Faso in Monticello

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — Lawyer John Faso, who would like to become the next governor of New York, made an appearance at Republican headquarters on Thursday, August 24, bringing a message of lower taxes and reform in Albany.

Senator John Bonacic, who introduced Faso to the gathering of about 40 Republican faithful, said Faso needs their help because the candidate is having trouble getting his message out. Faso, a former minority leader in the New York Assembly, is running behind Democrat Elliot Spitzer in the race for the governor’s office by a margin of 65 to 17 percent, according to the latest poll from Quinnipiac University.

Despite support from the state’s most powerful Republicans, such as former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who donated $33,000 to his campaign, Faso has not been able to gain much traction with the public.

That’s because, Bonacic said, Faso is battling Elliot Spitzer’s huge advantage in name recognition. Faso said some of that recognition is undeserved.

Faso said the while Spitzer, as Attorney General, was famously going after Wall Street and the insurance industry for fraud, he completely ignored the biggest fraud that impacts New York taxpayers—welfare fraud.

Faso said New York’s Medicaid tax bill is $45 billion per year, that’s more than the bills for the states of Florida and Texas combined, with twice the population of New York. The reason for the high cost, he said, is mismanagement and fraud.

Faso also attacked Spitzer on taxes. He said taxes are already so high that businesses and residents are moving away from upstate communities in record numbers in search of lower tax environments. Faso said that Spitzer has made so many promises to various groups and individuals that he would have no choice but to raise taxes even further if elected governor.

On the matter of the power line project proposed by New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI), Faso said he has taken a position against it. He said that he agrees that the electrical distribution system in New York needs attention, but he said it would best be improved by adding new power plants close to the location where the power is needed, specifically New York City and the surrounding suburbs.

He also drew a distinction between himself and Spitzer on another energy matterūthe Indian Point nuclear facility. He noted that Spitzer advocates the closing the plant. But, said Faso, the plant generates 11 percent of the state’s electric power, and closing it would make the state’s energy situation even worse than it already is. Faso wants to keep the plant on line.