Written by Staff



Oct. 22, 2014: With Election Day less than two weeks away, it's time to bone up on the candidates running for office. There are no elections for town or county candidates this fall. Village elections are held in March.

Only those candidates running for state senate and state assembly and statewide candidates (governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, and several judges) are on the ballot. There are also three propositions.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.

Below is information on the major party candidates running for office. A description of the proposals will be provided next week with pros and cons for each.

All of the information was taken from the website of the League of Women Voters (http://www.vote411.org/), which obtained the information from questionnaires completed by the candidates.

Local Candidates

State Senate

Joseph Dillon, New York Senate District 37

City/Town of Residence: Yonkers, NY

Party: R, C, I

Education: Georgetown University, BA, Russian Studies; Columbia University, master's degree, International Affairs

Civic Service: Founding member of the American Black Male Leadership Institute

Campaign Website: http://www.joedillonforsenate.com

Campaign Phone: 914-268-0500

Priorities: What would be your top three priorities?
"Jobs, jobs, jobs. This is achieved by funding and fixing our education system and cutting taxes. I'm running with a simple pledge to Westchester families: If it doesn't help create a job, if it doesn't make life more affordable for Westchester families, or if it doesn't improve the quality of education for our students, I won't vote for it. Our schools are dangerously underfunded and the roll-out of Common Core was a disaster. We can't send the same people to Albany and expect different results."

George Latimer, New York Senate District 37

City/Town of Residence: Rye City

Party: D, WF

Current Political Office: New York State Senator

Education: Graduate, Mount Vernon HS; BA, Fordham University; MPA, New York University

Civic Service: New York State Assembly, County Legislator, City Councilman. Served 20 years with major US corporations.

Campaign Website: http://www.GeorgeLatimer.com

Priorities: What would be your top three priorities?
"1) CUT PROPERTY TAXES - reduce unfunded mandates. Phase out Medicaid costs borne by County govt; eliminate MTA payroll tax for local governments, cap pension contributions for local governments and school districts at 2%. 2) END POLITICAL CORRUPTION - Establish pension forfeiture for felony convictions; strengthen Board of Elections to hold all accountable for political expenditures; maintain strong prosecutorial presence. 3) Support ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS for land, water and air, clean energy
State Assembly."

Amy R. Paulin, New York Assembly District 88

City/Town of Residence: Scarsdale

Party: D, WF

Current Political Office: Member of Assembly, 88th Assembly District

Education: BA, SUNY Albany, '77; MA, SUNY Albany, '78

Civic Service: Executive Director, My Sisters' Place; Trustee, Scarsdale Village Board; President, Scarsdale and Westchester League of Women Voters; Vice President, NYS League of Women Voters

Campaign Website: http://www.amypaulin.com

Campaign Phone: 914-722-9370

Priorities: What would be your top three priorities?
"1. Continuing to support and maintain the academic excellence and rigor of our schools.
2. Continuing to keep a lid on taxes through conscientious and on time budgeting.
3. Continuing to keep our residents and our neighborhoods safe and green."

Assemblywoman Paulin is running unopposed.

Statewide Candidates

Governor

Rob Astorino

Party Affiliation: R

Party Endorsements: R, C, SCC

Education: "Mr. Astorino received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications at Fordham University, where he also minored in Spanish and Political Science. In 2001, he studied in Barcelona, Spain, and received a Spanish Immersion Diploma from the Enforex School of International Studies."

Experience and Qualifications: "Before taking office as [Westchester] County Executive, Mr. Astorino had a successful career in the radio industry. He was station manager and program director of The Catholic Channel on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio and hosted a weekly radio show from St. Patrick's Cathedral with the archbishop of New York. In 2001, he helped launch ESPN Radio in New York and became the station's senior producer."

Community Involvement: "Mr. Astorino was first elected to public office at age 21, serving as a member of the Mount Pleasant Board of Education. He went on to serve for 12 years as a councilman on the Mount Pleasant Town Board, including six years as deputy supervisor. In 2003, he was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators."

Campaign Website: http://www.robastorino.com

Campaign Phone: 914-481-3672

Andrew Cuomo

Party Affiliation: D

Party Endorsements: D, I, WF, WEP 

Education: Fordham University, BA; Albany Law School, JD

Experience and Qualifications: "Prior to his election [as governor], Andrew Cuomo served for four years as New York's Attorney General. In 1997, Cuomo was appointed by President Clinton as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He had previously served as HUD Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development from 1993 – 1997. Prior to his work in Washington, Governor Cuomo earned a reputation as one of the country's most innovative and dedicated advocates for the homeless with his organization HELP."

Community Involvement: "Throughout his life, Governor Cuomo has been deeply involved in the lives and needs of communities across New York State and throughout the nation. He has been on the forefront of innovative housing and urban planning solutions through his non-profit organization Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged as well as in his time as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Attorney General of the State of New York. As Governor, he has been focused on planning for and responding to the needs of communities around the state. Governor Cuomo will continue to fight for the best interests of communities across New York State in a second term."

Campaign Website: http://www.andrewcuomo.com

Campaign Phone: 212-551-9441

Lieutenant Governor

Kathy Hochul

Party Affiliation: D

Party Endorsements: D, I, WF, WEP

Education: Syracuse University, BA; Catholic University, JD

Experience and Qualifications: Member of Congress (NY-26), 2011-2013; Erie County Clerk, 2007-2011; Hamburg Town Council, 1994-2007

Campaign Website: http://kathyhochul.com

Chris Moss

Party Affiliation: R

Party Endorsements: R, C, SCC

Education: A graduate of the FBI National Academy; master's degree, Marist College; bachelor's degree, SUNY Empire State College

Experience and Qualifications: "A 26-year veteran of the [Chemung County] Sheriff's Office, including many years as a Commander and Investigator with the Criminal Investigation Division, he was elected Sheriff in 2005 and re-elected in 2009 & 2013. Sheriff Moss has been a leader in combatting drugs, including implementing Operation R.A.M. and outfitting deputies with Narcan to reduce heroin overdoses. He also instituted Operation Safe Child, where children's photographs & fingerprints are logged in the event that they become lost or missing."

Current Political Office: Chemung County Sheriff; President of the New York State Sheriff's Association.

Community Involvement: "As President of the New York State Sheriff's Association, Chris Moss has been an outspoken critic of the so-called 'SAFE Act' that restricts gun owner rights, and makes no one any safer. He has also been a strong advocate for cleaning up corruption in government, including support for term limits and eliminating pension benefits for elected officials convicted of corruption."

Campaign Website: http://www.robastorino.com

Campaign Phone: 914-481-3672

Attorney General

John Cahill

Party Affiliation: R

Party Endorsements: R, C, SCC

Did not respond to the League of Women Voters questionnaire.

Eric Schneiderman

Party Affiliation: D

Party Endorsements: D, I, WF, WEP

Education: Amherst College, 1977; Harvard Law School, 1982

Priorities: What would be your top three priorities if elected?
"First, I would continue to aggressively take on public corruption and fraud, building on the work we have done over the last four years. Second, I will continue to take a tough and smart approach to tackling crime so that our communities are safe. Third, I will continue to fight for social justice for all New Yorkers, from defending women's reproductive healthcare choices by expanding buffer zones at health clinics to protecting vulnerable seniors from financial scams."

Finance Policy: What regulatory changes would you propose to effectively oversee the finance industry in the state?
"Over the next four years I will continue do everything in my power to protect investors and homeowners, and to force financial institutions to play by the same set of rules as everyone else. I will continue to investigate fraudulent banking practices and reallocate recovered funds to help New Yorkers who were unfairly hit by the crash. And I will continue to pursue 'Insider Trading 2.0,' a special arrangement that gives high-speed traders an early jump on market-moving information."

Campaign Website: http://ericschneiderman.com/

Campaign Phone: 212-238-3270

Comptroller

Robert Antonacci

Party Affiliation: R

Party Endorsements: R, C

Education: Le Moyne College, bachelor's degree; Syracuse University College of Law, JD

Experience and Qualifications: "I have served as the Onondaga County Comptroller since 2008. Prior to that I worked in the private sector, first at Ernst & Young, then in my own practice. My experience as a CPA and an attorney have been invaluable in my service to the taxpayers of Onondaga County, and will prove just as fruitful to the taxpayers of New York State."

Campaign Website: http://www.bobantonacci.com

Campaign Phone: 315-530-8938

Thomas DiNapoli

Party Affiliation: D

Party Endorsements: D, I, WF, WEP

Education: Hofstra University, BA, magna cum laude; The New School, Management and Urban Studies, MA

Experience and Qualifications: "Tom DiNapoli was appointed to the office of State Comptroller in 2007, where he has served since, winning re-election in 2010. He has implemented reforms to the pension system to restore trust to the office and has fought corruption and waste at all levels of government in NY State. Tom entered the comptroller's office from the NY Assembly where he served for 20 years. He chaired multiple committees there, including the Environmental Conservation Committee and the Consumer Affairs Committee."

Community Involvement: "At age 18, Tom became the youngest elected official in NY State, serving on his local school board. Since then, he has been an engaged member of his Nassau County community as both a resident and elected official. While his focus is primarily the fiscal health of the state and its local governments, he has been a progressive-minded advocate for environmental protection, fighting corruption and gun violence, election reform and infrastructure improvement."

Campaign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thomas.P.DiNapoli?ref=hl

Campaign Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomdinapoli

Editor's note: D=Democratic Party; I=Independence Party; C=Conservative Party; R=Republican Party; SCC=StopCommonCore Party; WEP=Women's Equality Party; WF=Working Families Party.

Photo by A. Warner