Obama's leadership, policies ideal for these times

Republican Sen. John McCain has served the people of Arizona for decades. His extensive public service is well-documented, and his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam was a sacrifice for which the entire country should be grateful.

But during his most recent campaign to become president, he has failed to demonstrate that he has the leadership skills needed to guide this country during these trying times.

His opponent, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, certainly lacks the years of experience in government that McCain has, but his steady and reasoned voice over the course of his presidential campaign are a sharp contrast to his opponent.

McCain has appeared erratic and unfocused as his campaign is winding down, and his public image over the last three months has not been that of someone who can bring people together. With the country at war on several fronts and faced with dire predictions about the future of the nation's economy, McCain seems to have been too busy trying to dig up dirt on his opponent than trying to get across to the people why he would be the better choice.

And McCain's questionable choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin cannot be overlooked. The Republican campaign kept her insulated from the public for weeks - not a sign of confidence in a person chosen to be next in line should the president be unable to serve. And when she finally began granting exclusive one-on-one interviews for television, her answers revealed a lack of understanding on a wide range of issues. McCain seemed to make a political choice, rather than one that's good for the country.

It's true that her folksy demeanor has resonated with a lot of Americans, but she is ill prepared to be a leader on a national scale.

Obama has emerged as a true leader in his relatively short political career. He has surrounded himself with smart advisors from both sides of the aisle during his presidential campaign and has appeared level-headed and focused in his public appearances.

His platform is a clear departure from the policies of eight years of Republican leadership in the White House, and while voters may not agree with everything he stands for, he has a solid economic approach to tax cuts and has the potential for realizing lasting positive changes in health care.

Obama doesn't go as far as some would like when it comes to guaranteed health care for all Americans, but he will fight to offer an option for the uninsured that also protects people who are happy with their current coverage.

It's approaches like this that make Obama such an ideal choice. His policy proposals are crafted with both a solution in mind, and a strategy for getting them through Congress.

Obama was also a strong voice against the U.S. invasion of Iraq, even when many of his party leaders were going along with President Bush's approach. Unfortunately, we all know the price the country, especially thousands of military families, has paid for that mistake.

We agree with Obama that the nation's foreign policy needs to emphasize diplomacy much more often, and the use of force and isolationism less often.

Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, gives Obama immediate access to the guidance of a seasoned public servant and a solid resource on foreign policy that will be vitally important as the nation continues to struggle against it enemies.

The Citizen endorses Barack Obama for president of the United States.

Maffei now well-prepared to serve in Washington

We agree with Republican candidate Dale Sweetland that the federal government needs to find ways to cut spending and examine programs to make sure they are being run as efficiently as possible.

He's also right that Congress has failed to address health care, and while he believes that most Americans are not ready to accept “socialized” medicine, he hasn't come up with a specific plan that addresses the soaring costs of medical care or the plight of the uninsured.

The fact that Sweetland's campaign put so much effort into attacking Democratic candidate Dan Maffei's connections may have distracted Sweetland from the need to adequately explain his own platform.

Sweetland has continually criticized Maffei over Maffei's association with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, who has been accused of legal and ethical violations. Maffei told us that he's disappointed with Rangel and certainly not beholden to him. We agree that Rangel's personal financial problems are his own and shouldn't be used to try to make it appear as though Maffei has done anything wrong in accepting Rangel's advice or campaign contributions.

Sweetland's pledge to “clean up Washington” is a cliche that is not backed up by enough substance.

Green Populist candidate Howie Hawkins raises some important issues that many people are concerned about. He believes that a massive investment in “green” technology would achieve not only the largest economic boom the country has seen is decades but would help nurse the global climate back to better health, as well. Paying for it, Hawkins said, would be easy if the country stepped back from its “worldwide military” and invested its resources at home.

He also preaches a “Medicare for all” approach to health care as the solution to the country's high population of uninsured people.

But Hawkins' problem is that most of his ideas don't have realistic chances of becoming actual policy. It's one thing to have a campaign with big ideas, but to do that you must have a concrete method of getting them implemented.

Maffei is a real student of government. He understand the historical and Constitutional aspects of the U.S. government and shows an appreciation for how it works. He understands that people often lose patience with the slow pace of legislation, but believes that progress is possible.

Maffei admits, for example, that his plan of working to get uninsured Americans covered by some type of government plan would take at least two years to accomplish and that it would be at least 10 years before any savings could be realized.

He has been quite outspoken about the war on terror and has been one of the only voices of late to insist that Osama bin Laden needs to be captured. He understands the difficulties of sending more American forces into Afghanistan but believes that building international support can be the key to success in that part of the world.

Maffei articulates his proposed policies much better than he did during his 2006 race against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Walsh, who is retiring. He's worked closely with several Washington officials over the years, gaining practical experience in how things work - or don't work - at the Capitol.

Having already established friends and professional contacts, he will be able to hit the ground running in Washington and could prove to be a particularly effective freshman congressman.

The Citizen endorses Dan Maffei in the 25th Congressional District.

Arcuri earns two more years

There's no question that Richard Hanna has not held back on his criticism of President George Bush in the last few weeks of his campaign for Congress. His drumbeat became especially loud when his opponent, incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri, began running television commercials linking Bush and Hanna.

But as loud as Hanna has denounced Bush, his policy proposals are not much different on some of the key issues for all Congressional races. He offers no true alternative to the Bush approach to taxation, and by extension, the Bush proposal on the economy. He also, despite saying he opposed the invasion of Iraq, seems strongly committed to keeping troops there until the Iraq government stands up.

Arcuri, by contrast, says the Iraq government will stand up only when the U.S. military stands down. He also is wisely backing a measure to bring increased income tax relief to middle-class families by restoring tax rates on the wealthiest citizens to pre-Bush levels.

One area where the candidates differ most is on energy policy.

Arcuri, like so many candidates these days, backs a comprehensive energy policy that focuses on alternative and renewal energy development, as well as an emphasis on conservation.

Hanna almost seems to scoff at any policy that doesn't start with increased drilling for oil and exploration for other fossil fuels.

He also indicates that the development of public transportation systems is a bad idea because the government shouldn't be telling people how to get from place to place. It seems lost on him that plenty of people would love to use public transportation, but they can't because it's not available.

Ultimately, though, Arcuri deserves to go back to Washington for another term because he's earned it through his solid first two years.

Local officials will tell you Arcuri and his staff have been responsive to their needs.

He wisely set up a local office in Auburn to help him stay on top of his vast district, which stretches over to Utica.

It's this combination of constituent service and command of the big national issues of our day that give him an edge in this race.

The Citizen endorses Michael Arcuri for the 24th Congressional District.

Valesky smart to keep focus on Albany reform

Democratic state Sen. David Valesky is positioned to become a much stronger force for much-need state government reforms.

He successfully fought for Workers' Compensation reforms that have helped improve the business climate in New York, and he's been a vocal proponent of increased government transparency in areas like the now-public member item distribution process.

Valesky is pushing for joint conference committees as a way of working toward realistic compromises between the Assembly and the Senate so that less time and effort is wasted drafting partisan legislation that has no chance of becoming law.

He is one of the few Albany incumbents we've heard say that the state needs to go beyond a simple hiring freeze and actually reduce the size of the state workforce by offering retirement incentives to employees.

Unlike his opponent, Republican Jim DiStefano, Valesky sees reform as a key piece in the economic issues facing the state. Valesky pointed to the property tax relief measures that both the Assembly and Senate passed in the summer as an example. Each house had their own version of a plan, but they failed to come together on compromise legislation that actually became law.

Reform remains crucial because it's badly needed in order for the state to adequately address important issues to voters.

Republican Jim DiStefano supports the consolidation of school districts and municipal agencies like police departments as part of a plan to lower costs for taxpayers. He has an interesting vision of the greater central New york region wherein ports and railroads would be used to maximize transportation and lower the costs of doing business.

As for cutting the state's expenses in the face of a growing deficit, however, we don't believe DiStefano is focusing on the right target. He's adamant that the state can't afford the payroll of the city and state university systems, and while he insists that administrative costs are more to blame than teachers' salaries, he will have a difficult time convincing anyone that the state should hack away at public colleges as a means of trying to balance its books.

The Citizen endorses David Valesky in the 49th Senate District.

Nozzolio makes district his biggest priority

Paloma Capanna has correctly identified how her opponent, state Sen. Michael Nozzolio, is a perfect example of how the Albany system protects majority-party incumbents.

The senator, running on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Taxpayer First lines this fall, has been able to travel around his district passing out checks to nonprofit organizations and local governments largely because he has the good fortune of being in the majority party. He also has been able to outspend Capanna overwhelmingly because his entrenched status has brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations through the years, including plenty of support from a wide range of special interest groups in Albany.

But one argument Capanna failed to make is that Nozzolio has neglected his district. That's because by any objective analysis, Nozzolio's service to his constituents has been remarkable through the years.

And while the member-item (aka pork) funding is nice, Nozzolio's true value comes from the behind-the-scenes work he does advocating for the district. In Cayuga County, we've seen three major examples of this effort in the past two years alone.

As a Republican senator dealing with a Democratically controlled executive branch, Nozzolio has managed to convince state agencies to make major decisions to benefit the area. He helped facilitate a reorganization of state Department of Transportation project plans to help the town of Mentz address the Haiti Island bridge collapse. He has lobbied the state Department of Environmental Conservation successfully regarding Groton wastewater discharge permits that impact Owasco Lake. And he helped convince the state Department of Health to reverse its decision to shut down the Auburn Memorial Hospital maternity unit.

Those are all efforts that Nozzolio can continue to make even if he is in the minority party next year. They don't involve bringing back grants. They simply involve going to bat on behalf of local residents.

For all the statewide issues that are out there, we still feel the most important job a state legislator does is to represent constituents.

And when you boil down their positions on key issues of spending cuts and property tax caps, Nozzolio and Capanna are not drastically different. They both agree some tough choices are ahead, and they both support property tax caps.

We do feel that Capanna presented herself well in this campaign. She is clearly one of the most informed and determined challenger candidates we've ever seen. And we hope to see her continue her efforts to make a difference in politics.

But when it came to knowledge and interest in specific issues facing this district, she came up short, especially compared with her opponent.

The Citizen endorses Michael Nozzolio in the 54th state Senate District.

Kolb has best approach for taxpayer relief

Republican state Assemblyman Brian Kolb's achievements during his time in Albany are reflected by his growing influence within that legislative body.

This past year, he served as the Assembly's minority leader pro tempore, which put him in the position of running the Assembly floor for the Republican conference. That job put him in the position of needing to work directly with his majority party counterparts.

All of this points to a rare trait for a Republican Assembly incumbent - he has a track record of reaching across the aisle.

The biggest policy difference between Kolb and his Democratic challenger, Noah Sargent, involves their position on state property tax caps and/or a property tax circuit breaker. Sargent was a big proponent of the Assembly majority's circuit breaker option, which provides tax relief to certain property owners based on their income. That package comes with a price - an increased tax on millionaires.

Kolb favored a more comprehensive approach that included property tax caps on municipalities and school districts, as well as a circuit breaker and unfunded state mandate relief.

We agree with Kolb on this issue, because while a circuit breaker is a sound idea, it can't be done in isolation. Without caps on local government tax levies, the need to raise taxes on people not covered by the circuit breaker will grow each year.

On many other issues, especially related to Albany dysfunction, these two candidates are similar.

Sargent, though, has some ideas that are not well-conceived. He suggests using the state's National Guard troops to start collecting sales taxes from Indian-owned retailers. Although we support working to collect those monies, military intervention is not a practical solution.

Sargent also says he supports universal health care, though he admits he hasn't thought through how it could be funded.

The Citizen endorses Brian Kolb in the 129th Assembly District.

Finch holds edge in rematch

Republican Gary Finch has brought a business-like approach to Albany in his representation of the 123rd Assembly District. As a local business owner and employer, he understands the struggles that come with doing business in a state with one of the worst tax climates in the nation.

He supports cutting back on member item allocations while recognizing that the state still has an obligation to help support the important work of nonprofit organizations that provide so many needed services.

He has proven to be very accessible to his constituents and brings their concerns to Albany.

And while he's good at recognizing the top concerns of the people of this area, like the importance for education funding and its associated property tax burden on homeowners, we'd like to see him push a little harder to make things happen in Albany.

Democrat Barbara Abbott King is genuinely sincere about her desire to focus more state resources toward areas she believes have been overlooked. As a longtime agriculture-based business owner, she has a great breadth of knowledge of the financial struggles of that industry.

Having said that, we believe that she's not fully prepared to offer meaningful input into the immense array of issues affecting this Assembly district and the state as a whole.

King lost to Finch two years ago, and frankly, we saw nothing new or improved from this year's campaign.

If King is to get to Albany some day, she will need a more broad range of skills and better understanding of issues to be an effective representative.

The Citizen endorses Gary Finch in the 123rd Assembly District.

McIntosh shows command of more important issues

The challenge for any member of the Cayuga County Legislature is to balance their obligation to their legislative district constituents with their responsibilities on behalf of the entire county.

This balance is often even more difficult for representatives from the city of Auburn, which has a unique relationship with county government.

In the race this year for the Cayuga County Legislature District 15 seat, both Democrat Cynthia Aikman and Republican Patrick McIntosh have a firm grasp of the problems faced within the district that falls largely on the west side of the city, between the Arterial and Genesee Street.

Both understand the importance of neighborhood revitalization to the district, and to their credit, both have pro-actively reached out to residents to get their input.

What sets McIntosh apart from Aikman in this race is his command of some of the bigger issues facing this county.

With just 15 people serving on this legislative body, it cannot afford to have any members who are either uninterested or uninformed about countywide issues.

That's why we were surprised to hear Aikman often punt on important county issues.

She told this newspaper she had “absolutely no idea” about how the county's mental health services are being run, and she implied that the Indian land claim issue is not a concern for her since her district is not in the land claim area.

We don't expect candidates to have strong opinions about every issue, but we at least expect them to have demonstrated adequate preparation for the job.

Perhaps McIntosh benefits in this area because he has served on the Legislature since being appointed the seat earlier this year following the death of longtime district representative Steven Netti. But it's his knowledge and experience that make him the stronger candidate.

For the record, McIntosh does believe the county is finally heading in the right direction in terms of its mental health services, though more work remains.

And he's firmly for fighting to keep Indian-owned land on the tax rolls.

McIntosh also is wisely supporting the infusion of economic development dollars into the county budget targeting a needed first-stop agency to help bring this area's fractured approach to job creation under one umbrella. We also like McIntosh's ideas for consolidation of services, something he's willing to push for publicly.

The Citizen endorses Patrick McIntosh for county Legislature District 15.