Sandra Frankel for State Senate
Announcement of Candidacy
February 12, 2008
LEADERSHIP, VISION, EXPERIENCE
A Time for Change
Today I am honored and humbled to announce my candidacy for the New York State Senate, 56th District.
Over the years, many people have encouraged me to consider running for State Senate and other offices, but I have focused on serving the Town of Brighton to the best of my ability. During the past 16 years as Supervisor, we have made great strides in turning the town around and making it one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family.
As I look beyond Brighton at the landscape of the greater Rochester area and upstate New York, I am very concerned about the challenges facing our community and Upstate: the need for economic growth and job creation, better educational outcomes, health care reform, and energy and environmental issues.
My outlook for the greater Rochester region and upstate New York is one of hope and optimism. We have strength and sustainability in our people, educational institutions, and natural resources, not the least of which is water, to turn the tide towards a great future. Rochester is home to some of the finest universities in the country, an asset that can drive economic growth and jobs for our citizens.
To achieve this vision, the New York State Senate desperately needs new leadership and direction. We need open government and a sincere desire to work together across party lines for the benefit of all of the citizens of New York. We have lost jobs, population, and businesses. Too many of our children, especially students from low income families, are not achieving their full potential. Many of our residents go without health care, or use expensive emergency rooms for primary care.
New York deserves better; we deserve better. The City of Rochester deserves a larger piece of the pie – our fair share of state aid for investment in the community. The people of the 56th State Senate district, including the City of Rochester and the towns of Greece, Brighton and Parma deserve representation that reflects the values and vision of our community.
For the past decade New York and our region lagged behind the economic boom of the nation. That needs to change, and we need change. I will work hard for and with the people of the 56th State Senate district so that we can
· have open state government
· create jobs, regain our competitive standing, and restore our lagging economy. We must tap the talent our area and put people back to work at good paying jobs
· provide quality education to enable our children to achieve satisfying and productive lives and avoid a life of drugs and crime
· deliver affordable, quality health care and provide paid family leave, making New York State the third state to give paid time off to take care of a newborn or a sick family member
· ensure fair taxes, by lowering the regressive property tax on working families and ensuring that the wealthiest pay their fair share of state taxes and
· have clean elections. The time has come to implement campaign finance reform.
As your State Senator, I will
· fight for the resources that will make our city streets safe from violence, and attack the underlying social issues that derail and destroy lives
· protect a woman’s right to choose
· extend civil rights to all New Yorkers and ensure equal treatment under the law, including marriage equality
I know the importance of well maintained roads and bridges so essential to a well functioning economy. I want Thruway tolls eliminated to make travel through New York a route of choice, in order to revitalize commercial transportation and tourism in our state. We need high-speed, reliable train service that links western New York with the eastern U.S. corridor and other major destinations. I want upstate airline service to be comprehensive, and airline flights restored between Rochester and Albany and places beyond. We need to capitalize on a unique asset known world-wide, the Erie Canal corridor, and invest in its recreational and commercial revitalization.
We must move quickly to ensure that green initiatives produce a healthy and clean environment with greater energy efficiency through increased use of alternative fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our carbon footprint, and that decrease dependence on imported oil. Through these efforts, we will also create new kinds of jobs, referred to as ‘green collar’ jobs. Going green is critical to the future of our communities and country, now and for the future.
I know that we can translate this vision into reality, and I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
My record of accomplishment and experience tells the story of strong leadership, real results, and a better quality of life for the people I have served. I know how to get the job done; and by building bridges, finding common ground, and fighting for our future together, we will have a brighter tomorrow.
To achieve these goals, we must win in November, and with your help and support, we will win. My demonstrated record of success stands strong, and my political record shows clearly that I am a winning candidate. I have won 13 local campaigns and a state-wide Primary Election.
When I was first elected Supervisor of Brighton in 1991, Brighton was overwhelmingly Republican. As the first Democrat and first woman to serve as Supervisor in modern history, my Democratic team and I turned around a Town government that was out of touch with its people.
The hallmark of my administration is open government. By working closely with the people in our community, we not only closed a severe budget deficit, but also earned a high level Moody’s credit rating, kept taxes at or below the rate of inflation, and cut taxes four times.
With a commitment to preserving safe and vibrant residential neighborhoods and commercial districts, the voters of Brighton responded to my record by electing me Supervisor eight more times. In fact, with ever increasing margins of victory. In 2007, I won with 75 percent of the vote against a Republican/Conservative candidate. I am also proud to have also earned the support of the Working Families Party. Democratic voters throughout New York recognized my record, my vision, and my commitment to the State of New York by nominating me as Lieutenant Governor in 1998. I won 55 of New York’s 62 counties with nearly 51 percent of the vote in a three-way race, and 79 percent of the votes cast for Lt. Governor in Monroe County in the statewide Primary Election.
In 2007, Governor Spitzer appointed me to the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, which is working towards reducing property taxes, increasing the delivery of quality services and programs, and bringing communities together to work in partnership with one another.
From 2001 through 2003, at the request of New York State Democratic Party Chairs Judith Hope and Denny Farrell, I served as Chair of the New York State Democratic Party Task Force on Domestic Partnership and Civil Union. The recommendations urged passage of SONDA and promoted equal treatment under the law for all of New York citizens. Our efforts contributed to positive change for the GLBT community.
I was recently honored to be selected as a finalist for the 2008 Athena Award, sponsored by the Women’s Council of the Rochester Business Alliance.
It’s not just talk; it’s action. As Supervisor, I am at the forefront of fighting global warming with an aggressive environmental program that has earned community-wide praise. Under my leadership, Brighton works cooperatively with the County, the City of Rochester and other Towns, saving Brighton taxpayers over $1 million dollars. We have fought for effective economic development and elimination of COMIDA cronyism. I championed equal rights for all New Yorkers, instituted domestic partner benefits for employees, and won lawsuits that protected women’s reproductive rights.
We improved Brighton’s quality of life by creating a town-wide park system, building a new library, strengthening public safety services, and improving the infrastructure, and by investing in our children, their education, and their future.
As a 6-year member of the Brighton School Board and Vice President, I worked hard to deliver quality education to our community for our children. The Brighton schools are recognized nationally for excellence in education. I served 10 years on the Monroe 1 BOCES Board of Education and as its Vice President, and worked for children with handicapping conditions, vocational education, and shared educational services to reduce costs and provide greater efficiency. As President of the Monroe County School Boards Association, I advocated at a state level for policies that would improve educational outcomes in our schools and for our fair share of state aid for education.
A Democratic victory in the 56th District will bring a necessary change and begin the journey towards vitality in upstate New York and the greater Rochester region. Let’s get state government working for the people of New York once again.
Together we can return this seat, which we should never have lost, to the Democratic Party!
Only one-sixth of the New York State Senate members are women, a far cry from equitable representation of the population. My 26 years of experience and leadership as a legislator and elected executive make me well equipped to represent the Greater Rochester area and upstate New York.
Make no mistake about it; I am in this race to win! The results of my many elections demonstrate my electability.
In the coming days, weeks, and months, I look forward to talking with as many people as possible about my campaign and how, together, we will restore upstate New York and our region to strength and forward looking progress. I will work hard to earn the support of the voters in the New York State Senate, 56th District, and to win in November.
Thank you.
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