NY21 Democrats present views ahead of Primary Election

PLATTSBURGH | With midterm elections coming in November, the Primary Election June 23 will decide major party candidates for U.S. House of Representatives District 21. Two Democrats and two Republicans are running for their party's line on the ballot. In New York State, Primary Elections are closed, which means only registered members of each party can participate in their party's election. The candidate who receives the most votes advances to the general election on Nov. 3. Early Primary Election voting begins on June 13. Republican Party candidates are Anthony Constantino and Robert Smullen. For the Democratic Party, candidates are Blake Gendebien and Stuart Amoriell. The Sun asked each candidate the same set of questions, looking to find out what they have heard on the campaign trail, and how federal lawmakers could address constituent concerns. This report focuses on the Democratic candidates, Amoriell and Gendebien, their responses are provided in alphabetical order. Amoriell is a resident of Lake Placid in Essex County. Gendebien is a resident of Lisbon in St. Lawrence County. The 21st Congressional District in New York State encompasses several hundred miles of U.S/Canadian border on land and water, from Lake Champlain to Watertown. It is 6,288.9 square miles -- larger than the state of Connecticut -- with a population of nearly 768,000, encompassing Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schoharie, Warren and Washington counties and sections of Jefferson and Oneida counties. ............................ STUART AMORIELL PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat AGE: 50 EDUCATION: Loyola University, Political Science and Philosophy; KU Leuven in Belgium, International Relations; served as a Congressional Intern. OCCUPATION: Local business owner, The Pickled Pig, Lake Placid. PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT/CIVIC/MILITARY EXPERIENCE: Eagle Island Camp Board of Directors, current member, St. Agnes Elementary School Board of Education, previous member. What is the priority concern District 21 residents have raised in discussions with you? "There's an umbrella of concerns that are 'quality of life issues'," Amoriell said. "Some people refer to them as 'affordability.' But I don't think it's all 'affordability'. It's more about quality of life." Quality of life concerns involve access to childcare and healthcare, affordable healthcare, housing and costs of groceries, goods and services. "'Affordability' isn't one issue, especially with healthcare, because it's also about -- can you even find a doctor?" Amoriell said. Housing affordability refers to costs of both purchasing a house and paying rent. "Too often we talk about the high costs of purchasing a house up here, and that's true. But the cost of rent is through the roof, and these two things are related to inventory." The cost of housing is one of the reasons, Amoriell said, that he got involved in the 21st District race. "And then the cost of goods is a concern in terms of both groceries and utilities. The cost of gas is certainly a national issue, but look at where we are with utility costs," he said, relaying concerns from people in the district with utility bills at $1,200, $1,300 and higher. "This winter was very tough. It put people in the red. People don't have this sitting in their bank accounts to be able to absorb that," Amoriell said. "Those are the issues that I'm hearing from people when I'm out there talking to voters." Amoriell said people in the 21st District asked him about relations with Canada and the drop in Canadian visitors and neighbors. "People will ask me on the campaign trail and at campaign events, 'What do we do?' And the first thing we need to do is apologize," Amoriell said. "We absolutely do need to repair our relationship with Canada. If a country wants to have trade negotiations, that's fine...but we went a step further. We called them the 51st state and a 'failed nation.'" Vital border connections have been lost, Amoriell said. "We're seeing Canadian money no longer come into our communities... this has to be fixed. I hear that a lot from the border communities." What would you do to address it? On tariffs, he said, "The Supreme Court struck down a lot of them, but moving forward, we have to make sure tariffs agreements are done the right way and not used as some punitive measure. They're supposed to be put in place by Congress. "We really need to restore the separation of powers. There's a reason the U.S. Constitution was written." Beyond tariffs, federal spending is also the work of Congress, the candidate said. "When we see the defunding of the Department of Education, when we see the defunding of USAID, when we see defunding of the U.S. Justice Department's Division on Civil Rights. This was money allocated by Congress. "If I'm elected to Congress, I'll work to make sure Congress reasserts its constitutional authority." To concerns about skyrocketing healthcare costs and declining access, Amoriell said he would work toward a single-payer system. "I don't know that it would ultimately be Medicare for all, but it would be a single-payer system. And there's going to be a transition. Ultimately, I think that is what our country needs. "We have a country that spends more per person than any other country in the world, about $15,000 per person. But we have the worst medical outcomes of all developed countries ... How do we create a single-payer system? We're already spending this money. It's just how it's allocated." The burden of debt needs to shift, he said. "We are $40 trillion in debt right now. Twenty percent of our annual budget goes to servicing the debt. "We can't keep telling people we're going to put the debt burden on the middle-class, the workforce or those that are most vulnerable. We're telling seniors...we're going to have to cut benefits. "If we got rid of the income cap on Social Security, we would immediately cover half of the shortfall that we are projecting for the future." Amoriell said he supports changes to the tax code. "I absolutely support a wealth tax. Those that have benefited from the government taking on this debt clearly are the ultra-wealthy and corporations. We have seen over 50 percent of the wealth concentrated at the top two and five percent. "At the end of the day, we have to balance the books, we have to improve quality of life, and they're going to have to pay more." What federal measures do you support to assist small business and agricultural business operations in Northern New York? "Housing, as part of those quality life issues, really does support small businesses. There are four bills in Congress right now, bipartisan bills, to improve the housing situation. They would provide funding for construction geared towards people making a certain income or less. And it provides tax incentive for developers that want to focus projects in those areas. "There are also bills looking at how to make it easier for people to qualify for a first-time mortgage by loosening requirements if they are part of the gig economy. Another bill would provide tax credits toward a down-payment on a home. I would certainly support those." An area that needs decisive action, Amoriell said, is immigration policy for foreign workers. "In St. Lawrence County, and other northern areas, where they need labor, immigrant labor, there is no real mechanism for year-round work permits, and I think that needs to be addressed." Would you host town meeting style visits with communities throughout District 21? "Yes, we do town halls. I do these things called Tailgate Talks as well, which is when I drive my truck up and I stand in the back and talk to the group that is there. I usually do that in parks." Tailgate Talks began at John Brown's Farm when Amoriell launched his campaign in December last year. Because setting up a podium wasn't feasible, he used the back of his truck for a stage. "Absolutely, I do town halls," Amoriell said. Where would your District 21 offices be located? "I want to make sure that people feel like they can engage. We would have staff in multiple locations so that it would be easy for constituents to get to an office and talk to a staff member without having to drive four hours to do so." ............................ BLAKE GENDEBIEN PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat, Independent (Lower Cost Now) AGE: 49 EDUCATION: Penn State University OCCUPATION: Dairy farmer PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT/CIVIC/MILITARY EXPERIENCE: Lisbon Central School Board of Education, former president; Jules of Life Foundation. What is the priority concern D21 residents have raised in discussions with you? "We've been at this for almost 18 months. We've done over 130 in-person events. We've had lots of opportunities to listen to the concerns of those Republicans and Democrats in the district. "And since day one for me, everybody wants someone who will work with everyone to get things done for the district. That includes lowering costs, protecting rural health care and securing the northern border here," Gendebien said. As a dairy farmer, Gendebien said, he sees firsthand how rising costs are crushing families across the North Country. "And the uncertainty around our tariffs is already driving up the cost for farmers just like me. Prices have increased the cost of fertilizer, transportation, equipment, parts and all of those costs eventually turns into higher grocery bills for all of my hardworking friends and neighbors." At the same time, Gendebien said, rural health care is failing in our communities. "And families are driving for hours. I know what it's like. My son, Noah, got mono last summer, and there was not an available Ear, Nose and Throat doctor." Gendebien said they ended up seeking care in Syracuse, two-and-a-half hours away. "We are just already at risk of losing our rural health care, and now, with Medicaid cuts from the One Big, Beautiful Bill, it's looking like it's going to get worse." Two hospitals in the 21st District have already filed for bankruptcy: Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, in Ogdensburg, and Carthage Area Hospital. Gendebien said he attended rallies at Claxton-Hepburn. Employees who have worked at local hospitals their whole lives raised concern about job loss and the lack of union jobs. "These hospitals are tied to the railroad tracks and the train of the Medicaid cuts is barreling toward them. We need somebody that can help these hospitals and untie them, and that's what I want to do, because I understand what it's like." People in NY21 do understand the risks they face with loss of healthcare coverage and facilities, Gendebien said. "They've talked about the lack of union jobs that are going to be lost. The whole community revolves around these hospitals and we just cannot afford to lose them." Almost 50 percent of the electorate in NY21 is over 65, he said, "and we have more veterans than any other district in New York State. We need to make sure they have the healthcare available to live out their retirements healthy." The future of legal immigration and border security has also remained an important topic of discussion "As a farmer, I know how broken our immigration system is. The farmers around me, we talk about this a lot. Washington has totally failed us," Gendebien said. "And if Washington wants to get serious about securing the border and fixing immigration, farmers like myself need a seat at the table. I know how broken the system is. And I understand the need for a reliable legal workforce, not just for agriculture, but also for hospitality and construction and healthcare and forestry across New York's 21st district. "We need less political theater, fewer partisan games, and more people in Washington who actually understand how these decisions affect our working communities in the real world." What would you do to address it? "Our district is a vital agricultural sector, and we struggle to get a Farm Bill passed every time it's up for renewal. I want to be the voice for agriculture for New York's 21st District and help get farm bills passed to provide certainty for agriculture, certainty for food production and help farmers manage risk. "Under the current leadership, we've lost hundreds of small farms and small businesses that are the backbone of rural community," he said. "I know the North Country, I know the Mohawk Valley. I know the 21st. This is where I grew up." Gendebien said he knows what it's like to be a small business owner trying to make payroll through nonsensical regulation and rising costs. "And I know what it's like to farm on the border in a broken immigration system. I want to be part of a solution for immigration. We want to secure the border, and we want to fix immigration to support our farm businesses and our small business sector. I know how Washington has failed us, and I understand, because it's what farmers are telling me. "We need a reliable non-seasonal, legal, guest workforce...not just for agriculture, but also for healthcare, hospitality, construction and forestry, we can drive down everyday costs for people at the grocery store, at their doctor's office, at Lowe's and Home Depot for construction supplies. "It is part of making sure that inflation does not outpace what we earn and does not outpace our retirement function." What federal measures do you support to assist small business and agricultural business operations in Northern New York? The economy relies on a stable workforce, Gendebien said. "I want to be part of common sense immigration reform that secures the border, deports violent criminals with due process, and streamlines the legal process for people who want to come here, work hard, and contribute to our economy. "I support The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would help create a reliable, legal workforce in agriculture to give farmers certainty instead of constant instability in the labor force. This would drive down food costs for everyone in New York's 21st district and across the country. "I support government reforms like ending partisan gerrymandering. I support term limits. I support making sure that while you're in office, you do not have access to insider information and trade stocks on that access. These are all things that I want to work on: agriculture, immigration and government reforms." Would you host town meeting style visits with communities throughout District 21? "We've been doing this for 18 months. We have been hosting open Meet and Greets, I enjoy hearing from people and I enjoy tough questions," Gendebien said. "We're not going to agree on everything. But the people that I will represent deserve to know what my thoughts are and what my opinions are. I like hearing from people. I need to know what they're thinking and the only way to do that is to see people face-to-face. Where would your District 21 offices be located? Gendebien said he would likely put an office in Canton, St. Lawrence County, and possibly an office in Plattsburgh in Clinton County. "These are all ideas that I have. Rome seems like a logical place, and the Tri-County area with Washington, Saratoga and Warren counties. And I think that we should have an office in the Adirondack Park as well, between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid."

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NY21 Democrats present views ahead of Primary Election

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