Ulster Chamber Hosts Candidates For Congress

The next breakfast meeting of the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce will feature a Meet the Congressional Candidates forum on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. The invited candidates include first-term incumbent Republican Congressman John Faso of Kinderhook, Democrat Antonio Delgado of Rhinebeck and Green Party hopeful Steve Greenfield of New Paltz. The breakfast, scheduled for 7:30-9 a.m. at the Best Western Plus in Kingston, is sponsored by Health Quest.

Chamber President Ward Todd said the candidates will be given time to offer opening statements and then answer will questions from those in attendance. The League of Women Voters will assist the chamber and facilitate the event.

Faso, who won his first term in Congress in 2016, served in the NYS Assembly from 1987 to 2002. He was Minority Leader from 1998 to 2002 and was his party’s candidate for Governor in 2006.

During his first term, Faso voted against a tax reform bill that he felt hurt New York by eliminating some itemized deductions, including property taxes. He supported the American Health Care Act, which eventually failed in the Senate. Faso’s office said he would highlight his membership in the bipartisan “Problem Solvers Caucus.” The Lugar Center Bipartisan Index recently named Faso one of the most bipartisan members of Congress.

Delgado, who survived a seven-member primary to get his party’s nomination, is an attorney and former Rhodes Scholar. Delgado said he would be “beholden to the people, not special interests. We need to break up corporate monopolies, raise wages, close corporate loopholes and make sure big corporations pay their fair share,” he said. “I support repealing the tax break that was passed this year, which benefits the super wealthy 1 percent at the expense of our hardworking American families.”

Greenfield, a volunteer firefighter and former school board member in New Paltz, said he would focus on issues of special interest to the business community that are “burdensome, persistent and easily remedied by federal legislation that I promise to introduce if elected.” Greenfield said he would introduce legislation to reduce property taxes by an average of 15-20 percent; he also favors a single-payer health care system and cutting military spending among his proposals.

The 19th District includes all of Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Sullivan, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego counties and parts of Dutchess, Rensselaer, Montgomery and Broome counties.

Chamber breakfast programs are a great way to network with other local business leaders and stay on top of current events. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. For more information or to register, call the Chamber at (845) 338-5100 or go online at www.UlsterChamber.org.