Q&A with State Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer

The following is a question and answer segment with State Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer. She will run for re-election against Republican candidate Bob Cohen on Nov. 2.

Who is the elected official you most admire?

"Nelson Mandela."

Describe how your private sector experience informs your decision-making while in office?

"I was among the first women to obtain a masters degree in business administration from Columbia University and for many years I was a financial analyst on Wall Street. As a result of my education and private sector experience, I am more fiscally conservative than many of my colleagues. I have long been a critic of the amount of debt that the state has undertaken through the years and believe that in good economic times, we should have taken steps to reduce New York's debt obligations."

How does your morality, or personal codes of ethics affect the way you view the world?

"I consider myself to be a highly moral individual. Indeed, it is my sense of morality and ethics which first drew me into public service, first as a PTA president and then as president of the League of Women Voters, mayor of Mamaroneck and a state senator. My desire to serve the public and to make the world a better place for individuals and families is what motivates me each day. I favor good government reforms, such as campaign finance reform, strong open meetings laws and an independent redistricting commission, because they protect the public's right to know and ability to participate in government decision-making. I do not hold a positive view of elected officials whose motivation is personal self-interest."

What are some of the community organizations or groups that you've been affiliated with over the years?

"When my children were younger, I was very active in their public schools, serving as PTA president of the Central School in Mamaroneck. Later, I became very involved with the League of Women Voters in Mamaroneck and served as the chapter president. The league's focus of making government more accountable and transparent has never left me and it informs my view of how government should operate even today. While mayor of Mamaroneck, I also served as president of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association and president of the Westchester Municipal Planning Association. I have also been supportive of and worked with many local and statewide environmental organizations."

"I have also been fortunate to serve on the boards of several worthy community organizations, including the Westchester Community Opportunity Program, the Mental Health Association of Westchester, the Displaced Homemaker Program at Westchester Community College, and the UJA-Federation of Larchmont/Mamaroneck."

What are you most proud of in terms of your professional or personal life?

"Like any parent, I am most proud of my four wonderful children, Marcy, Evan, Josh and Ali, and my six beautiful grandchildren. I'm proud that my children's lives are centered on family and that, like me, they have each chosen to focus on their passions in their careers and service to others in their lives."

What do you think about the direction many campaign ads have taken this election season?

"My campaign and my campaign literature have focused primarily on my positive record in the senate. In all campaigns, some contrast among the candidates is necessary in order to present the choices before the voters, but I have primarily stressed my effectiveness in office.

At a time when it is very difficult to accomplish things in Albany, I have had a very successful legislative year. I sponsored the landmark educations reforms that will improve the quality of instruction in public schools and that paved the way for our winning $700 million in the federal Race to the Top competition. I also sponsored the chief environmental bill to come out of the legislature this year – the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Act, and legislation to strengthen enforcement of the open meetings law."

"I've also co-sponsored new laws that include divorce reform, a strengthening of domestic violence protections, the bigger better bottle bill, restrictions on health insurance rate increases, the banning of pesticides on school grounds, repeal of the Rockefeller Drug laws, and mandate relief for school districts. I am proud of my legislative accomplishments, which have helped to provide more money for classroom instruction, protect our natural resources, help our most vulnerable citizens and reduce the size of government."