Meet The Candidate: Skoufis For NY Senate District 39

CORNWALL, NY — The races for which voters will cast ballots in the general election in November have been set. One of the contested races is for state Senate District 39. Patch asked the candidates in the race to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day nears.

James Skoufis, 33, is the Democratic Party candidate running for re-election to represent state Senate District 39. His opponent is Republican Steve Brescia.

Skoufis is wrapping up his first term in the Senate and serves as chairman of Committee on Investigations and Government Operations. He succeeding retiring Republican William Larkin in the 2018 midterm elections. A graduate of Monroe-Woodbury High School and George Washington University, he earned a masters degree at Columbia. He served on the Woodbury Town Board from 2009-2012, was elected to the state Assembly in 2012.

He lives in Cornwall with his wife.

The district covers Orange County, part of Ulster County and the northern tip of Rockland County.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm running for re-election because the Hudson Valley needs a strong voice and steady hand as we continue to protect the public's health and rebuild our economy. During my time in the State Senate, I've been fortunate to be in a position to deliver record-level funding for our roads, bridges, schools, and local hospitals — and, this sort of focus on delivering for our district must be paramount.

Our small businesses need the support of our elected representatives now more than ever. I've always been their voice which is why the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) endorsed my re-election; one of only two Democrats in the entire state running for Senate to receive their backing.

Coming out of the pandemic, our workers need to know that we have their backs. I'm so proud to have the endorsement of labor unions representing so many of our frontline workers from nurses to CSEA municipal employees to fire officers. They're the spirit of our state and I'll always support them.

There's an enormous amount of work that awaits us and I'm ready to take it on.

The single most pressing issue facing our community, and what I intend to do about it.

Protecting the public's health while rebuilding our economy. During the pandemic, I've fought for:
- Sales tax deferments for our small businesses
- Pushing organizations that typically give out millions of dollars in tax breaks to large corporations to, instead, refocus their resources (our tax dollars) on helping small businesses
- Worked to distribute thousands of pieces of PPE and hand sanitizers to frontline workers and, most recently, teachers as they head back to school
- Aided over 4,000 constituents who reached out to me and my office for assistance with their unemployment insurance claims

Over the course of my next term as state senator, I'll be laser-focused on making sure our district has the resources to restore our local economy and ensure our community is best protected from a potential second wave of the virus.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Voters are presented with a stark choice this year in our Senate District.

Our challenger, Steve Brescia, is a lifelong politician who has unfortunately treated his simultaneous elected offices (Mayor and County Legislator) as a means to self-service instead of public service. Two examples:

1) Brescia has voted himself a 478.5 percent pay increase during his time as mayor. That is not a typo. His most recent vote to increase his salary actually came during the pandemic as unemployment was due to skyrocket.

2) Brescia's attempting to run a law and order campaign and constantly talks about punishing people to the fullest extent of the law. Except when it applies to him, apparently.

When he was arrested for drunk driving, speeding 95 miles per hour, and recklessly swerving between lanes, Steve Brescia faced a maximum sentence of a year in prison.

For anyone else: lock 'em up.

For Steve Brescia: Run for State Senate

This is not the leadership we need in Albany right now — or ever.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My focus has always been on results: bringing our tax dollars back home, championing the Child Victims Act that protects survivors of sexual abuse, fighting overdevelopment, ending corporate welfare, rebuilding our infrastructure, and holding powerful interests accountable to my constituents.

People want to see a lot more common-sense in their government. That's the exact attitude I bring to the job both in Albany and locally in our community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

This spring and summer has separated the men and women from the boys and girls of government. Either our leaders stepped up for our constituents or didn't during the pandemic. I'm proud of the work my team and I put in to ensure our community was best represented during our public health emergency. From scratching and clawing for PPE to successfully getting multiple state testing sites opened in our Senate District to making sure our small businesses had a voice in Albany — we worked around the clock for our constituents.

Now, as Chairman of the Senate's investigations committee, I'm leading the review of the state's COVID-19 response in hospitals, nursing homes, and the workplace in order to hold folks accountable as well as make sure we are best prepared for the next pandemic.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Do more listening than talking.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'm honored to be afforded the privilege of serving the 39th District in the State Senate. I don't make any other promises other than I'll continue to work hard, be forthright, and do what I think is right. That's the ethic I'll continue to bring when re-elected to the job.

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