WXXI News
We talk with Demond Meeks, who is seeking re-election in the New York State Assembly.
We discuss the issues that are top of mind for him in District 137.
Our guest:
- Demond Meeks, candidate for New York State Assembly, District 137
Key issues raised by candidate during "Connections" appearance:
- Meeks identified housing as being one of the most pressing priorities, saying that while Good Cause Eviction was passed at the state level, there are "things that need to take place locally in regard to that legislation," such as access to good-quality, affordable housing.
- He also talked about educational challenges, including "generations of kids" who can't read: "We committed with (Gov. Kathy Hochul) to increase funding for reading and reading comprehension programs."
- Meeks said he would continue to be an advocate for expanding Career and Technical Education, or CTE, programs: "I think that we have to be intentional in connecting our students to skill sets ... that once they graduate high school, whether they go to college or not, they'll be able to fend for themselves as well as their families."
- Regarding anti-poverty measures, he said he sees some movement but acknowledged there is "a lot more work to be done." With that, he said the state has granted billions of dollars to fund projects in communities — but there's a step missing: "We need to make sure that individuals on the other side of the tracks have an opportunity to generate wealth from these projects," he said. "So to bring a new housing development is one thing, but to allow individuals from that community to generate wealth by building on that project and learning a different skill set and doing that work, that's the direction we must go into to really push back against poverty."
- On housing in general, he said as a city, Rochester has been doing "pretty good," but he has seen pushback in several suburbs when it comes to building new housing.
- Meeks and Dawson talked about public safety, including the Clean Slate Act, which seals some criminal records after a required waiting period, and bail reform. On Clean Slate, he said it gives people an opportunity to apply for a job or housing opportunities "without continuing to carry that dark cloud over them." On bail reform, Meeks said that many changes have been made to that legislation, and judges have discretion in how they use it, despite what critics say. "We find with bail reform is you have the same old people in an attempt to win an argument when the requests that were made by members of law enforcement have been met," he said.
*Notes: To hear our interview with Meeks' opponent, Marcus C. Williams, click here.
You can read more about this race and others you'll see on your ballot in the WXXI Local Elections Guide.
