Five vie for Bruno's Senate seat; two fight for Assembly spot
KEITH WHITCOMB JR.
Article Launched: 09/09/2008 03:04:41 AM EDT
Tuesday, September 9
Staff Writer
HOOSICK, N.Y. — On the ballot for Tuesday's primary in the race for the 43rd District's state Senate seat formerly held by longtime Republican Sen. Joseph Bruno of Brunswick are two Republicans, two Democrats, and one candidate from the Working Families Party.
Running in the Republican primary is Roy McDonald, a state assemblyman and former supervisor of Wilton. He served as Wilton's supervisor for 23 years. McDonald also served in the Vietnam War, where was an artillery forward observer with the Army's First Cavalry Division, according to his Web site.
Some of McDonald's initiatives as an assemblyman have included the three New York State Patriot Plans, which give benefits to New York State military personnel.
Two GOP candidates
He is also working to push the fourth Patriot Plan, which involves tax exemptions for military personnel, as well as giving non-military citizens the option to donate to a "Patriot Family Support Fund," which would be tax deductible.
Also going after the Republican nomination is the former supervisor for the town of Nassau and current councilman, Ray Seney. One of his goals is to learn why gas prices have increased. According to his Web site, Seney said that while the price of fuel has doubled, demand has not. He believes that fuel taxes are unlikely to come about, but said it was something legislators had to work together on.
Democratic primary, as well as the Working Families Party, is Brian Premo, an attorney and former Rensselaer County assistant district attorney. He is the only candidate to endorse the school property cap tax proposed by Gov. David Paterson, a measure that would cap the amount school property taxes are raised at 4 percent a year, which Premo said is roughly the same as the rate of inflation.
According to Premo's Web site, he is against special interests having major influence and is not seeking their support or money. He would also like to push for stronger ethics and lobbying laws.
Running against Premo in the Working Families primary is Christopher Consuello. Consuello works at the Troy Department of Public Works, and at 22 years old, is the youngest candidate running for the Senate seat.
The other contender in the Democratic primary is Mike Russo, former union leader and district representative for U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Greenport. Russo does not support the tax cap, saying that it could possibly lead to a school becoming under-funded.
Two Republicans are currently vying for the empty space being left by McDonald in the 112th Assembly District.
Tony Jordan is the candidate endorsed by McDonald. Jordan said that capping taxes isn't enough, and that to ease the tax burden, wasteful spending must be cut.
Jordan said that the state's $4.5 billion in Medicaid fraud, plus the $350 million that goes to Senate majority leaders for "supposed" economic development are examples of the state's wasteful spending.
Christopher Laing is also running for McDonald's vacant seat. According to Laing's Web site, he is in favor of a 2 percent cap on the increase of property taxes, with any excess having to be voted on first.
He supports a flat tax on fuel, citing that now when the price of fuel goes up, so does the tax, making the price that much higher. He is also in favor of reducing spending.
Primary voting is from noon to 9 p.m.