Meet The Candidate: Astorino For State Senate

HUDSON VALLEY, NY - New Yorkers will choose their representatives in Albany in the 2020 general election.

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

Rob Astorino of Mount Pleasant hopes to return the 40th New York Senate seat to the GOP. The 40th had been represented by conservative Republicans. Greg Ball held the seat before Terrence Murphy, who was defeated in 2018 by former Westchester County legislator Pete Harckham.

Astorino, 53, was Westchester County Executive from 2010-17. He also served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators, from 2004-05. Before that he served on the Mount Pleasant Town Board and the Mount Pleasant Central District School Board of Education.

The New York State Senate District 40 includes parts of Northern Westchester (Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, North Salem, Peekskill, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Sleepy Hollow, Somers, Yorktown) Putnam (Brewster, Carmel, Patterson, Southeast) and Dutchess (Beekman, Pawling) counties.

Astorino is running on the Republican, Conservative and Rebuild Our State lines on the ballot.

Campaign website: robastorino.com

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Rob Astorino:

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm compelled to: New York is facing an economic disaster, and one-party rule in Albany is going to make it worse. I'm running to defend our beleaguered middle class, fight the coming tax hikes, reduce prohibitive business regulations that have killed job growth here, and to bring healthy, balanced, bipartisan debate back to Albany.

One-party rule has also threatened public safety with a no-cash-bail law that is releasing violent criminals back onto our streets within hours of being arrested. Judges, district attorneys, and law enforcement officials around the state -- including four NYPD commissioners -- have cited the law as the root cause of the growing crime wave. I will work to repeal the Harckham no-cash-bail law. I will also champion sweeping government reforms, including term limits for all state elected officials.

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

Restoring public safety and defeating the massive state tax hikes heading down the pike.
My opponent inexplicably championed the dangerous no-cash-bail law in Albany, which is responsible for New York’s growing crime wave. And that’s not just me saying it: judges, prosecutors, and other law enforcement leaders — including four NYPD commissioners — have cited the Harckham law as the spark for this spike in crime.

The Harckham no-cash-bail law allows the immediate release of career criminals for crimes including: domestic violence, stalking, harassment, criminal possession of a gun on school grounds; selling drugs to a minor; patronizing a person for prostitution in a school zone; failure to register as a sex offender; child pornography; animal torture; arson, assault, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, grand larceny. The list goes on...

The Harkham law has also made witness intimidation a major impediment to justice and crime fighting. Those arrested for crimes are now immediately given personal information of the victim and witnesses. Someone who committed a crime in your own house now has a right to re-enter your premises and take pictures under these so-called ‘reforms.’

The Harckham law must be repealed in the name of public safety and common sense.

Secondly, the planned tax increases out of Albany have to be stopped. Raising taxes would be the worst thing we could do to economically vulnerable New York. Tens of thousands of Hudson Valley residents are out of work or scraping to get by, and raising taxes would drive them and the mostly small businesses that employ them out of the state. New York has to address its high-tax and anti-business regulatory burden. That’s how we grow this state again.

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

Common sense judgement, and a willingness to work across the aisle in a bipartisan way to get things done. I have also pledged to oppose any state tax increases; he has said he’ll vote to increase taxes next year. I’ll back our law enforcement community in Albany, while supporting reasonable, well-thought-out criminal justice reforms. Mr. Harckham has gone too far, putting the rights of criminals over the rights of crime victims and law-abiding citizens. I will also demand a vote on term limits in the state senate; Mr. Harckham has not done that. Mr. Harckham and I also disagree vehemently over the state takeover of healthcare. He supports a government run healthcare system that will outlaw private insurance and raise state taxes 156%, according to the Rand study. We can lower healthcare costs without socializing medicine in New York.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Mr. Harckham, whom I like personally, has unfortunately aligned himself with the radical left-wing agenda of Bill de Blasio and others in Albany. I don’t believe he shares the values of the families in this district. One can see that on issue after issue.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

New York has the worst business environment in America, and it can’t afford to stay that way. Covid has put hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers out of work, and they will need new jobs to get back on their feet.

Everything I’ll do in Albany will be focused on making New York a more affordable place to live, work, and do business. We can’t fix this state by raising taxes higher; we need to fundamentally streamline state government to grow the job base.

My governing philosophy can best be encapsulated by what I call the ‘Three P’s’ — Protect Taxpayers, Preserve essential services, and Promote economic growth. Those are my guiding principles as an elected leader. And I could add a fourth: keep your Promises. Do what you say you’ll do in office, and I’m proud to say I’m known for having done that as Westchester County Executive. I’ll do the same in the State Senate.

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

I served two terms as Westchester County Executive from 2010-2017, keeping my promise never to raise taxes, in fact cutting them, and helping to create 44,000 new private sector jobs by removing tax and bureaucratic obstacles wherever possible. I was able to do that by building a bi-partisan coalition of legislators so we could actually get things done.

When I came into office, Westchester was facing a massive budget deficit, and, naturally, many were calling for tax hikes. Instead, I streamlined government, beginning with cuts to my own office, and improved services with less. We strengthened the social safety net by increasing spending for those in need, added daycare slots, and eliminated veteran homelessness in the county while lowering taxes. When I left office, Westchester had the highest credit rating of any county in New York State.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.

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

I’m a stickler on taxes, and some wrongly suggest that means I don’t care about new program x or new program y. But it’s just the opposite; I’m a spending hawk because high taxes have real consequences for real people, especially for families in the middle class and working class struggling to get by.

Taxes isn’t just a word, they’re the difference between buying new clothes for a daughter or son and hand-me-downs; buying healthy food for your children or cheap processed garbage, and senior citizens taking a full prescription dose vs. breaking the pill in half and praying it’s enough. Fiscal conservatism in government is a moral responsibility, as I see it, and it’s a sign of respect for those you represent.

Working with people who disagree with me or hold differing views is equally important. When we stop listening we stop learning, and we unfortunately see that dynamic both in Albany and Washington today. Partisanship has gotten in the way of progress, and that’s not acceptable in a democracy like ours. To move forward, we have to start working together again.