NY State Assembly District 76 Primary Archive

Overview


Gus Christensen (D)	Ed Hartzog (D)	David Menegon (D)	Rebecca Seawright (D)	David Garland (R)

Christensen (D)

	Gus Christensen (D)
	Campaign Website Facebook Twitter

On the Issues

Endorsements

Currently: Member, Board of Directors, NY Landmarks Conservancy; Member, Board of Directors, Woodlawn Cemetery; President, Lenox Hill Democratic Club

Previous Work: Managing Director, Evercore Partners

Education: BA, Yale University; MBA, University of Pennsylvania

On the Issues

*Source for Gus Christensen's issue stances, unless marked otherwise: Gotham Gazette Questionnaire

Budget↓

In addressing how to utilize NYS' multibillion dollar surplus, stated: "It should be invested in infrastructure, including the following: building new schools and rehabilitating aging school buildings; raising the MTA capital budget to complete the full, 4 phase, 2nd Avenue subway more quickly, to modernize the signal and controls technologies throughout the subway system, and to move forward with the Moynihan Station project."
Civil Rights↓

Would vote yes on the full, ten-point Women's Equality Agenda.

Opposes the strategy of removing the 10th point in the WEA, which deals with abortion access, in order to push for passage of the other 9 points with less controversy.
Economy↓

Supports a statewide minimum wage at $15.

Also has stated support for increasing the statewide minimum wage to $10.10, and for NYC to have the ability to increase the minimum wage to $13. DNA Info

Stated that municipalities such as NYC should be able to set their own minimum wage.

In addressing developing a NYS jobs program, stated: "There are already a lot of jobs programs operating in New York, at the city, state and federal levels, and what we really need to do is study which ones are working, and invest more in those, and which ones are not, and move to shut those down."
Education↓

Supports implementing Common Core state standards with changes.

In addressing charter schools, stated: "Charter schools should return to their original function, which is to serve as pedagogical laboratories for our public schools, and I have a number of specific legislative proposals to make that happen."

Supports statewide universal pre-kindergarten.

In addressing how the legislature can ensure that adequate funding is distributed to all school districts to comply with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity decisions, stated: "It can and should insist on it in the annual budget process. I could talk about putting a lockbox on the funding, or tying it to dedicated sources, but we all know that what Albany does on a 'permanent' basis in one session is often ignored in later budgets through a wide variety of shenanigans. The legislature simply needs to start funding education fully, and keep in the habit of it."
Environment↓

Opposes hydrofracking in NYS.

Stated that municipalities should not decide, via zoning processes, whether hydrofracking occurs in their jurisdiction.
Government Accountability↓
Supports reducing individual campaign contribution limits.

Supports instituting a public-matching campaign-financing systems statewide.

Stated that Governor Cuomo should not have dissolved the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption.

Supports implementing the following reform measures to increase voter participation and reduce barriers to voting:
- Same day voter registration,
- Early voting,
- No-excuse absentee ballots,
- Reforming special elections,
- Instant runoff voting,
- Granting voting rights to parolees,
- Consolidating state and federal primaries,
- Lowering the voting age,
- And giving consideration to the California system of open primaries.
In addressing how to properly monitor and enforce ethics laws and appropriate conduct of legislators, stated: "We need comprehensive campaign finance reform, including significantly tighter rules on how funds can be spent, and we need a regulator with some teeth. Allegations must be investigated and dealt with quickly and with serious consequences for wrongdoing. The regulator must be completely independent from both the legislature and the governor's office."

In addressing legislative oversight of public authorities such as the MTA and Port Authority, stated: "We need to reform the entire public authorities system in NY State. Frankly, far too much activity and borrowing are buried in authorities rather than kept on the state's books, and under the direct control of state officials, where it belongs. We need honest conversations (and accounting) around sources and uses of funds, both on an operating and capital basis. Rather than the usual Albany routine of putting this or that cashflow stream in a lockbox and then raiding that lockbox when convenient, we should run more through the general budget process in a more open and transparent manner."

Stated that there should be "Zero tolerance for both sexual harassment & financial impropriety in the State Legislature." Campaign Website

Has been criticized for legally paying membership dues for several individuals in his political club and subsequently becoming president and receiving the club's endorsement. Debate
Health↓

In addressing challenges with the NYS Health Exchange rollout and the high cost of Medicare, stated: "This year's implementation was successful in many ways, including a pretty robust website, a relatively high level of enrollment and decent cost control. However, that cost control came through the use of very narrow provider networks and reduction or elimination of out-of-network benefits. We need to strike a balance between cost control and networks that are large enough for patients to see the doctors that they need to see, especially for people with chronic, often high-cost, conditions. And while there is not enough space here to get into it, we need a statewide plan to deal with the multi-decade structural shift in the need for hospital beds that has led to growth of certain large medical centers, such as those in my district, while many smaller community hospitals, such as St. Vincent's and LICH, have collapsed. We need a system that recognizes that there are unsustainable numbers of beds in many community hospitals without leaving those communities high and dry - we all need good access to emergency care, care for chronic conditions, etc., even if much of the higher level care is being inexorably concentrated into major medical centers and their satellites. This is going to take a huge, coordinated effort that will have to come from Albany."
Immigration↓

Would vote yes on the DREAM Act.

Supports non-citizen voting.

Supports drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants.
Infrastructure↓

Stated that the biggest infrastructure needs in the district are: "We need to finish the current, first phase of the 2nd Avenue Subway and then get going building the next 3 segments. We need to build new schools. And we need to improve the transportation infrastructure on Roosevelt Island, including by fixing the F-train and tram elevators, adding express bus service to key destinations in Manhattan and Queens, and adding ferry service. A good portion of this could be done with next year's 1-time budget surplus. In addition, I favor Value Capture as a concept for paying for infrastructure investment, as well as the MoveNYC plan for regional transport and congestion pricing."
Sanitation↓

Opposes the 91st street marine transfer station, and stated: "It's now or never to stop it. There's nothing that has been built yet that cannot be repurposed for another use, such as an extension of Asphalt Green and Carl Schurz Park. Yorkville and East Harlem need more green space." DNA Info
Transportation↓

In addressing road safety, and the appropriate approach to balancing the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, stated: "We need to implement Vision Zero, and we need to change a number of laws at the state level to make that happen. We need more cameras, both for speeding and other moving violations, but I believe that we should have a system of lower $ tickets, written much more frequently, such that we actually change driver behavior over time. And we need a number of new laws within the criminal code, including to make it a felony for a driver to kill or maim a pedestrian or cyclist in a collision that occurs during the commission of any moving violation, such as failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk."