York State Assembly’s reconfigured 128th District. Incumbent Pam Hunter, of Syracuse, is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Challenger Dominick Ciciarelli, of Mattydale, is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.
The redrawn 128th District includes a portion of the city of Syracuse; the towns of Onondaga, DeWitt and Salina; and the Onondaga Nation.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Early voting began Saturday, Oct. 29. Visit ongov.net/elections/early-voting.html for more information or contact the Onondaga County Board of Elections at 315-435-8683.
Dominick J. Ciciarelli (REP, CON)
How will your professional and personal experiences serve you in government?
I am a business entrepreneur and even though business and politics never mix, I’m driven to always overcome all challenges faced and learn everything needed to make sure things run smooth and efficient. I am going to work with the community side by side and hand in hand to collectively make decisions. I’m not going to be like all the politicians out there and tell the community what is best for them. We are going to work together to say, “This is what is best for us.” The message is pretty simple: I’m not about politics, I’m about solutions.
What are the top concerns or issues constituents have expressed to you? How do you plan to address these issues?
Some of the top concerns constituents express are three topics I’ve personally been talking about since day one: infrastructure, state spending/inflation and criminal justice reform.
With infrastructure the plan is to work on the roads and sidewalks in the communities. This will help everyone around want to grow with the community collectively and make us all say, “I love the place I live and I want everyone else to live here.”
As for state spending/inflation, we are going to break down everything and take a fixed operations approach to see what useful resources out there need more funding and see what we are wasting funding on. It needs to truly make sense where the tax dollars are going.
As for criminal justice reform, people make mistakes, people can’t afford bail and some crimes aren’t violent, but people need to be held accountable for their actions.
With large companies such as Micron and Amazon investing in Central New York, what is your plan to encourage smart development, preserve CNY’s natural resources and protect homeowners from high real property taxes?
The plan to encourage smart development is to allow a mix of solar, electric, gas and not just force everyone to go completely on the electric grid. We can’t completely go on the grid or we will have blackouts more often than not. This will also help preserve CNY’s natural resources by having companies like Micron run on DC and use cooling systems and fans for their cooling processes so we don’t run out of water. Then we can protect homeowners from high property tax by doing a state property tax assessment, ensuring everyone is paying their fair share.
The pandemic has deeply impacted students’ academic performance and mental health. What is your plan to help address these issues?
We need to actually speak with the students — sit down with them and see how we can improve these concerns. They are the ones facing these struggles every day. We don’t know what they need or what they are and aren’t experiencing. We need to educate ourselves before we can educate the students in overcoming challenges they face and helping them become successful individuals. We can’t just teach by the book all the time. We have to teach outside the book.
When it comes to issues such as bail reform and gun ownership laws, what can New York State do to balance individual rights with public safety?
When it comes to bail reform and gun ownership laws, there is a happy medium out there for everyone to feel comfortable and safe with the decisions made for these concerns. We have to work with the communities and be completely transparent in the process of reasonably making everyone accountable for their actions. We can’t keep making law-abiding citizens feel like criminals, but at the same time we need to help the ones that are deemed criminals become better individuals. There is a heart and good in all people in the world we live in.
Pamela Jo Hunter (DEM, WOR)
How will your professional and personal experiences serve you in government?
My career has long been one of public service. Before being elected to the Assembly I also served on the Syracuse Common Council and in the U.S. Army. I have held board positions with AccessCNY, Catholic Charities, Meals on Wheels, Home Aides of Central New York and the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency. In my position as an Assemblymember, I draw upon all of this experience to find solutions in coordination with stakeholders from our community.
What are the top concerns or issues constituents have expressed to you? How do you plan to address these issues?
Housing, inflation and public safety are the most pressing issues constituents have expressed concerns on recently. With new challenges emerging, I will continue to address these problems directly through impactful legislation and direct investments in our communities.
Housing has long been a high priority of mine. Going into next session, I will continue to work with my colleagues in Albany to make affordable housing safe and accessible. I will also work to find relief for homeowners to ease the hardships many are facing as housing costs continue to rise.
With large companies such as Micron and Amazon investing in Central New York, what is your plan to encourage smart development, preserve CNY’s natural resources and protect homeowners from high real property taxes?
Investments from large companies present new opportunities for our region, but also come with unique challenges. Housing will continue to be a challenge as new residents come to our area to take advantage of new jobs. We should welcome these opportunities while staying mindful of how they will impact different populations. I will continue to work to make sure Central New York remains a place that attracts investment while also ensuring all Central New York residents benefit from new development. I have enacted legislation in past sessions that targets specific issues relating to development and property taxes.
The pandemic has deeply impacted students’ academic performance and mental health. What is your plan to help address these issues?
The learning loss and mental health issues among our students due to the pandemic has been deeply concerning. To overcome these setbacks, we must support our teachers and ensure that schools have the funding they need to meet these new challenges. I have secured record funding year after year and will continue to do so. I have also introduced legislation to implement a more robust system for intervening in teen suicide ideation and will advocate for new investments for additional mental health counsellors in schools.
When it comes to issues such as bail reform and gun ownership laws, what can New York State do to balance individual rights with public safety?
Balancing individual rights and public safety is difficult, but achievable. I have long sponsored and supported firearm laws that hinder illegal gun ownership while having less impact on responsible gun owners. For example, I sponsored and passed legislation to ensure gun buyers who legally reside out of state have to disclose certain mental health records in the same way that New York residents are required to for their background checks. Other laws, such as the recent concealed carry law, however, I found to be excessive and I voted against that bill.
