What’s wrong with Andy?
Katie Zahedi said the schools in New York State have been run by amateurs; that is, the state Board of Regents had “a combined zero years of teaching experience and they’re asking schools to enact policies that are nonsensical, and harmful to the schools. I want to thank Senator Tkaczyk for is her vote against reinstatement of four incumbent Regents who are not doing a good job.”
Zahedi said she is concerned about the future of the state “if we continue with an unchallenged force like Cuomo.”
Several members of the audience thanked Tkaczyk for holding the meeting and for her stands in the Legislature. “You were the only one who asked about frack fluid [at a DEC hearing last month],” Laurel Lindewall said. “Thank you for asking that question.”
But her question regarded the governor. “What’s wrong with Andy?” she asked. “Across the board I feel like I don’t know what he’s doing. For example, the corporate tax cut. If property taxes are going up because they are cutting school aid, why in the world is he cutting taxes for corporations? Just today I read online from Environmental Advocates of New York that the governor’s budget contains a raid on hundreds of millions of dollars meant for clean, solar green jobs.”
Referring to Democrats who often vote with Republicans, Lindewall said, “it seems Andy prefers to have a Republican Senate, which he has right now because the Democrats have their little trio that votes against the public interest. Why would any sane person have hope?”
Tkaczyk replied: “I have hope because I believe when you send people to the Legislature who represent people and care about what you think, we will end up with a better legislative process. But we need to make sure that the people we send to the Senate and to the Assembly are held accountable. What I see with the education budget is I’m looking out for my schools and the property owners in my district. That’s a huge priority for me.”
Estate and bank tax cuts
Susan Rosenberg asked about a $250 million cut in the estate tax and a $350 million cut in the state’s dedicated bank tax– a tax cut for business that Cuomo has said is designed to keep the banking industry in the state.
The governor proposed bringing the estate tax into line with the federal level, Tkaczyk said. “I’m not sure of the number, but it would allow some people with very expensive homes to get a tax break. It’s one of those issues that will continue to be debated, and I’m not sure what we’ll end up with in the final budget.”
The reduction in bank taxes “didn’t make a lot of sense to me, especially when the banking industry did so much damage to this economy during the recession, but again it’s important to weigh your voice with other senators,” Tkaczyk said. “You have a lot of property, and if you want to transition to the next generation it may be difficult for you to be able to do that. We have a lot of aging farmers and their children are, hopefully, the next generation for their farms. If we can find a way to transition the farms to future generations, that would be a good exemption for the estate tax. Farmers are a big portion of our property tax base, so they are getting hammered by school taxes.”
In other budget matters, Tkaczyk discussed the need to help small businesses, to enable families to support themselves and to ensure that the elderly receive the aid they need. “These are all things we have to work on and address and come to a consensus through our budget negotiations.”
Following the meeting, Marcy Goulart said she was impressed with Tkaczyk’s performance in office. “You’ll talk to assembly people, and they’ll agree with you, then you’ll watch them vote the other way,” she said. “She doesn’t do that.”
Tkaczyk said she was pleased with the turnout, and that “this gives people an opportunity to talk to me, to ask questions and raise issues. It’s important for constituents to know what I’m working on.”
Senate District 46, which Tkaczyk represents, encompasses all or parts of Montgomery, Schenectady, Albany, Greene and Ulster counties.
