Larry Corso, the Republican candidate for the Onondaga County Legislature’s District 8 open seat in the November election, declined to give his views to Democracywise on how to manage county taxes and how to keep the county-owned Van Duyn Home, a center that gives long-term care to the county’s elderly, from closing. He has not responded on how to attract and retain young people in the Onondaga County area.
The same questions were posed to all of the candidates for contested open-seat races for the Onondaga County Legislature. A copy of the questions was delivered to Corso’s home. He did not respond and his phone did not accept voice mail messages.
Corso, 77, is running against Democrat Chris Ryan, a Verizon worker and union leader. He is seeking to succeed incumbent James Corbett, R-Geddes, who is retiring after 17 years in the county legislature.
District 8 is located in central Onondaga County and includes a portion of Solvay, a portion of Geddes, and the northwestern corner of the city of Syracuse. The election is Nov. 8.
Here are the questions posed to the candidates:
Taxes
Q: What, if anything, do you think should be done about county taxes? Please be specific on tax proposals or budget cuts. How would you get the money required to provide public services? Raise taxes? Which? Increase fees for services? Which? What, if any, specific services or programs would you cut to balance the county budget?
Young People
Q: Keeping and attracting young people is a long-standing concern for our region. What, specifically, do you think the Onondaga County government should do make the area more attractive to young workers and their families?
Van Duyn Home and Long-Term Care for the Elderly
The county-owned Van Duyn nursing home provides long-term care to many of the county’s elderly. But Van Duyn is in deep financial trouble. Last year, taxpayers absorbed about $5.7 million of Van Duyn’s costs and taxpayers are expected to absorb another $3 million this year. As of March 1, 2011, the state also cut off Medicare and Medicaid payments for new admissions to the nursing home, citing unsafe conditions there. And since March, county officials and Upstate Medical University have been negotiating for Upstate to take over the home. But Upstate has not yet agreed, citing concerns about whether the state can subsidize Van Duyn. If the home closes, it’s unclear what will become of Van Duyn’s residents. At the same time, the county’s population — like the rest of the nation’s — is aging and many will need long-term care.
Q: What if anything do you think the county government can or should do to keep Van Duyn from closing? What else, if anything, can or should the county government do to meet the long-term care needs of our aging population?
(Kit Rodophele is a senior in broadcast journalism.)
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