November
6, 2006
ELECTION
DAY IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2006!
GET
OUT AND VOTE!
The
much anticipated 2006 Election is finally upon us. Tomorrow, those
who have not already cast an absentee ballot must go to their assigned
polling station between 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, November
7, 2006 to vote.
Following
below is information pertaining to the positions of candidates obtained
from the 2006 Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project Candidate
Survey as well as information from the New York Association on Independent
Living about the positions of the Democratic and Republican Gubernatorial
Candidates (Eliot Spitzer and John Faso, respectively) regarding
issues of concern to New Yorkers living with disabilities.
Lastly,
the phone number of each County Board of Election follows below.
The County Board of Election can tell you where the location of
your polling station is, if you are unsure. In addition, you should
also contact them with any problems encountered at the poll.
MENTAL
HEALTH VOTER EMPOWERMENT PROJECT
2006 CANDIDATE SURVEY RESULTS
Information on where candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller,
Attorney General, as well as each NYS Senate and NYS Assembly seat
stand on issues of concerns to New York’s mental health community,
obtained through the 2006 Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project
Candidate Survey can be found at http://mhanys.org/programs/mhvep/survey/voter_guide.php.
NEW
YORK ASSOCIATION ON INDEPENDENT LIVING’S (NYAIL)
SURVEY OF CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR
2006
CANDIDATES FOR NY GOVERNOR:
WHERE
DO THEY STAND ON MAJOR POLICY ISSUES
AFFECTING
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES?
The
following information contains responses NYAIL received from the
Spitzer and Faso campaign teams on a variety of questions related
to Disability Policy issues:
Eliot
Spitzer (Democrat)
1.
Community Integration
The institutional bias in long-term care in New York State is a
particular concern to individuals with disabilities. What specific
steps will you take as Governor to increase opportunities for individuals
with disabilities to access home and community-based services to
avoid institutionalization?
Until recently, most adults with developmental disabilities had
two choices when it came to housing: live with your family or move
to a large institution. Through programs like "New York State
CARES", the State has been able to offer alternative living
arrangements in community-based settings that bring support services
into an individual home. We should build on the success of NYS-CARES
by committing to NYS-CARES II through 2014. People with disabilities,
like other members of New York’s family, should be able to
choose where they live and live with dignity.
What
will you do to ensure New York’s compliance with the federal
Olmstead decision and the state’s “Most Integrated Setting”
law, which require the state to provide access to community-based
services for people with disabilities?
I understand that the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council
could use a jumpstart. Almost four years since it’s founding,
the Council has yet to submit its report that was obligated under
law to be issued over two years ago. We must ensure that, as soon
as possible, the MISCC lives up to its responsibilities by adequately
addressing the issues of housing, employment, education and transportation,
to name a few.
What
actions will you take to increase employment opportunities for people
with disabilities?
The
ADA’s prohibition of employer discrimination against people
with disabilities was a necessary start to ensuring equal employment
opportunities. However, it has been 16 years since the law was passed,
and currently, about two-thirds of the disabled population is unemployed.
This is unacceptable, and if I am fortunate enough to be elected
Governor, I will make it a priority to reduce this number.
The
State should call on local One-Stop Career Centers to develop a
database of people with disabilities seeking employment and employers
seeking to hire. The State can also encourage employment of the
disabled is through its procurement process. In 2004, the State
entered into 41,000 contracts worth $28 billion. As a purchaser
of so many goods and services, we must protect and enforce important
procurement practices like the New York State Preferred Source Program
so organizations like the New York State Industries for the Disabled
can continue to connect the working disabled population to government
contracts. Jobs mean freedom for people living with disabilities
– freedom not just from the isolation of a sheltered life,
but freedom from costly government services. The pool of people
with disabilities is a large, untapped resource for employers, and
we need to provide the skills, supports and connections for that
resource to be tapped. This is both a moral and an economic imperative.
2.
Medicaid Reform
How would you go about reforming Medicaid without threatening vital
services to millions of New Yorkers with disabilities?
Medicaid reform is not about mindlessly cutting services, but we
also can’t live with a program that is bankrupting the State.
I have laid out a comprehensive health care agenda that includes
reforming our Medicaid system. Through better long-term care management,
control of chronic diseases, prescription drug reform and other
efforts, we can improve the quality of care while controlling costs.
I hope to work with the disability community to make sure your voices
are heard in this important discussion.
3.
Housing
What will you do to expand access to affordable, accessible housing
to individuals with disabilities across the state?
How will you work in collaboration with the disability community
to develop a comprehensive affordable housing plan that includes
the development of integrated, accessible housing units?
If
passed by the Legislature, will you sign legislation strengthening
enforcement measures to ensure that housing developers using government
funds build accessible and integrated units in New York?
Housing
is another challenge people with developmental disabilities face.
Until recently, most adults with developmental disabilities had
two choices when it came to housing: live with your family or move
to a large institution. As I mentioned above, we should build on
the success of NYS-CARES by committing to NYS-CARES II through 2014.
Also, given that the number of elderly disabled is increasing, we
must make sure they have the option of staying in their home where
quality of care is better and the financial costs are cheaper. One
way to help people stay in their homes is for New York State's mortgage
agency to launch a reverse mortgage product – with the necessary
consumer protection elements – to allow the elderly to tap
into the equity in their homes to make the necessary retrofits to
stay in their homes.
4.
Education
Students
with disabilities are significantly more likely to drop out of high
school before graduating or fail to graduate within 4 years. The
State Education Department (SED) has identified 75 school districts
as needing assistance or intervention in meeting the requirements
of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
What will you do as Governor to assist school districts in closing
the achievement gap?
Specifically, what will you do to improve high school graduation
rates and reduce drop out rates among students with disabilities?
What do you plan to do to improve educational programs for students
with disabilities to facilitate their progress toward graduation?
Education is perhaps the single best way to empower people. This
is especially important for those with developmental disabilities.
First, we must do a better job of identifying those children and
families in need of developmental and educational services. We have
a window of opportunity to establish a life of independence and
we need to seize it so these children can live fulfilling and productive
lives, independent to the extent possible of costly government services.
The
State's Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education Programs
have done a commendable job for our infants and toddlers with developmental
disabilities. We must continue to make sure that at every transition
point, from early intervention to pre-school to kindergarten to
middle school to high school and beyond, we maintain an appropriate
level of services throughout what should be a seamless system.
The
second challenge is providing the right support. We must provide
the right supports to ensure those children receive the education
they need to live independent lives. Currently, New York has a shortage
of special education teachers, speech and language therapists and
other support personnel. We should launch an aggressive effort to
encourage a new generation of special education teachers and therapists.
5.
Election Reform
What
will you do to ensure that New York fully implements the Help America
Vote Act (HAVA) by 2007?
As Attorney General, my office and I have fought to protect every
New Yorker’s right to vote, including persons with disabilities.
Back in 1999, after surveying hundreds of polling sites, we were
alarmed to find less than 10 percent were in full compliance with
federal and state standards. We sued two upstate counties for their
lack of polling place accessibility and shortly thereafter won a
Federal District Court decision that required those counties to
make their polling places more accessible. It is an outrage that
New York has yet to fully comply with the Help America Vote Act.
New York is among the last states to do so, and many now realize
that compliance will not be met before Election Day. We must work
with polling places to ensure they are in full compliance with no
excuses. We can and should do more to assure that people with disabilities
are able to vote and part of that effort will be to finally comply
with the HAVA mandate.
6.
Transportation
The accessibility of public transportation vehicles (taxis, limos,
shuttles, etc) to individuals with disabilities in New York is insufficient.
If elected Governor, would you be willing to sign legislation requiring
at least 20% of public transportation vehicles to be wheelchair
accessible?
Barriers to transportation still remain for people with disabilities.
Even with the ADA and other legislation in place, people with disabilities
continue to have trouble accessing public transportation services
or other special transportation services for individuals with disabilities.
We must continue to work towards making our transportation infrastructure
more accessible so that people with disabilities have the same opportunities
as all of us. I will take a close look at the legislation in question
and determine whether or not it most effectively gets at the transportation
challenges people with disabilities face.
As
a means of complying with the 1999 Olmstead decision, would you
consider establishing a “Transportation Coordination Division”
within the Department of Transportation (DOT)? Such a division would
ensure that the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities
were being met by enforcing a policy that requires all public transportation
providers receiving government funds to use wheelchair accessible
vehicles and to maximize the usage of such vehicles.
I
will consider this proposal, but do not want to take a formal position
until I can get into the DOT and see for myself what must be done
to help lower the barriers to transportation that individuals with
disabilities face.
7.
General Disability
What
do you think are the top 3 most important issues affecting people
with disabilities?
From
core government services like education, workforce development,
housing and health care to nontraditional services like caregiver
support and life planning, State government must continue to think
creatively about the way we approach all of the challenges facing
people with disabilities. We must start with the idea of putting
people at the center of the support system, of empowering them and
their caregivers with the supports necessary to live fulfilling,
normal and productive lives.
Do
you support the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Restoration
Act to enhance the protections for individuals with disabilities
who experience discrimination?
I am not familiar with the details of this proposal and cannot take
a position at this time.
Will
you support legislation to incorporate portions of the ADA into
NY Human Rights Law and to waive the State’s sovereign immunity
to claims made under the ADA?
Protecting rights offered by the ADA has been a priority of mine
since being elected Attorney General. I realize that the Assembly
and Senate have signed a bill to this effect and will give it serious
consideration, but I will need to see the exact language of the
bill before making a definitive decision.
John
Faso (Republican)
1.
Disabilities Advocate
State
consolidated two offices (Office of the Advocate for People with
Disabilities and Commission on Quality of Care) as a cost-saving
measure, so appointing a new Disabilities Advocate would recreate
a bureaucratic structure that would increase state spending.
2.
Health Care/Medicaid Reform
Proposes to add 40 community health centers across NY to avoid need
for more expensive treatment in emergency rooms and hospitals.
Proposes
to increase payments to physicians and specialists to treat Medicaid
patients earlier, and to make sure Medicaid recipients don't receive
better health care than other New Yorkers with private insurance.
Supports
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to strengthen the private insurance
market and promote individual responsibility for long-term care
and health management.
Supports
expansion of Managed Care for Medicaid recipients.
Proposes
to fight Medicaid fraud through better technology to detect fraudulent
claims.
Proposes
to eliminate the Spousal Refusal Option.
For
long-term care, we need to move toward home care and expand the
Partnership for Long-Term Care; provide a single point of entry
into the long-term care system; increase reimbursement rates and
reduce regulatory burdens to allow more Continuing Care Retirement
Communities.
3. Mental Health
Address
fragmentation of the system by implementing mechanisms to ensure
systems are coordinated. Currently, separate funding streams, regulations,
and reimbursement methodologies through three different State agencies
creates barriers to effective service delivery. There needs to be
an integration of services to treat the person as a whole who has
a serious mental illness and a substance abuse problem. Establish
a Commission on Behavioral Health. Transformation, by Executive
Order to assess the current system, and recommend a multi-year strategic
transformation plan for behavioral health care in New York State.
Transformation would be outcome-focused, fiscally responsive and
consumer and family driven.
4.
Election Reform
Implement
the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which requires polling places
to be accessible to disabled voters to ensure all are able to exercise
their right to vote. New York has been slow to implement HAVA. Must
ensure that this important piece of legislation is enacted and that
disabled individuals are able to exercise their right to vote.
5.
Education
Reform
current education funding formula to ensure funds directed toward
student needs, including students with special education needs.
Give
parents more choices and help through education tax credits, charter
schools.
Improve
teacher quality through incentives for teaching subjects or areas
where there is less demand.
6.
Employment
Work
to improve business climate for everyone. Government can only do
so much and we must lower taxes and reduce burdensome regulations
so businesses will move here and expand. Faso plan calls for income,
property and business tax cuts as well as significant regulatory
reform.
Improve
services targeted toward citizens with disabilities. Use technology
and expanded hours to improve support services.
Work
closer with private industry to ensure better jobs and ability for
job advancement.
7.
Housing
Lower
costs of constructing all housing. Currently, needless regulation
increases the costs of construction and housing.
Give
greater weight to housing developers who locate projects with adequate
access to public transportation.
Increase
public-private partnerships with housing companies that invest in
affordable housing. Private fund managers, such as New York’s
Phoenix Reality Group, make capital accessible to community developers
who would otherwise have trouble gaining sufficient investment to
build.
DON’T
KNOW WHERE TO VOTE? HAVING TROUBLE AT YOUR POLLING STATION?
CONTACT
YOUR COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS:
Albany
County Board of Elections - 518-487-5060
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Allegany
County Board of Elections - 585-268-9294
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Broome
County Board of Elections - 607-778-2172
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Cattaraugus
County Board of Elections - 716-938-9111
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Cayuga
County Board of Elections - 315-253-1285
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Chautauqua
County Board of Elections - 716-753-4580
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Chemung
County Board of Elections - 607-737-5475
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Chenango
County Board of Elections - 607-337-1760
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Clinton
County Board of Elections 518-565-4740
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Columbia
County Board of Elections - 518-828-3115
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Cortland
County Board of Elections - 607-753-5032
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Delaware
County Board of Elections - 607-746-2315
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Dutchess
County Board of Elections - 845-486-2473
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Erie
County Board of Elections - 716-858-8891
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Essex
County Board of Elections - 518-873-3474
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Franklin
County Board of Elections - 518-481-1663
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Fulton
County Board of Elections - 518-736-5526
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Genesee
County Board of Elections - 585-344-2550
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Greene
County Board of Elections - 518-719-3550
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Hamilton
County Board of Elections - 518-548-4684
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Herkimer
County Board of Elections - 315-867-1102
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Jefferson
County Board of Elections - 315-785-3027
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Lewis
County Board of Elections - 315-376-5329
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Livingston
County Board of Elections - 585-243-7090
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Madison
County Board of Elections - 315-366-2231
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Monroe
County Board of Elections - 585-753-1550
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Montgomery
County Board of Elections - 518-853-8180
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Nassau
County Board of Elections - 516-571-2411
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NEW
YORK CITY - New York City Board of Elections - 212-487-5300
BOROUGH
OFFICES
Bronx
County Board of Elections - 718-299-9017
Kings
County Board of Elections - 718-797-8800
New
York County Board of Elections - 212-886-2100
Queens
County Board of Elections - 718-730-6730
Richmond
County Board of Elections - 718-876-0079
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Niagara
County Board of Elections - 716-438-4040
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Oneida
County Board of Elections - 315-798-5765
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Onondaga
County Board of Elections - 315-435-3312
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Ontario
County Board of Elections - 585-396-4005
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Orange
County Board of Elections - 845-291-2444
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Orleans
County Board of Elections - 585-589-3274
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Oswego
County Board of Elections - 315-349-8350
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Otsego
County Board of Elections - 607-547-4247
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Putnam
County Board of Elections - 845-278-6970
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Rensselaer
County Board of Elections - 518-270-2990
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Rockland
County Board of Elections - 845-638-5172
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Saratoga
County Board of Elections - 518-885-2249
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Schenectady
County Board of Elections - 518-377-2469
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Schoharie
County Board of Elections - 518-295-8388
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Schuyler
County Board of Elections - 607-535-8195
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Seneca
County Board of Elections - 315-539-1760
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St.
Lawrence County Board of Elections - 315-379-2202
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Steuben
County Board of Elections - 607-664-2260
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Suffolk
County Board of Elections - 631-852-4500
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Sullivan
County Board of Elections - 845-794-3000
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Tioga
County Board of Elections - 607-687-8261
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Tompkins
County Board of Elections - 607-274-5522
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Ulster
County Board of Elections - 845-334-5470
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Warren
County Board of Elections - 518-761-6456
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Washington
County Board of Elections - 518-746-2180
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Wayne
County Board of Elections - 315-946-7400
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Westchester
County Board of Elections - 914-995-5700
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Wyoming
County Board of Elections - 585-786-8931
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Yates
County Board of Elections - 315-536-5135
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