I'm feeling pretty lucky to be an NY-29 voter. That wasn't always true. At a time when we needed a champion in Congress more than ever, NY-29 has gone without. Senator Gillibrand's office stepped up to ensure residents of the district had someone to call for help. But our own vote, our own voice in the House, was missing.
The day is now coming when voters of the 29th will pull the lever twice - once as a special election to immediately fill the seat, and again for the new full 2-year term.
The basic fact of this 2010 race is that voters of NY-29 are just getting to know their candidates. As of the Sept 21st Siena poll, 26% of voters were completely undecided. NY-29 is a big, diverse area stretching 8 counties from the suburbs of Rochester through the Southern Tier. That means the candidates are out covering a lot of ground meeting and introducing themselves to folks fast as our roads can carry them.
I'd like to help. Matt Zeller has answered the call, and over the rest of this whirlwind month, I will be bringing you information on where Matt stands on issues, and what he plans to do when elected.
Matt Zeller on Creating Jobs in Western New York:
For years, instead of solutions that will create new jobs, we've gotten nothing but empty promises from politicians.
I understand what thousands of ordinary citizens understand: government can’t magically create jobs, at least not without raising taxes. Businesses and entrepreneurs create jobs. A healthy private sector is vital to a healthy economy. For eight generations, my family has lived and worked here, and I know that we desperately need a commonsense jobs plan that cuts taxes for small businesses, removes barriers to job creation, and invests in long-term growth strategies to create the next generation of jobs that can't be outsourced.
Long before the rest of the country felt the impact of this recession, our region was being hit hard by the loss of first manufacturing jobs, then service and technology jobs. We also have a tax burden that is the highest in the nation measured against wages. With a systemic, long-term problem of this scope, we all know it will take more than just a program or two to turn things around. How would a Representative Matt Zeller work to rebuild our economy in Western New York and start creating the jobs we badly need?
My plan rests on four key principles:
Cut Taxes for Small Businesses - Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they're going to be responsible for most of the new jobs created in next twelve months. Small business owners are ready to start hiring again now. By reducing their tax burden, we can help them hire new employees, which will in turn lead to more customers for other businesses and boost our economy even further.
Energy Security Means Job Security - Renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are already shaping the 21st century economy the same way that the industrial revolution shaped the 19th century. The 29th District can become a leader in this new revolution. Every home, small business, factory, farm, plant, or building in our region could benefit from some sort of energy efficiency improvement - be it insulation, lighting, heating, or water use - and these are jobs that cannot be done by someone in India or China. They require local labor. In Congress, I will work to pass tax cuts and credits for families and businesses to make energy efficient upgrades, and to make sure the manufacturing and engineering jobs hire locally. Not only does reducing our energy consumption save money, but it cuts dependence on foreign oil, strengthens our national security, and creates good, secure jobs that can't be outsourced.
Level the Playing Field - Here in Western New York and the Southern Tier, we've been playing on an unfair field for decades thanks to politicians in Albany and Washington. Our tax code is set up to support the New York City service economy instead of our agricultural, small business, and manufacturing jobs. And our trade policies are still sending more jobs overseas. In Congress, I will fight to give our businesses and workers a fair chance to compete, both at home and abroad, by supporting fair trade policies and tax cuts to reduce the cost of doing business here in our area.
Invest in Innovation - To promote long-term economic growth, we need to start investing today to develop the industries and technologies of tomorrow. In Congress, I will work to develop business incubators here in Western New York and the Southern Tier - bringing together businesses, entrepreneurs, universities and trade schools to share resources and reduce costs. Simply put, technology incubators give businesses or educational institutions access to advanced research technology and facilities that would be too expensive for any one organization to afford individually. Not only will this partnership give our businesses and universities a competitive advantage to develop new technologies, but it will create job opportunities for our students and provide our businesses with access to a trained workforce
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At a time when politics is dominated by big national arguments, how do we cut through that noise and focus on what NY-29 and the Western New York, Souther Tier region most need to improve our quality of life and grow success that reaches every family?
As our next Congressman, I will work with local businesses and communities to build this new economy. There is no magic bullet that will solve all our economic challenges, but if we take action now, we can stop the brain drain, lower the cost of doing business, level the playing field and encourage new growth.
As you can tell, Matt Zeller is more than happy to share his thoughts on issues that matter to our area. This is a conversation that we all need to have - and Matt would love to get your questions in addition to mine. If you can, catch him at one of the many local events happening across our district. You can find a schedule of his journey to meet voters on the Events page at ZellerForCongress.com
You can also contact Matt these ways:
Phone: (585) 869-5171
Email: info@zellerforcongress.com
Matt's Facebook page
And follow Matt on Twitter: @ZellerNY29
Finally, don't forget you can help by donating to make this the kind of election where the issues count on Matt's page at ActBlue