Mike Harkavy, the Democratic Committee chairman, said Allen isn’t a typical candidate.
“When you’re writing stuff, you can’t flood people with tons of info,” he said. “The main thing with him is pulling the reins in a little bit. Usually with a candidate, I have to walk with them, hold their hands. I don’t have to do anything with him. He’s an Energizer Bunny.”
Harkavy said a hard-worker like Allen, if elected, might be able to help the legislature find its voice. Though County Executive Mike Hein is a Democrat and for the most part Harkavy agrees with his policies, he believes the executive position may be becoming too powerful. The legislature needs to reassert its authority. “We have some good folks in there but a lot of people are just rubberstamping party lines,” he said. “[Allen] may rock the boat a little.”
Like most candidates, Allen identifies the need to expand the commercial tax base to bring down or slow the rise of property taxes for residents as the pressing issue. He thinks Saugerties should try to attract foreign and pharmaceutical companies.
But his big idea is a two-year trade school in Saugerties. He says Gov. Cuomo’s SUNY 2020 plan, which focuses on the state’s four major universities, has some good ideas but neglects the growing need for practical training and recertification. He points out that SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Delhi are far away from much of the state’s population around New York City and Long Island. The need is there and Saugerties, with its own Thruway exit, is much easier to reach, says Allen. “I think a lot of people would rather go to school at SUNY Saugerties,” he said.
He said the number of Ulster County residents who attend community college in other counties has quadrupled in the last five years. As a result, the county had to spend $3.28 million to subsidize the education of those students, while taking in just $424,000 from out-of-county residents.
He believes the new tech school will attract county residents who now have to leave to find the programs they’re looking for. Locating the school in Saugerties, at a place like Winston Farm, would be a shot in the arm to the local construction industry, provide hundreds of jobs and bring millions of dollars to the local economy. “My argument is that we need a seventh ag-and-tech center and Saugerties is the perfect fit,” he said.
Allen plans to lobby Assemblyman Pete Lopez and state Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk (Ka-chick) to advocate for the idea on the state level.
However, when asked about the likelihood of the state building a new college (bringing the total SUNYs up to 65), Lopez seemed doubtful. “We have a number of institutions,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s clamoring to create new colleges or trade schools.” Instead, he said, the curriculum at existing institutions could be adjusted to make sure the SUNY system is meeting “real world employment demands.”
The governor’s plan focuses so much on building connections between the four university centers and nearby businesses, most existing universities and colleges could argue they’re being neglected—let alone those not-yet constructed. But Allen isn’t fazed by this, just like he isn’t fazed by taking on the longtime legislator he admits is considered a “legend” by many in Saugerties politics. Allen believes in the idea and he believes in his candidacy.
Spending so much time on research and campaigning, making connections with local, county and state officials, is it possible he’s considering a political career beyond the part-time, $10,000-a-year position of county legislator?
“Maybe, maybe,” said Allen. “I realize I’m pretty good at this.”
