Candidate Profile: David Carlucci For Congress

HUDSON VALLEY, NY - New Yorkers will be hitting the polls on June 23 for the primary election to choose which representatives will be running will be on the ballot for the general election in November.

Among the local races, some residents of the Hudson Valley will be able to elect who will run for Congressional District 17 on the Democratic line. Longtime Rep. Nita Lowey is retiring at the end of the term.

The district covers Rockland County and most of Westchester.

In anticipation of the election, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

David Carlucci is seeking the Democratic line on the ballot in November. His opponents in the June 23 Democratic primary are Evelyn Farkas, Adam P. Schleifer, Allison H. Fine, Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, David Buchwald and Mondaire Jones.

Carlucci, 39, has represented New York State Senate District 38 for 10 years. Before that, he was Clarkstown Town Clerk for five years. He earned a degree from Cornell University, School of Industrial & Labor Relations.

Campaign website: DavidCarlucci.com

Check out Patch's full Q&A with David Carlucci:

Why are you seeking elective office?

Last year in the Senate I was able to get more bills to the Governor's desk than any other lawmaker in the State of New York. I have the energy and experience to hit the ground running and pick up where Congresswoman Nita Lowey left off. I will continue to deliver results for the residents of Rockland and Westchester as I have done for the last 10 Years in the New York State Senate. I am not running to make a statement, I am running to make a difference.

The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue I have heard over and over again while serving the residents of Rockland and Westchester is affordability. Seniors that have lived here their whole lives but are forced to move because they simply can not afford to stay in their homes. My wife and our two children live less than a mile from my parents in the house I grew up in, but unfortunately that is not an option for many young people today. As a kid my parents owned and operated a small business and I am very fortunate for the work ethic and opportunities they provided me. Affordability has been a problem for a long time and now with the economic impact of Covid-19 it is more important than ever to make serious reforms to stop forcing people away from our region. New York State needs its next representative in Congress to repeal President Trump's disastrous $10,000 cap on the SALT deduction. Prior to Trump's new tax law, federal tax filings showed 45% of taxpayers in the 17th Congressional District used SALT to deduct an average of $26,243. The middle class and low income families and individuals in New York, and throughout the country, are struggling. I will fight for a tax on Ultra-Millionaires and Billionaires. Closing the wealth gap by increasing the income tax on the wealthiest earners, while at the same time lowering taxes for individuals in lower income brackets will help those doing their best to make ends meet. I will also eliminate capital gains taxes in their entirety for those earning up to $99,000 a year. I will add new federal tax deductions for daycare expenses, and college tuition. Working with my colleagues in New York State we were able to get $15 minimum wage passed and signed into law, now we need to bring this to the rest of the country. The idea that someone can work a minimum wage job 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, and still not be able to put food on the table should not be a possibility in the United States of America.

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

I was born and raised here in Rockland and lived my entire life within the 17th Congressional District. I have 10 years of legislative experience with a proven track record for delivering results. I was elected as the youngest Town Clerk in the State of New York and served in that capacity for 5 years until elected to the New York State Senate. It has always been my mission to listen to, and understand the challenges my constituents are struggling with. As an elected official I have the unique opportunity to not only help that one person with their individual case, but also to draft legislation to solve the larger root of the problem that others may also be facing. It is this mindset that helped me last year to draft and introduce more pieces of legislation to make it to the Governor's desk than any other lawmaker in the State of New York. During my 10 years in the NYS Senate I have held regular meetings with my Senior Advisory Committee, Veterans Advisory Committee, and Student Advisory Committee to talk about their problems and work on solutions. I have consistently been able to deliver funding and common sense legislation for the people of New York and I'm looking forward to bringing this passion for public service to Congress. From talking with my Veterans Advisory Committee I introduced and passed a school property tax exemption for eligible Veterans. We also saw the need to expand the successful Joseph P. Dwyer peer-to-peer program for Veterans suffering from PTSD, so I secured funding in the budget to bring it to other areas across New York. After listening to a mother who was asked to perform dangerous in-home treatment to her daughter that is normally done by a trained medical professional simply because insurance would not cover in-home care, I introduced and passed Dreams Law. This law, named after the little girl that was previously being treated by her mother, has since been expanded to provide other types of in-home care that should only be done by a medical professional. My Student Advisory Committee warned me just how bad the use of E-Cigarettes had become in their schools which led to my legislation banning the sale of certain flavored E-Cigarette and the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies. In Congress I will continue to listen to your problems and focus on solutions.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Climate Change: I will lead the way to support and champion a Green New Deal because I do not want to continue to see devastating weather events and air and water quality issues that are impacting people's health and quality of life. Last year, I had an A rating from the New York State League of Conservation Voters and have consistently stood up for policies to mitigate climate change and take climate action. I helped pass into law New York's version of the Green New Deal, called the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The legislation has set New York State on a path for the most aggressive clean energy target in the nation. Solar and offshore wind power will be dramatically increased, diverting the state’s energy reliance on renewable sources and aiming to have New York’s electricity entirely from emission-free sources by 2040 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050. I am confident my experience in passing this legislation will help me in promoting and fighting effectively for a Green New Deal, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero and help address economic inequality caused by the climate crisis.

I will introduce legislation to establish a Green Amendment, which is an amendment to our Constitution, guaranteeing every American “shall have the right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment.” I delivered this legislation two-years in a row at the State Level, as required before it can go to a referendum vote, and I will be dedicated to the fight to get this done at the federal level because it will encourage sound green decision-making and help prevent harmful environmental actions.
Additionally my plan to take climate action includes: Ban Fracking; Restoring Enforcement of the EPA; New Green Jobs & Technology; Fossil Fuel Divestment; A Carbon Tax; Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005; The Clean Economy Act; Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement;cleaning the Hudson River; and policies to safely close Indian Point without impact to our residents or the environment.

Women's Rights: Women deserve equal pay for equal work. In New York State I wrote progressive, nation-leading legislation to ban the salary history question so the gender wage gap does not continue to grow. At the federal level, this bill is known as the Paycheck Fairness Act, and it has my full support. Roe v. Wade needs to be codified into law like we did in New York by supporting the passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act. The legislation will further bar states from imposing burdensome requirements on access to reproductive health care. We must repeal the Hyde Amendment. This is a discriminatory law, barring federal Medicaid funding for many low-income women who are making a choice about their own reproductive medical care. Every woman should have coverage of the reproductive health care they need and choose. To help end on the job harassment I am proud to support the Be HEARD Act, which strengthens and expands our anti-discrimination laws so that all employees are protected, including domestic workers, independent contractors, volunteers, interns, and trainees. We cannot allow workers in low-wage jobs, predominately women of color or women facing language barriers or undocumented workers to continue to be targets for harassment.

Gun Violence Prevention: Moms Demand Action have given me the distinction as a primary approved candidate. In New York State I am proud to say I worked with Governor Cuomo to pass the strongest gun safety law in the nation, known as the SAFE Act in 2013. The SAFE Act requires universal background checks, bans assault-style weapons, and bans high-capacity magazines. When elected to Congress I plan to introduce an Enhanced Safe Act. I support disarming domestic abusers and closing the "Boyfriend Loophole". Just as we did in New York State, we must pass a national Red Flag law allowing law enforcement, a loved one, or a mental health professional to request a court order from a judge to have a person’s firearm removed if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others. I will champion other common sense gun violence prevention legislation banning "Ghost Guns," opposing funding to Arm Teachers, stopping online ammunition sales, and making sure there are set safety standards for firearm locks and safes to prevent accidental discharge.

Healthcare For All: I believe healthcare is a human right. Every American should have the peace of mind of knowing that they have access to quality affordable health care in this country. However, we know this is sadly not the reality. We need to improve the Affordable Care Act and introduce a Medicare public option plan so every person has the opportunity to have quality affordable healthcare. We must expand Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices with drug companies by requiring the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate the price of drugs, and make the negotiated price available to both Medicare and private payers. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates this plan could lower government health care spending by $456 billion over a decade. I support inflation-based rebates so if manufacturers raise drug prices more rapidly than inflation, they must lower the price or pay the above-inflation amount back to the Treasury as a rebate. The CBO estimates this plan could lower government health care spending by $36 billion. I will limit Medicare out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses on private and public option plans, require drug manufacturers to provide new discounts, end surprise medical bills, and increase transparency between drug companies and pharmacies. We must institute strong price gouging legislation, and end direct to consumer marketing of prescription drugs.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." When I was growing up my parents taught me the value of setting goals. They owned a local small business so in my mid-teens I had the entrepreneurial spirit. I decided to start my own business mowing lawns to save money for college. Since I did not have my drivers license I could only work for people within walking distance. I quickly learned that although it's great to have goals, without the disciple to constantly get out there and provide the best service I could give, I would not succeed.

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

There are many things that have been said about me regarding being a former member of the Independent Democratic Conference, or IDC, that are simply not accurate. I did not block progressive legislation. The reality is without working across party lines the progressive legislation that we were able to pass during that time, like the SAFE Act and Marriage Equality, would not have made it to the Senate floor for a vote. Since they outnumbered us we needed the votes of Senate Republicans. I knew in order to get results negotiating with them was how we would pass progressive legislation. The IDC dissolved in April of 2018 with 2 months of legislative session remaining for the year. With all 8 members rejoining the Democratic conference we were still in the Minority, we simply did not have the number of Senate Democrats to have a Democratic Majority, with or without the IDC. Most people assume New York is, and has always been, a Blue State. They are surprised to learn that until 2019 Republicans had a majority in the Senate for all but three years since World War II. The only way to get progressive legislation passed in a Republican Controlled Senate was to work across the aisle to get the votes and support needed. Without this support we couldn't have passed the strongest paid family leave policy in the nation, raise the age, marriage equality, universal background checks, the SAFE Act and more. These attacks about my record are baseless. I ask that everyone look at my record, how I voted, and the bills I have sponsored. You will see I voted with Democrats and in favor of progressive legislation. I would have loved it if when I arrived in the Senate 10 years ago there was a Democratic Majority and we could easily move the type of progressive legislation I’ve always been a supporter of, but unfortunately that simply was not the case. I felt the people I represent did not want to hear excuses of why the system would not allow me to get the job done, they deserved results. I have consistently delivered results in both a Senate with a Republican Majority, and a Democratic Majority without compromising my progressive principles. And this last year in session, once we finally had a Democratic Majority, I was able to have more bills pass both houses and reach the Governor's desk than any other Lawmaker in the State of New York. I am not running to make a statement, I am running to make a difference.