Ball, Murphy Vie for New York's 40th Senate District Seat

Patch invited the two candidates looking to run on the Republican line in the race for State Senator Vincent Leibell's 40th Senate District seat to share their views. We asked about taxes, education, the environment and government dysfunction. Somers Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy, and her challenger, 99th District Assemblyman Greg Ball of Patterson.

Murphy, a lawyer, has been Somers' supervisor since 1998, singling out the environmental, fiscal conservatism and quality-of-life issues as key concerns. Murphy has been endorsed by the Putnam and Westchester County Republican parties.

Ball, a former Air Force officer, was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2006. His policy agenda includes capping property taxes, pursing reform in Albany and protecting the environment. Ball is endorsed by Tea Party affiliates and the Dutchess County Republican Party.

Responses edited only to conform to style.

Patch: Promises of cuts in government spending, and the taxes that support it, are frequently heard in campaigns. Specifically what spending would you seek to reduce and how that would translate into lower property and/or income taxes?

Ball: I personally have voted against every tax increase that has come across my desk. Albany has an unsustainable view of spending—high spending results in high taxes. Responsible legislators need to repeal taxes like the MTA payroll tax and look to replenish the STAR program. I support school tax reforms including a property tax cap and a freeze on school taxes for seniors. We need to cut pork spending and enact a state hiring freeze—unlike the governor's recently enacted freeze which allowed 40,000 new hires. We should consider privatization of authorities like MTA and the elimination of perks for legislators. We should abolish the pension system for elected officials—public service is not an entitlement program for the rich and well connected in this state.

Murphy: The first thing we need to do is cut the waste, fraud and mismanagement that contributes to New York's high taxes. There are billions of dollars in "fat" in the state budget that needs to be cut. For example, New York spends twice as much on Medicaid services as California. We also need to address the lavish benefits and pensions state employees receive. It's outrageous that government bureaucrats receive benefits that most taxpayers could only dream of having. Just look at the number of people who are "double dipping" by receiving six-figure state pensions while continuing to work in the public sector. Similarly, we need to revise antiquated union rules that lead to inefficient management and unduly high expenses. Private-sector companies have proven they can provide high-quality services at a lower cost than the government, so privatization also could be a way to reduce state spending.

Patch: Taxpayers in Northern Westchester are concerned about the high costs of public education inlcuding special education funding and unfunded mandates. Please discuss those issues, including your qualifications for education policy decisionmaking.

Ball: I'm running against career politicians and lawyers. I'm a former Air Force captain and independent. I serve as a maverick. Unlike my opponents I can hit the ground running and I want to accomplish school tax reform. We don't need a blue ribbon panel to tell us we are drowning in school tax bills or to tell us that districts in Northern Westchester don't receive their fair share of funding. Out of every dollar we send to Albany we get ten cents back—others get 100 percent. I am looking to make the system more equal and serve as an advocate for the Hudson Valley and Northern Westchester residents. I will fight for a property tax cap and a school tax freeze for seniors over the age of 65. The property value model dates back to agricultural times. I will fight my own party on unfunded mandates. We also need to revisit the Taylor Law and the Triborough Amendment—which give educators zero incentive for true negotiation and only exacerbate the fiscal crisis.

Murphy: A strong education system is essential to New York's future, and I'm committed to keeping our public schools and colleges among the best in the nation. But there certainly are areas where wasteful spending can be cut. Special education mandates put a tremendous burden on school districts and can diminish the quality of education for the rest of the students, so I'd support a review of special-ed mandates and funding. I also think we should emphasize results in the classroom and base teachers' pay on performance, not seniority. The tenure system coddles mediocre teachers and probably should be ended. It certainly needs to be reformed so we can fire teachers who don't belong in the classroom but are untouchable today because of tenure protection. Teachers' unions have undue power and resist reform. It's time for the legislature to stand up to the unions and do what's right for students and taxpayers.

Patch: Environmental and water quality issues are critical in Northern Westchester towns located in the watershed. While power consumption is at an all-time high, people want to stop coal mining and don't want to pursue hydrofracking. What are your priorities on energy and environment?

Ball: We need to include a broad range of energy alternatives from geo-thermal to wind to natural gas to nuclear. But we have to be careful to make sure we're doing it to the benefit of consumers and the environment. I support a moratorium on hydrofracking at this point to avoid the nightmares that have occurred in other states. It makes zero sense for a benefit of temporary jobs to destroy our drinking water for the next 1,000 years. I will work on the moratorium but look to implement hydrfracking in such a way so that it doesn't hurt the environment. It can be done.

Murphy: We need to move away from fossil fuels and increase the use of options such as solar, wind, hydro and nuclear. The Hudson Valley has a number of companies and colleges working on promising solar and wind technologies and we should support them for both environmental and economic development reasons. We live in a country where individual rights and autonomy are cherished, so I'm hesitant to endorse the use of mandates to increase energy efficiency. However, it might be possible to use tax credits and other incentives to encourage improved energy efficiency. It also might be advisable to review New York's building codes to see whether they should be changed to make buildings more energy efficient without placing an unfair burden on developers and buyers. Regarding the watershed, I've long believed we must protect the reservoirs that provide water for millions of people and support efforts to protect them from irresponsible development and pollution from dumping or sewage-treatment plants.

Patch: A state budget four months overdue was only the most visible sign of Albany gridlock. What plans to you have to solve dysfunction in state government?

Ball: Albany is full of public officials who have turned the use of their public positions for private benefit into an Olympic sport. There's just too much power concentrated withing the hands of too few people. The only way to solve that is getting out the vote next week and in November to get fiercely independent people elected who will be loyal to their constituency instead of the power brokers who fund their campaigns. There is very little serious debate and educated discussion on issues going on in Albany. Rome is burning, and the state is in a downward spiral, but the status quo is embraced by a core group of people.

Murphy: We need a change in the whole Albany culture of corruption and insider dealing that shuts the individual citizen out of the process. Right now the legislature passes all these rules for an open budget process, for example, but there are no penalties in the law for breaking these promises, so our budgets get later and our taxes and spending keeps going higher. Albany needs new leadership that is willing to reach across the aisle to do what is best for New York's residents. We need to reduce partisan bickering, corruption and wasteful pork barrel spending that benefits only a privileged few. There needs to be more transparency. We can no longer afford to have the budget drafted by three people locked behind closed doors.