Radio Catskill continued its candidate interview series ahead of the June 23 primary with Christopher W. Tague, a Republican candidate for New York State Senate District 51.

Tague currently serves in the New York State Assembly, representing Assembly District 102. He is running in the Republican primary against Terry Bernardo.

Senate District 51 is a large rural district that includes Sullivan, Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie counties, along with parts of Broome, Chenango and Ulster counties.

In the interview, Tague described himself as someone with deep roots in the district. He said he was born and raised in Schoharie, has lived in the Senate district his entire life, raised his children there, owned a business there and began his working life in agriculture.

“I started my own dairy farm when I was 16 years old,” Tague said.

After selling the farm, Tague said he worked in the heavy highway construction industry, starting as a laborer in a stone quarry before eventually retiring as general manager of the company. He also said his work in that industry brought him into Sullivan County before he entered politics.

Tague later served as town supervisor in Schoharie before being elected to the State Assembly, where he said he has served for five terms. He pointed to his work on agriculture and real property tax issues as experience he would bring to the State Senate.

Tague said he believes rural communities are often overlooked in Albany.

“Most of the legislation in Albany is metropolitan driven,” Tague said, arguing that the economic needs of New York City and rural upstate communities are very different.

Tague said agriculture remains a major economic driver in rural counties across the district. He criticized state regulations, environmental rules and farm labor overtime requirements, saying they have placed pressure on small family farms.

He said one of his efforts in Albany has been organizing farm tours for lawmakers from across the state, including legislators from metropolitan areas, to better understand the realities facing farmers and rural businesses.

Tague also focused on volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services, saying rural communities depend on them and that they need more support from the state.

He said he supports making EMS a required service in New York State and called recruitment and retention major challenges for volunteer fire and EMS agencies. Tague said he has backed proposals to provide tax benefits for active volunteers, including an income tax exemption for qualifying fire and EMS volunteers.

“If you want somebody that’s gonna go to Albany that has your values, that is gonna work hard for the people, that understands Albany but also knows how to get things done, then I would be honored to have your vote,” Tague said.

When asked why Republican voters should choose him over Bernardo, Tague pointed to his experience in the Assembly, his conservative record, and endorsements from the New York State Conservative Party and several Republican committees in the district.

He said voters can look at his record in the Assembly and his work in communities across the region.

“I show up,” Tague said. “When people ask me to be in their community to help with something, I’m there.”

Radio Catskill’s candidate interview series is designed to give voters a chance to hear directly from the people running for office ahead of the June 23 primary.

Radio Catskill is continuing its candidate interview series ahead of the June primary election.

We hear from Alexander Portelli, a Republican candidate running for Congress in New York’s 19th Congressional District. Portelli is seeking the Republican nomination in a primary race against State Senator Peter Oberacker. The winner of that primary is expected to move on to the general election against Democratic incumbent Josh Riley.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Portelli about why he’s running, what he believes are the biggest issues facing NY-19, and why he believes Republican voters should choose him as their nominee.

As Republicans in New York’s 19th Congressional District prepare to choose their nominee, State Senator Peter Oberacker is making a familiar argument: Washington does not understand rural New York.

Oberacker, who represents New York’s 51st Senate District, is running in the June 23 Republican primary against Alexander Portelli. The winner is expected to face Democratic Congressman Josh Riley in November. The race is being closely watched in a competitive district that stretches across a large part of Upstate New York. 

In an interview with Radio Catskill, Oberacker said his campaign is rooted in both personal history and public service. He described growing up in a family business, where his father, a German immigrant, made sausage and other food products. His mother, he said, served as a local elected official for more than 30 years.

From his father, Oberacker said he learned that “the job doesn’t end when the clock says it does.” From his mother, he said he learned the importance of listening “to learn and not always to respond.”

Oberacker has served as a town supervisor, an Otsego County legislator, and a state senator. He said that background gives him a practical view of how decisions made in Albany or Washington affect local governments and rural communities.

A central theme of his campaign is what he calls “country sense.” Oberacker said rural residents face realities that are often overlooked by lawmakers from more densely populated areas.

He pointed to his own life as an example, saying he travels 18 miles one way to get groceries and that rural residents often have limited access to health care, transportation, and basic services. He said part of his role in Congress would be to “educate” Washington about those challenges.

Agriculture is another major focus. Oberacker said farmers are being squeezed by rising input costs, including fuel, fertilizer, utilities, and energy. He said one of his goals, if elected, would be to serve on the House Agriculture Committee and look for ways to reduce the pressure on farms.

He also criticized New York’s farm labor overtime rules, saying farming does not fit neatly into a 40-hour workweek and that overtime costs have added another burden for producers.

On affordability, Oberacker said utility costs are one area where government could act. He pointed to a “ratepayers bill of rights” he has worked on at the state level, saying it would bring more transparency and accountability to utility billing.

Among the ideas he discussed were protections against shutoffs during bad weather, access to live customer service representatives, clearer billing, actual meter readings instead of estimates, faster refunds when customers are owed credits, and outside checks of electric meters.

Rural health care was another issue raised in the interview. Oberacker said Congress needs to recognize that rural health care is different from urban health care because of transportation barriers, long distances, winter weather, and limited provider options.

He said one way to strengthen rural health care would be to make it easier to recruit doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals to rural communities, including possible help with student loans.

Broadband access also remains a concern across parts of the district. Oberacker said he personally struggled to get broadband at his home and described “last mile” connectivity as a real challenge for rural residents, farms, and small businesses.

He said the federal government should take the same kind of serious approach to broadband that the country once took to rural electrification. He also suggested there may be a role for assistance with satellite internet equipment in places where traditional broadband has not reached.

When asked how he would represent voters who disagree with him politically, Oberacker returned to the idea of listening. He said the district includes Democrats, Republicans, independents, rural voters, college communities, and small business owners, and that representation starts with hearing people out.

Oberacker said voters should support him over his Republican opponent because of his experience in local and state government, as well as his record working with rural communities. He closed the interview by pointing to family values, hard work, and what he called shared values as the foundation of his campaign.

The Republican primary is set for June 23. Early voting is expected to be underway before Election Day. Whoever wins the primary will move on to a November race against Riley, the Democratic incumbent.

Pennsylvania voters head to the polls Tuesday, May 19, for the primary election, including the Republican primary for Pennsylvania’s 20th Senate District.

The district includes Pike, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties, along with parts of Wayne and Luzerne counties.

Incumbent Republican State Senator Lisa Baker is facing a primary challenge from Tyler Meyers, a Luzerne County resident and U.S. Army veteran. Meyers is seeking the Republican nomination for the seat, with the winner moving on to the general election in November. 

In an interview with Radio Catskill, Meyers said his public service began in 2014 when he joined the U.S. Army. He served on active duty in field artillery before moving into the Army Reserve in a military intelligence role. 

Meyers said his decision to run grew out of personal experiences with government policies, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates during his military service and college years. He also criticized the Kooth mental health app, which he said raised concerns for him as a parent because of what he described as gender ideology content available to children without parental consent. 

“I was willing to throw my weight behind anybody who would run against Lisa Baker,” Meyers said. “Nobody would run against her.” He said a friend who had considered entering the race stepped aside, and Meyers agreed to run. 

When asked why he believes this is the right time to challenge Baker, Meyers said the opportunity presented itself unexpectedly.

“I just feel I have the morals and the values to represent the 20th District in a better way than she has up to this point,” Meyers said. 

Meyers said one of the top issues he is hearing from voters is term limits. He pointed to Baker’s long tenure in office and said many voters he meets while knocking on doors tell him they believe she has served long enough.

He also named data centers, the gas tax and the overall cost of living as major concerns among voters in the district. 

On rural issues, Meyers said property taxes are a major burden for residents. He also said farmers have raised concerns with him about regulation and a lack of USDA inspectors, which he said can force some farms to schedule processing dates far in advance. 

Meyers said his military background shapes his views on veterans’ services. He said he has had positive experiences with the VA, but also pointed to long wait times for some services, such as getting glasses. He said older veterans may struggle to navigate available resources and said he wants to help connect them with support. 

On state government, Meyers criticized what he described as excessive spending in Pennsylvania’s budget. He said lawmakers should consider single-issue spending bills during budget deadlocks, especially to fund essential services without attaching them to larger spending packages. 

Meyers also said he supports reducing barriers for rural hospitals and would consider incentives to help rural hospitals stay open or open in underserved communities. 

If elected, Meyers said his first bill would tie the salaries of state lawmakers to the median income of a Pennsylvania worker. He said lawmakers’ pay should be connected to the health of the economy.

“There’s no reason why people should be enriching themselves off of taxpayer dollars,” Meyers said. 

Before voters head to the polls, Meyers said he wants them to know that when he calls himself a conservative, he means it.

“It’s not just lip service that I’m gonna give you every time that there’s an election,” Meyers said. “I will be a conservative vote on legislation.” 

The Pennsylvania primary election is Tuesday, May 19. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. More election coverage is available at WJFFRadio.org.

Japheth Fitzpatrick says he wants to run as an independent candidate for New York’s 100th Assembly District, which includes much of Sullivan County and the Middletown area in Orange County.

But first, he has to get on the ballot.

Fitzpatrick, a local business owner and former co-owner and operator of Forthright Cyder & Mead in Youngsville, is currently collecting signatures to qualify for the race. He says he needs 2,000 signatures by May 19 to be included on the ballot and challenge incumbent Assemblymember Paula Kay.

Speaking with Radio Catskill, Fitzpatrick said his path toward politics began with his experience trying to build a small business in Sullivan County.

He and his wife moved to the region from Queens about eight years ago after making cider and mead as home brewers. Fitzpatrick said they saw Sullivan County as a place with more space, more affordability and more opportunity to turn the hobby into a business.

But the timing was difficult. Fitzpatrick said they received final approval to open just one week before New York shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He described that period as chaotic, with state rules changing from week to week while he and his wife tried to operate safely and keep the business going. Still, he said Forthright Cyder & Mead was able to build a customer base through farmers markets around the county.

“We were at every farmers market in the county,” Fitzpatrick said. “We did pretty well.”

But Fitzpatrick said the business ultimately ran into a problem many residents and small businesses in the region have faced: the rising cost of property.

He said the plan was to start in a rental space, grow the business and then eventually buy a permanent location. But by the time they were ready to make that move, Fitzpatrick said property prices in Sullivan County had doubled after the pandemic.

“It’s as simple as that,” he said. “The profile of the business didn’t make sense at the price point that the properties were at.”

Fitzpatrick said that experience is part of what pushed him toward the Assembly race. He said property prices are one issue, but he sees them as connected to larger challenges facing the district, including the cost of living, the difficulty of running small businesses, the decline of farming and the lack of steady year-round jobs.

He said the region’s seasonal economy makes it hard for workers, business owners and families to plan for the future.

“We get highs, we get lows,” Fitzpatrick said. “Even seasonality is unpredictable.”

Fitzpatrick argued that the district needs to rethink how it supports farms, small businesses and full-time residents. He said too much of the local economy depends on tourism and seasonal activity, while farms and small businesses struggle to stay open.

He also pointed to transportation as an issue, saying he believes better connections between Sullivan County, Orange County and the rest of the state could help the region attract more full-time residents and economic activity.

Fitzpatrick is not officially on the ballot yet. He says his immediate focus is collecting enough signatures to qualify. If he does, he said the next step will be making his case to voters across Sullivan County, Middletown and the Town of Wallkill.

Radio Catskill will continue covering the 100th Assembly District race. Radio Catskill plans to offer interviews with all candidates in the race so voters can hear directly from those seeking to represent the district.