For their state Senate and Assembly choices, Central New York voters have three contested races in November.
Those races are for the 50th State Senate District, the 128th State Assembly District, and the 129th State Assembly District.
Voters will choose candidates based on their perceptions of Albany’s performance, said Grant Reeher, a political scientist of Syracuse University. “An important factor that will affect the elections is the perception of Albany’s politics, which would be whether state legislature and the government work well together or not,” Reeher said.
Jim Twombly, a political scientist at Elmira College, cited voters’ self-interest as they make their choices in the election. “I think there’s a great sense in the electorate of ‘What have you done for me lately?’ We have become a much more instant gratification society,” Twombly said. “If a politician hasn’t done much for the electorate, voters may say, ‘Lets give someone else a chance.’”
The election is Nov. 6.
In the New York state Senate, the Republicans are looking to maintain their majority. The New York State Senate has 62 members. Republicans now hold the majority with 33 members. The Democratic Party holds 29 seats. A state senator’s salary is $79,500 a year.
In the state Assembly, Democrats are now the majority with 99 members out of 150. The Republicans hold 49 seats. A state Assembly member’s salary is also $79,500.
In Central New York, only the 50th State Senate District is contested. Here’s a closer look at that race:
New York State Senate 50th District
After the 2012 redistricting, the 50th State Senate District now includes parts of Onondaga and Cayuga counties, as well as Auburn, Manlius, Clay and Ira.
State Sen. John A. DeFrancisco , R- Syracuse, faces challenger Michael Donnelly, a Green Party candidate from Syracuse. DeFrancisco has a strong advantage in voter enrollment. Of the district’s 193,296 voters, 35 percent are registered as Republicans and 32 percent are Democrats. The Green Party has 417 registered voters.
Here are snapshots of the two candidates:
John DeFrancisco (incumbent, Republican)
DeFrancisco has been in the state Senate for 20 years. He is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
DeFrancisco graduated from Syracuse University and in 1971 he received his law degree from Duke University. From 1975-1977, DeFrancisco was an assistant district attorney in Onondaga County. From 1978-81, he was an adjunct law professor at Syracuse University. Since 1977, DeFrancisco has been an attorney with the DeFrancisco and Falgitano Law Firm in Syracuse.
His political career includes being elected president of the Syracuse City School District Board of Education. From 1982-1992, he was on the Syracuse Common Council.
In the state Senate, his major legislative accomplishments include the Bill Leaf-Brandi Woods Act that increases penalties for car accidents caused by people who have previously been charged with being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving. He outspokenly rejected the expansion of Destiny USA in Syracuse, criticizing it as not in the taxpayers’ best interests. He is also a strong supporter of the local arts and music groups.
“Right now DeFrancisco is in a very good position,” SU political scientist Reeher said. “He was one of the few very outspoken people against Destiny USA’s tax breaks. Now Destiny USA is not living up to its word and DeFrancisco is looking good because of it.”
Michael Donnelly (challenger, Green Party)
Donnelly is a first-time state Senate candidate. In 2010, he ran unsuccessfully for the 119th State Assembly District. Donnelly did not respond to interview requests for this story.
Donnelly is a local attorney and he is designated by the county to represent poor defendants. He studied at Le Moyne College and received a dual major in philosophy and English. He received his law degree from Indiana University – Bloomington School of Law.
In a video on the Green Party’s website, Donnelly offers sharp criticism of DeFrancisco but no specific proposals of his own.
Here’s a look at the local contested state Assembly Districts: They are:
New York State Assembly, 128th District
This newly drawn 128th state Assembly District replaced the 119th. The new district now includes the towns of Onondaga, DeWitt and Salina and the city of Syracuse.
State Assemblyman Sam Roberts, D-Syracuse, is facing challenger John Sharon, a Republican Party candidate from Jamesville. Roberts has a clear advantage in voter enrollment. Of this district’s 79,933 voters, 44 percent are registered as Democrats and 25 percent are Republicans.
In 2010, the two candidates ran against each other in the New York State Assembly election. Roberts defeated Sharon and two others by winning 51 percent of the vote. Sharon received 27 percent.
Sam Roberts (incumbent, Democrat)
Roberts is a member of the committees on aging; on labor; on libraries and technology; on small business; on tourism, parks, arts, and sports development; and on transportation. From 1990-1999 Roberts also served as an Onondaga County legislator representing the County District 19.
According to his website, Roberts wants to focus on strengthening local government, ensuring access to affordable healthcare, keeping education affordable, and creating safer communities. But he does not say how he would achieve those goals.
Roberts grew up in East Syracuse. He earned his associate’s degree from Onondaga Community College, certificated in labor studies from Cornell University and studied at Empire State College.
He is a retiree of General Motors where he worked for 30 years. He has been a member of the United Auto Workers union for 35 years.
John Sharon (challenger, Republican)
Sharon worked in the Onondaga County Department of Law for 34 and half years. From 1978-1993, he was a confidential assistant to the county attorney. From 1993-1999, he was a claims information specialist. From 1999-2012, Sharon was a senior deputy county attorney.
Sharon received his law degree from Syracuse University’s College of Law.
“After nearly 35 years of experience with various levels of government I know all about it,” Sharon said. “What it is, what it should be and how it should work.”
His biggest interests includes studying Medicaid to find ways to lower its cost, making New York more attractive to business through tax policy and helping veterans coming home from the Middle East make an easy transition.
“Studying Medicaid isn’t something that an average citizen does but being paid to represent the community I’d be happy to do that,” Sharon said.
New York State Assembly, 127th District
This newly drawn 127th State Assembly District replaced the 121st. The new district now includes Clay, Cicero, Fabius and Tully.
Assemblyman Donald Miller, R- Liverpool, faces challenger Al Stirpe, a former state Assemblyman, of the Democratic Party from North Syracuse. Miller has a slim advantage in voter enrollment. Of the district’s 90,624 voters, 35 percent are registered as Republicans and 32 percent are Democrats.
In 2010, the two candidates ran against each other and Miller beat the then-incumbent Stirpe by fewer than 1,000 votes.
Don Miller (incumbent, Republican)
Miller did not respond to interview requests for this story. In a flyer mailed to constituents, Miller tells voters that he helped pass a middle-class income tax cut, and helped to balance the budget and cut state spending, and brought in $106 million in economic development funds for central New York.
In 1980 and 1984, Miller volunteered for Ronald Reagan’s Presidential campaign. In 1987 and 1990, he was on the staff of Jack Kemp, when Kemp sought the GOP presidential nomination and when Kemp was secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the administration of President George H. W. Bush.
In 1991, Miller founded a political campaign consulting firm, The Empire Group. From 2000 through 2005, Miller has said, he was an unofficial advisor to senior leaders in the People’s Republic of China.
Miller is a native of Liverpool and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of NewYork at Buffalo. He earned his master’s in teaching and education administration from Lee University.
Al Stirpe (challenger, Democrat)
Before the redistricting, Stirpe held the former 121st Assembly Sear from 2006 to 2010.
Stirpe cites his biggest accomplishments in office as helping people who had problems with several state or department agencies and helping people with business problems.
“I helped bring a teen center here, fixed all of the ball fields in a park in Cicero that previously had poor drainage, and I helped build centers that provided several hundred jobs,” Stirpe said in an interview.
As he seeks to retake the Assembly seat, Stirpe said, he is focusing on equal pay for women, taking extra revenue and putting it back into education and adding more jobs.
Stirpe was born and raised in Clyde, N.Y. He has his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame.
He worked as a financial analyst for General Electric in Syracuse, was the chief financial officer of CID Technologies and formed his own company, Qube Software.
(Kristen Beatty is a senior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and political science.)
-30-
