Provided
We continue our series of conversations with candidates running for office.
This hour, we sit down with the candidates for New York’s 133rd Assembly District. Colleen Walsh-Williams and Andrea Bailey* join us to discuss their backgrounds, their platforms, and their priorities for office.
In studio*:
- Colleen Walsh-Williams, candidate for New York State Assembly, District 133
- Andrea Bailey, candidate for New York State Assembly, District 133
Key issues raised by Walsh-Williams during "Connections" appearance:
- Walsh-Williams said the first priority for her is inflation relief. Noting that people are struggling to buy groceries and pay rent or their mortgage, she said relief can come in the form of tax breaks to parents of small children, low-interest mortgages, and "provide more housing so the market kind of settles itself a little bit."
- Speaking about overtime mandates for farmworkers, she said while "we need to listen to farmers," if someone works overtime, they deserve overtime pay. "If your business can't afford to pay the person ... what they've earned with their work, then you need to look at your business."
- Walsh-Williams suggested that the ultra-rich aren't paying income taxes. "If they did, then we could afford to do better things," she said. "We could help those farmers there. We could give more money to our schools." Instituting a stock transfer tax, she said, could be another way to raise revenues that could help the entire state.
- Regarding access to high-speed Internet, Walsh-Williams said it's "almost a necessity" to have it in homes and businesses. She views it as a public utility and supports a public-private partnership: "The public needs it, the private companies are benefiting from it, and so let's make an agreement."
- On abortion, she said she's not going to take it for granted that it's a settled issue in New York state. "I think there are 20 plus states out there that would have said the same thing a little while ago," she said. "We have to make sure that we preserve our rights in New York state, and I will do that."
- Talking about gun rights, she said she was brought up in a hunting family. "What we need to do," she added, "is drill down to how do we stop people who intend to do grave harm to other people without taking away anyone's guns." She said background checks are important. Asked if she would support a ban on certain classes of guns, she said she would have to talk to her constituents about that.
Key issues raised by Bailey during "Connections" appearance:
- Asked what her top priority is, Bailey said she would look at what our economic growth looks like. She noted that Democrats have had a supermajority in New York state for five years, and they haven't fixed economic issues. She said she would look at how individuals and industries are being taxed. "We are taxing them ... out of the state," she said.
- Bailey also said we need more people in the skilled trades and asked how to get young people "into those job segments and then get them tied in with employment." She also suggested working with existing businesses to provide internships to young people that would provide college credit and help them build their careers.
- Speaking about overtime mandates for farmworkers, she said she wants to "ensure the quality of life" for them but added: "You can't tell a cow that they're not going to be milked at 3 o'clock in the morning when that is the cycle in which they need to be milked on. We need individuals to be there to do that."
- Bailey disagreed on taxing the ultra-rich, saying that "individuals work hard to be successful," and that "if we were to ... look to a specific group of individuals, and call them out, we will see them exit the state."
- Regarding access to high-speed internet, Bailey praised Livingston County for securing grants to bring in broadband. As for what Albany could do to improve that across the state, she said it's getting more complicated to get those types of resources, and the state could assist municipalities and counties. Additionally, she said, New York state needs to view high-speed internet as critical, with more of our lives and business being conducted online: "It is becoming a public utility concern."
- On abortion, when asked if she would vote for any abortion restrictions, she replied: "I am pro-life with exceptions. And exceptions being, obviously, you know, rape, incest, and then the mother's well-being."
- Talking about gun rights, she said most gun crimes involve out-of-state firearms, and people using guns to harm others "did not go to a retail establishment and purchase that pistol. They are coming from other resources, and we need to address the root cause. And it's not just adding law upon law onto those law-abiding citizens who are not breaking the law."
*Notes: Candidates are listed in the order that they appear on the Monroe County Board of Elections candidate list.
You can read more about this race and others you'll see on your ballot in the WXXI Local Elections Guide.
