League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
State of New York (Chenango, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Ulster Counties) November 7, 2006 Election
	Peter D. "Pete" Lopez Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 127

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of New York State and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What programs and actions will you support to protect communities from the negative consequences of the state’s increasing dependence on gambling revenue?

The best way to address this issue is to offer an environment which supports and promotes other forms of economic investment.

New York State is widely recopgnized as one of the most heavilly regulated and taxed states in the nation. When considering state taxes in combination with local property taxes, one could agrue that NYS is the highest taxed state in the nation.

The prospect of attracting gambling interests will likely remain a priority for many communities across the state unless and until other forms of economic investment can be effectively promoted.

2. Legislative district boundary lines are drawn by the legislators themselves and are tied directly to the advantages of party politics. Would you support the establishment of an independent commission as a more open and ethical way to create districts?

I would be open to this dialogue.

3. Amid the recent reports that more and more young people are leaving upstate cities for better opportunities, what would you propose to reverse this trend?

This is one of the main planks of my candidacy - An urgent priority in my book.

Growing jobs which have higher pay scales and benefits can help stem this tide.

Along with this, we must find ways to concentrate on bringing down the relative tax burden to help young famlies be able to afford homes and a future in New York.

4. Legislative districts have been determined on a partisan basis. Would you support establishing an independent commission as a more open and ethical way to create the districts? Please explain.

I would be open to this dialogue.

5. Do you support joint committees to reconcile differences between bills on the same issue passed by both houses of the legislature?

Yes- We've seen this work effectively in recent years with the state budget deliberation process.

6. New York State Legislators did not address the pending CFE (Campaign for Fiscal Equity) suit during the 2006 session. What would you propose to expedite the resolution of the CFE case?

Both inner city schools and rural schools tend to suffer from the same socio-economic and financial disadvantages (high proportions of persons in poverty, etc.) - Driving dependence on state aid to backstop their budgets. The more suburban schools on the otherhand, tend to rely less on state aid, and make more use of local property taxes to fund their budgets.

Due to their relative affluence, Suburban schools then get the resources they need to offer a broader array of progrems and activities.

In regards to our schools, we need to look at total spending and the "opportunity costs" associated with the likes of unfunded/ underfunded mandates, as well as explore opportunities for promoting shared services, distance learning, etc.

The challenge will be to revisit the school aid formula on a statewide basis. A look at this funding mechanism will be required to address discrepancies across the board.

A major challenge will be to rationalize adjustments to school aid, while seeking to remedy New York's taxation levels. An additional challengwe will be to address the broad acknowledgement that on average, NYS already spends relatively high levels per student (one of the highest, if not the highest, in the nation).

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Answers are published as submitted without editing.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 24, 2006 16:36
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