Brian Keeler for NY State Senate - Issues

Video of Hopewell Junction Citizens For Clean Water Endorsement.

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:31:51 -0500

On Tuesday October 24, 2006, Brian received the endorsement of Hopewell Junction Citizens For Clean Water. This was the statement issued by Debra Hall, a founder of the organization and concerned resident of the Hopewell Precision Superfund Site:

By Debra Hall, Hopewell Junction Citizens for Clean Water

www.Hopewell-Junction-Citizens-for-Clean-Water.org

Hopewell resident, Brian Keeler is running for State Senator against the 26 year Republican incumbent, Steven Saland. When elected, Mr. Keeler will be an effective Senator, representing our interests rather than protecting special interests and corporate contributors.

Every New Yorker should be guaranteed clean, safe, potable water. We need a Senator that will protect this most basic human health issue and Brian Keeler supports mandatory well water testing, “We cannot afford to have a well water policy dependent on people becoming sick before the problem is investigated. The safety of our drinking water should not be optional.”

Twenty-five local and statewide environmental groups wrote to Saland, asking him to support a State wide well water testing bill similar to the bill which passed unanimously in the Assembly. Saland would not, instead, opting for a voluntary testing program. In Saland’s plan only the neighborhoods with contaminated water would require testing.

The rest of the statement and video of the press conference can be found in the extended entry

Brian Attends H.A.L.T. Forum on School Taxes at Arlington High School

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:45:07 -0400

Brian attended a forum on school taxes wednesday night at Arlington High School.

The forum, which was sponsored by H.A.L.T. (Help Arlington Lower Taxes) was attended by well over 200 taxpayers for across the 41st District who are concerned about the school tax crisis and what is to be done about it.

From the Poughkeepsie Journal: Taxpayers, teachers call for school funding reform

Thursday, October 19, 2006 By Erikah Haavie
Poughkeepsie Journal

FREEDOM PLAINS —Dawn Babiker came to Arlington High School Wednesday with a question in her mind, "Why are taxes so high?"

She described the taxes on her Town of LaGrange home as astronomical. "I want to see what they're going to do about taxes in our community," Babiker said. The topic of school taxes brought about 200 school board members, district staff and community members together for a meeting in the high school auditorium.

The Help Arlington Lower Taxes committee sponsored the informational meeting to discuss the complexities of school funding and what proposals are out there to fix the school funding system.
....
"There is a problem. We don't have one fix," said Michael Shields, a Town of Poughkeepsie resident and co-chairman of Help Arlington Lower Taxes.
Shields said he'd like to see more community discussion and more action by local legislators on school funding.

The following is video of taxpayers who attended the event. Brian was there to listen to (and share) their concerns.

Brian to appear at Property Tax Nightmare & school property tax reform forum

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:07:50 -0400

Taxnightmare.org and Ulster Publishing Company Cordially invite you to a forum on the Property Tax Nightmare & school property tax reform.

Where: at SUNY, New Paltz in the Lecture Center, Rm. 102.
When: Sunday, October15th at 2 P.M.
Who: Geddy Sveikauskas (Publisher of Ulster Publishing Company ) will moderate. Gerry Benjamin (Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at SUNY New Paltz) will lead the discussion.

Distinguished Panelists
41st Sendate District-Brian Keeler
38th Senate District-Nancy Low-Hogan
39th District-Christopher P. McBride
42nd District- Ulster County Legislator Susan Zimet

Tax The Property Tax Rebate - And Saland is Bragging About It?

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:52:41 -0400

This from the New York Post:

STATE TACKING TAX ON REBATES By FREDRIC U. DICKER State Editor
September 27, 2006 -- ALBANY - More than 1 million New Yorkers may owe a large chunk of taxes on the school "tax relief" rebate checks they're now receiving in the mail, officials conceded yesterday.
The checks, hundreds of thousands of which were rewritten earlier this month to credit Gov. Pataki and the leaders of the Legislature for issuing them, fail to mention that the refunds are subject to city, state and federal income taxes for those who itemize their returns.
"It wasn't something that we really wanted to have out there," said a legislative staff member who worked on the rebate plan.
State authorities claimed they didn't have enough room on the checks to notify the public that they are taxable - even though room was made to feature Pataki's name.

Clean Money, Clean Elections

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 09:46:05 -0400

UPDATE 9/25/06: Citizen Action of NY Endorses Brian Keeler for NY State Senate!

Much of the huge mess in Albany can be mitigated by returning accountability and transparency to the electoral process...and by removing the need for qualified candidates to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to challenge incumbents. Citizen Action of New York has a great description of Clean Money, Clean Elections:

More and more New Yorkers are fed up with a political system where contributions from wealthy special interests matter more than health care, decent jobs, education, Social Security and the environment.

Arriving Soon In A Mailbox Near You...

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 09:43:25 -0400

Our property tax bills will soon be arriving in the mail. The numbers on those bills and the present real property tax crises that created them, are an indication of how broken and unresponsive our state government in Albany has become. Over the past four years, as our property taxes have increased over 40% statewide, we have heard nothing from the Senate Education Committee; no leadership, no guidance, no research and no reform.

The crisis has become so acute that property tax citizens’ organizations have sprung up all over New York, especially here in Dutchess County where nine of thirteen school budgets were rejected this past Spring. Arlington School District Superintendent, Frank Pepe, was quoted in the Poughkeepsie Journal as saying: “This is not a vote against Arlington, but a vote against the governor and the state legislature for their inaction on school tax reform.”

During the last four years while this tax crisis has exploded, Poughkeepsie’s Steve Saland, in his role as chairman of the Senate Education Committee, blocked all serious reform legislation in his committee. As a result, he is more responsible for our current property tax crisis than any other Senator in Albany.

Interestingly enough, just 3 days before the end of the latest legislative session, in an apparent response to mounting political pressure and criticism from voters, Saland proposed his “School Tax Act”; a confusing and unworkable one-house bill that could never become law. His act appears to be nothing more than election year political posturing.

It's About Accountability

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 14:43:23 -0400

Accountability.

In business, if you make a lousy product or treat your customers like dog food, you’ll be hanging out a quick “going out of business” sign. In schools, in the workplace, and even in personal relationships, you mess up, you pay the price. Accountability. It’s the ultimate check and balance.

Now, with all the Ned Lamont news swirling around and all the talk about anti-war and left v. right ideology, we seem to be losing track of a very basic instinct that has been lost, and that loss is REALLY what people power politics is all about.

I know, because I’m on the front lines and I’m hearing the story every day as I knock on the doors of the 41st District here in New York. What people are telling me isn’t about ideology, left v. right or even specific issues. The one theme I’m hearing is that people are VERY angry because there is NO ACCOUNTABILITY in government anymore.

Watchdog group: NY State to hit record debt

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 10:31:14 -0400

Borrow and Spend Republicans in the Senate and Governor's office have been at it again. This from the AP:

ALBANY, N.Y. -- This year state government's debt will reach a record $49.7 billion, or $3,515 for every adult New Yorker, according to an independent watchdog group.
--snip--
The Citizens Budget Commission said the state's debt has doubled since 1993, including an 8-percent increase of $4 billion in the last year. "New York state debt is out of control," said commission President Diana Fortuna. "Before legislators attend to their personal finances, they should attend to the people's business and fix New York's broken debt limit."

It's time for a NEW Team for a NEW New York!

Buying the vote and with no real relief

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 10:02:39 -0400

Modest rebates miss the mark
...this refund is clearly designed also to curry favor with voters, by legislators running for re-election Nov. 7 and a governor eyeing the White House in 2008. If there was ever any doubt that was the case, it was erased when the state Department of Taxation and Finance destroyed 200,000 of the rebate checks because they didn't give credit to Gov. George Pataki, as the New York Post recently reported.

School Budgets Fail in Saland's District

Wed, 17 May 2006 23:31:43 -0400

In what can only be called a total lack of leadership on the part of the New York State Legislature, voters in nine of 13 Dutchess County school districts defeated their 2006-07 school spending plans. According to an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, residents had simply had enough.

Arlington Superintendent Frank Pepe wasn't discouraged by the budget defeat.

"This is not a vote against Arlington," but a vote against the governor and the state legislature for their inaction on school tax reform, Pepe said.

This is also a failure of leadership on the part of Senator Saland, who is the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

Property tax reform is an absolute priority, and the fact that neither the Senate nor the Education Committee has tackled this issue head on speaks volumes.

When I'm elected this Fall, one of my top priorities will be to reform the way our schools are funded. We need to move to a fair income based funding plan for our schools. The calcified incumbent laced Republican Senate majority refuses to ease the pain of skyrocketing property taxes for Dutchess and Columbia residents by ignoring the problem.

Want to reduce your property taxes and return to a fair and equitable system? Then you need a NEW team to help build a NEW New York.

Time For A Change

Sun, 14 May 2006 09:23:29 -0400

Results of the latest Newsweek Poll show that you aren't alone in your disatisfaction. Here are a few lowlights:

71% of Americans feel the country is headed in the wrong direction

Americans were also asked...

Which party:

Is concerned with the needs and interests of the disadvantaged
Republicans: 22
Democrats: 63

Can bring about the kind of changes this country needs
Republicans: 30
Democrats: 53

Is concerned with the needs and interests of business and other powerful groups
Republicans: 59
Democrats: 24

Is concerned with the needs of people like you
Republicans: 31
Democrats: 54

Governs in an honest and ethical way
Republicans: 29
Democrats: 41

It seems that America agrees that it's time for a NEW team for a NEW New York.

What is the State Senate Republican Leadership Hiding?

Thu, 11 May 2006 16:06:16 -0400

Today, Senate Democrats are calling for votes on two measures that would increase compliance with and strengthen the State's Freedom of Information Laws (FOIL).

Senate Democratic Leader David A. Paterson said a FOIL measure sponsored by Senator David Valesky (D-Oneida) which would make the State Legislature subject to the FOIL laws that govern other State agencies, is "simple in concept, but would have broad implications in opening State government to public scrutiny."

Valesky said "We have got to remove the atmosphere of secrecy in Albany. Why is the Legislature being held to a different standard than other State agencies?"

The second measure, sponsored by Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman John DeFrancisco, would force State agencies that improperly deny or delay FOIL requests to pay the legal costs incurred by those seeking the public records.

"All too often, people have to sue to enforce the public's right to know," said Valesky. "That prevents news organizations from gathering information in a timely manner, and presents a serious financial burden for the average citizen."

Unfortunately, Republican Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Brunswick) has blocked both bills from coming to the floor for a vote, despite the fact that one of the measures is sponsored by a fellow Republican, and despite a wide range of support from newspaper associations and good government groups.

Yet another reason to work for a Democratic majority in the Senate this year. Now, more than ever, we need a NEW team for a NEW New York.

Care to Join Me in the Ring?

Thu, 11 May 2006 11:44:33 -0400

From Bob Herbert in his editorial today:

The Democrats are thinking too much and doing too little. This is a party in need of a moxie transplant. It's time for the patient to climb off the couch, walk outside and mix it up with the gang that has made a complete and utter mess of the country that was entrusted to it.

Anyone care to climb off the couch and join me? It's time for a NEW team for a NEW New York.

Gerrymandering = Incumbent Insurance

Tue, 09 May 2006 10:41:10 -0400

Gerrymander |ˈjerēˌmandər| verb [ trans. ] [often as n. ] ( gerrymandering) manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.

• achieve (a result) by such manipulation : a total freedom to gerrymander the results they want.

--------------------

Today, reform-minded New Yorkers from all over the state are converging upon Albany to bring their message of change to the Capital steps. As noted in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:

(May 8, 2006) — ALBANY — Advocates of reforming state government who plan to rally at the Capitol on Tuesday think they have hit on the key to changing the status quo: End the gerrymandering of legislative districts that all but guarantees most incumbents easy re-election.

They also think they have hit on a long-range strategy to make this happen: get all four candidates for governor to pledge to veto any redistricting bill that is drawn by lawmakers, who traditionally draw the lines. Instead, they say, it should be drawn by an independent commission.

As an advocate for reform in Albany, I feel this is an important step and I would support legislation to bring sanity and non-partisanship to the re-districting process.

1000 Days Remain

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:07:23 -0400

Tonight, the country will encounter a dubious milestone, George W. Bush will have exactly 1000 days remaining in his presidency. 1000 more days of the nation heading in the wrong direction. 1000 more days of:

- Soaring gas prices
- Record deficits
- Katrina incompetence
- Iraqi War disasters
- Millions more citizens without health care
- Environmental degradation
- Unwarranted eavesdropping on American citizens
- Budget busting tax cuts for the already wealthy
- Political cronyism
- Unchecked corruption

...and on and on.

Although we cannot vote to remove George Bush from office this Fall, we can send an important message. We can send a message to Washington, we can send a message to Albany, we can send a message to the 41st District and to the towns and villages in Columbia and Dutchess counties that it is time to change the priorities of our country's government.

We all ache for government that is responsive to the concerns of its people...not the profits of its corporations. We need REAL reform. We must return sanity to our property/income tax structure to insure fairness and solvency, we must build a low-carbon energy based economy to protect the life of our planet and we have to invest in the health, education and welfare of our children because they represent 100% of our future. These are priorities that are not presently being met by government in Washington or Albany...or even openly discussed, for that matter.

Join our campaign now and help send a message that we want responsible change. Join our campaign and become part of the NEW team for a NEW New York.