AUBURN - Congressional candidate Richard Hanna visited Auburn Thursday to discuss the state's economy and his position on the need to lower taxes.

Hanna stated that his opponent, incumbent Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, has increased taxes in 21 separate instances since January 2007.

“My opponent is declaring himself a tax cutter and it's simply not true,” Hanna said. “It's typical of what happens these days. People go to Washington and do one thing, they go back to their district and they say another. The fact that he loves tax cutting is a little absurd on its face.”

Arcuri has voted to increase fees on the oil and gas industry, in favor of higher fees for prescription drug manufacturers and against tax relief, Hanna said.

What is happening in upstate New York is not hard to understand, considering that New York state overtaxes and overregulates its people and is quickly becoming one of the most punitive states in the county, Hanna said. It is emblematic of what is happening all over the country and it needs to stop.

“It's a shame that young people can grow up here and live here and enjoy living here but they can't make a living here,” he said. “I meet people every day who are depressed about the fact that it's more and more expensive to live here and they can't look forward to having their children come home and stay here and prosper.”

The Northeast burns 25 percent of the country's energy and because this part of the state does not have mass transit, “for us not to do every possible thing to lower the costs of energy and lower the costs of doing business in New York state is irresponsible.”

Hanna also talked about Congress being too partisan, which is what he believes is the problem with Congress.

“The definition of leadership is not taking sides, it's bringing sides together and taking opportunities for change and being accountable, having character and having a vision for the future,” he said.

Hanna believes he knows why Arcuri is a vulnerable candidate.

“Being in business for 30 years, if you want to keep the job, you have to do the job. And he simply has not,” Hanna said. “The two hallmarks which he declared himself ... NYRI (New York Regional Interconnect) and some resolution of the Oneida Indian Nation - have only gotten worse. One's in court and the other's about to enter court, I suspect. So that by his own measurements he's a failure.”

Arcuri campaign manager Jordan Karp said Arcuri is the only candidate in this race who has voted in Congress to cut taxes for small business owners, family farms, and middle-class families.

“Instead of standing by the citizens of upstate New York, Hanna complains about ending subsidies and tax breaks for the Big Oil companies he holds stock in?” Karp asked.

These resources are needed in order to be invested in renewable energy development, which creates jobs and fuels the economy, he said.

“The sad fact is that Michael Arcuri is refusing to answer why he voted to raise taxes 21 times,” Hanna campaign spokeswoman Renee Gamela responded. “Instead, he wants to twist it back to Richard Hanna. The fact is, he voted to raise energy fees and taxes, he raised fees for drug companies, which raised the cost of medicine, he refuses to extend the marriage penalty tax relief, the death tax relief and the childcare tax credit.”

Hanna also took time to discuss his impression of how his campaign is doing.

“Everything I hear is positive,” he said. “We feel very good about it. We have the Independents, the Conservative and the Republican lines. The polling I've heard of indicates that it's a neck and neck race ... we feel that we have a very good chance of being successful.”

Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net