NY-22: Brindisi, Tenney on police reform, Spectrum, more

With less than two months until Election Day, this year's race between incumbent U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica, and Republican challenger and former Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, of New Hartford, is heating up.

The two are vying for the seat representing New York's 22nd Congressional District, which includes Chenango, Cortland, Madison and Oneida counties, as well as parts of Broome, Herkimer, Tioga and Oswego counties.

The Observer-Dispatch reached out to the candidates on policy issues. Each were asked to focus on their opinions and solutions to the problems facing the nation -- without mentioning their opponent.

Spectrum

When the state's Public Service Commission approved the merger between Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications in 2016, it came with stipulations on broadband expansion, an increase in internet speeds and other conditions. After the company failed to achieve those benchmarks, the same commission -- which is appointed by the governor -- voted to kick Charter Communications out, but settled with the company in December 2018 for $174.2 million.

The Spectrum issue, and the federal government's role, was debated in the 2018 election between Tenney and Brindisi. In the 2020 rematch, both campaigns and Political Action Committees have run ads on the topic of Spectrum.

Tenney argued the issue started with the state and the solution is on the state level as well. She said her solution would be to break up the virtual monopoly Spectrum has on internet service around the state, instead of giving the company a utility-type status.

"Let's make them compete to drive down prices, get more consumer choice and allow competition, which is going to help bring down the price and give us better options," Tenney said. "Especially on the internet."

Since leaving office at the end of 2018, Tenney said Spectrum has raised rates six times. Those are in addition to business rate hikes, said the former congresswoman and small business owner.

"I'm stuck with Spectrum," she said. "I can't go anywhere else because there's a monopoly."

Tenney said she's written to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Public Service Commission asking to break up the monopoly. She said solutions like treating Spectrum more like a utility won't generate more choices and leave the government running a price-fixing scheme.

Brindisi said there is actually a lot the federal government can do to combat Spectrum and similar internet and cable providers.

"The first bill in Congress I introduced was the Transparency for Cable Consumers Act, which would force companies like Charter and Spectrum to report to the (Federal Communications Commission) information about their pricing, fees, internet speeds," Brindisi said. "It would bring much needed accountability to the industry."

Provisions of the bill were included in a House of Representatives infrastructure spending package which passed the House in early July.

Brindisi said the FCC needs to step up its enforcement and regulation on Charter Communications. He said Spectrum is trying to get out of an agreement with the commission so it can impose data caps and charge more for internet service.

"That's the federal government's role to regulate that," Brindisi said. "That's why I'm pushing the FCC not to let them out of the deal."

COVID-19

Brindisi said there clearly isn't enough testing being done for COVID-19 around the country right now. The federal government should have a role in speeding along development of a vaccine to end the public health crisis, he said.

"The federal government should have a national testing strategy and should be responsible for helping to go out and get PPE and other medical supplies that are necessary to fight the pandemic," he said. "As opposed to allowing states and hospitals to compete to try and get that equipment for front line workers."

Brindisi was blunt about the need for more stimulus spending amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said communities are still hurting and state and local governments need additional funds to keep essential services like public safety up and running.

"Our local governments and school districts are in a crisis right now, because they're seeing cuts in state aid and dwindling revenue, as well as increased expenses fighting the pandemic," Brindisi said. "And if we don't get some help to them soon, it's going to lead to massive cuts in essential services, like first responders and health care workers."

While he said the Paycheck Protection Program included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was good, Brindisi said there needs to be more flexibility in loan forgiveness for small businesses. The congressman also recommended another round of economic injury disaster loans.

Whatever small businesses assistance is done should have protections in place to prevent larger companies from accessing the funds, Brindisi said. More funds should be set aside for businesses in smaller towns and rural areas.

"I think Washington needs to cut the politics and get something done to provide more COVID relief," Brindisi said. "We were successful in the spring, passing three bipartisan coronavirus bills to fight the public health crisis and deal with the economic fallout."

With some industries such as tourism, entertainment and hospitality unable to bounce back this year due to the pandemic, Brindisi said it's important to keep those jobs in mind when extending unemployment assistance. A stimulus bill from Senate Republicans including $300 in weekly unemployment assistance -- half of the original assistance in the CARES Act -- was defeated Thursday.

"I believe that we have to have some extension of the unemployment assistance because the unemployment rate is still much higher than we want it to be," Brindisi said. "I think we have to back off the $600 and gradually reduce that so we encourage people to get back to work."

Tenney said area businesses are worried about getting employees to come back if unemployment assistance continues. She said the $600 weekly assistance was an incentive to keep people home during the peak of the pandemic.

"I think that just about every small business I've talked to, including one today, said, 'Stop handing out the extra money so people don't go back to work,'" Tenney said. "We need people to go back to work."

Tenney said she believes the federal government does need to offer more stimulus money, though she wants to see more of the money go directly to small businesses, rather than be routed through state governments.

"I think the federal government can provide a response and they have to, unfortunately," she said. "I'm a fiscal conservative, but at this point we were forced down and we have to provide relief."

Tenney said she was disappointed the proposal from Senate Republicans was defeated in Thursday's vote. The federal government needs to help schools, small businesses and local governments in whatever stimulus package it passes, she said.

"Number one, we need to help our school districts deal with the additional cost of trying to have students in school, socially distanced and dealing with masks, dealing with remote learning with internet connection," Tenney said. "A lot of just the technology of being able to get students to be able to go to school."

On the small business front, Tenney said governments need to make sure businesses are opening as much as possible without causing a greater risk than is necessary.

"I'm just seeing restaurants operating at half capacity, not being able to open right now, is causing a real drain on our sales tax revenue," she said.

Overall, Tenney said the federal response to the public health crisis has been "fantastic." She said she worked with Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the coronavirus response for the administration.

"I worked from the very beginning with the vice president," Tenney said. "They came out with a very comprehensive plan that they gave to all the states on phases, recommendations, daily briefings."

In her discussion with small business owners and those struggling throughout the region, Tenney said the biggest complaint was with the state government and getting unemployment payments out in time. She said Cuomo's policy to return COVID-19 positive patients to nursing homes in the early days of the pandemic was one of the worst things she's seen in politics and labeled the state's overall response as "weak."

Police reform

The video of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked widespread protests and some riots around the country. Now, the institution of policing has come under additional nationwide scrutiny around excessive use of force, including Utica.

Tenney said states and local municipalities have their own police standards, but could see the benefit of additional recommendations from the highest level of government.

"I think the federal government can provide some guidelines on policing, but I think, again, it comes down to the resources and the training that would be needed to make sure there's standards in place," Tenney said.

Tenney recommended federal grants as a way for departments to secure additional funding, such as programs to pay for school resource officers. She also mentioned the Department of Defense's military surplus program, particularly describing medical supplies as an example.

Tenney said one of the biggest problems is officers are rushed out to their jobs.

"There's a problem with recruitment and retention with police officers," she said. "It's a dangerous job right now, but the one thing they need more of now is more training and it costs money and it costs time."

While Tenney said she can't support defunding the police, she did agree there needs to be more funding for mental health issues, specifically citing the nation's drug epidemic. She said she believes many incidents of people resisting arrest are tied to suspects being under the influence of drugs.

Tenney said she fought for additional funding for naloxone nasal spray while in Congress. She secured additional Community Service Block Grants through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during her term and opposed cuts to the program in 2018.

Brindisi agreed with Tenney on the need for more mental health care and other social programs. He said the federal government needs to get its priorities straight on how its funds are spent.

"I don't want to see federal money going to support huge tax cuts that are geared heavily toward billionaires and wealthy corporations," Brindisi said. "I'd rather see that money invested in health care and infrastructure, education and mental health programs, which will help improve outcomes for lower income communities across the country."

Despite support for those initiatives, Brindisi was firm that it shouldn't come at the expense of cutting funds to law enforcement.

"I also think that the message should be loud and clear from the federal government that abolishing or defunding police departments is not the path forward," he said.

The first-term congressman said Floyd's murder sparked a "much-needed conversation" about police reform and racial injustice in the country. He said what happened to Floyd is unfortunately too common among Black Americans.

"Law enforcement is a dangerous profession and although most police officers honor their oath to protect and serve their communities, we cannot continue to ignore acts of brutality by some," Brindisi said. "So it's critical at the federal level we provide police departments with the resources they need to have proper training and be able to purchase things like body cameras, which have been shown to really help catch bad actors."

Brindisi also called for more investment in community policing programs.

Election security

The security of U.S. elections, whether from threats by foreign interference or cyber attacks on voter data or electronic ballots, has remained on the forefront of the election cycle. A whistleblower complaint from a senior Department of Homeland Security official said he was pressured to downplay the threat of Russian interference in the country's elections.

"I'm very worried in this election," Brindisi said. "And the intelligence reports that I have seen have already indicated that Russia and other foreign actors are interfering in our election, and we can't allow that to happen."

Everyone, from the president on down, should call out countries attempting to interfere in US elections, the congressman said.

Brindisi said all states should require a paper backup so there is a hard copy of the ballot in case a voting system is hacked or otherwise compromised -- similar to what is done in New York. States that don't open themselves up to vulnerabilities, he said.

"I think that's ripe for abuse by foreign actors who want to interfere in our elections," Brindisi said.

Tenney said the Department of Homeland Security has detected China, Iran and Russia have used cyber to interfere with elections.

"I do think that my biggest concern is not with that as much -- I think the government is on top of that, I think there's funding for it," she said. "My biggest concern is going to be what's going to happen with the local governments having to deal with a lot of absentee ballots."

With more mail-in ballots than ever expected in the general election, Tenney said she isn't worried about the Postal Service delivering ballots, but local governments having funds and manpower.

Tenney also said she wants voter identification, which she believes can eliminate most or all election fraud in the country.

Presidential election

Tenney said she will support Trump, who endorsed her in the election.

"I don't think I've worked with too many elected officials who are as aggressive and as committed to task completion and getting the job done as President Trump," she said. "Virtually everything that I could conceivably ask him to do and come up for in our region ... he did."

While Tenney said she wasn't initially a Trump supporter, she agreed with his views on ending the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement and guarding against globalism.

Tenney said she isn't a fan of Democratic candidate Joe Biden due to his stance on trade issues, China and Ukraine, but pledged to do what she needs to do for the community if both are elected, however.

"If he does win, obviously we'll do our best that we can to work with him," Tenney said.

Brindisi repeated his support for Biden, which he first announced in April. He said he's not as focused on presidential politics as the needs of New York's 22nd Congressional District.

"What I do want to see happen in this country is a healing take place and for us to stop some of the divisions that we've seen over the last several years," Brindisi said.

Regardless of who wins in November, Brindisi said he will continue to seek bipartisan solutions.

"My plan, whether its a Biden-Harris administration or a Trump-Pence administration, is to work with that president to help move the country forward," he said. "And that's something that I am proud of in my first term -- being able to work with an administration of the opposing party to pass four pieces of bipartisan legislation into law."

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