SPEAKING OUT– A Conversation with Leslie Danks Burke

Can you briefly describe your political strategy and what it takes to step up and win in November?

The powerful win when they divide us. My approach is overcoming those false divisions to bring together people to raise a voice for our long-neglected region. People on the left and right know that the system is rigged, and I know that our beautiful region can band together to get a real seat at the table and change things.

The divide in New York is between most of us, who pay high taxes but see our jobs disappearing and schools left behind, and those few folks at the tippity-top who get subsidized by our taxes and don’t pay their fair share. Power and money don’t automatically flow to the top – it is stolen from the rest of us when Albany props up this cozy relationship between money and political power. It’s robbed our region for years, and our current State Senator is part of this problem. He gets one taxpayer-funded paycheck for being elected and pulls in a second $150,000 paycheck for his part-time side-job at a lobbying firm, while voting over and over to send money away from our region. The fact that New York State allows this double-dipping does not make it right, and we see that his votes do not help us, his constituents, but rather his corporate clients and own self-interest. 

 I’m running because the people of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes deserve better. I believe in us, we have real opportunity here, with hard-working people, beautiful country, and a spirit of giving that lets us take care of our own and maintain community anchors like our not-for-profits and schools. We know real solutions are out there for our struggling rural hospitals or  broadband deserts, and  we know that we can’t keep electing the same good old boys who have represented our region for decades, and do nothing to change things. Thousands of us are ready to raise a real voice for our long neglected region and I know we can do it together.

So often I see negative ads that focus on what the other person has not done (or that seek to cast the “others” in a negative light) rather than ads that focus on real issues, and solutions. I miss seeing “can do” messages that focus on what a candidate has to offer constituents, we the people, if elected. So, just to keep me happy, can you share with us your best “If I am elected…” message, telling our readers what you can, and will, do if elected in November.

This question is simple for me. Immediately upon taking office, I will introduce a bill to cut our property taxes by getting rid of New York’s Medicaid-for-Profit scheme that no other state in the country uses. We need an #UpstateTaxCutNow, while getting one step closer to funding health care for everyone. Getting rid of New York’s regressive tax structure will let our local businesses, startups, and family farms compete against corporate monopolies, and permit long-overdue investment in clean energy infrastructure, schools, universal pre-k, and universal broadband, all while spurring job growth. 

Despite being a more progressive nation now than we have ever been, women (and many other demographic groups) are still underrepresented in public office (and in positions of power in general). How important is it to have governmental representation that mirrors gender and racial demographics?

Americans are offended by oppression. We believe in a country founded on the principles that all people are created equal, and that government’s moral authority comes from the consent of all the governed.   

But when a government does not accurately reflect the people who live under its rule, we have to take a long, hard look at who’s making the rules. When the rule-makers mirror the people in the country, they will better understand the needs, interests and challenges of the people they serve.

We are living in a time of unity around identity and isms that has the potential to foster change but that has, in many cases, increased harmful divisions. This has been evident with recent Black Lives Matter protests locally and nationally (prompted by high-profile police-involved killings) and by the impacts and regional responses to COVID-19.  How best might we balance the need for protests and free speech to work toward change while helping to unify communities around commonalities that can bring them together?

America also has a proud tradition of speaking out and standing up for representation, which goes back to our very founding. Our rural 58th district, dotted by small cities like Bath, Corning, Elmira, Hornell and Ithaca, has seen peaceful protests calling to change a system where police kill Black people three-and-a-half times more often than they kill whites, where health care, income, and environment are so much worse for Black people that life expectancy is five years shorter than for whites, and where, if you are Black, you must follow a different set of rules than white people.  I don’t want to live in a community without law enforcement, and our communities must be able to trust our police officers and departments to protect their residents. Every time a police officer commits an act of unjustified violence, the trust is undermined. America’s long overdue conversation about change will only happen if everyone’s voice is at the table, including communities of color and law enforcement personnel. 

Debate, dissent and protest are patriotic, but no one is allowed to hurt other people to make their political point or get what they want. The community conversation we see emerging in Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Tompkins, and Yates counties is a direct result of these peaceful protests and we the people here can be proud that our communities are taking initiative for change.

Many people and businesses have also been economically impacted by COVID-19. What needs to be done to save our small town “Main Streets” (so many businesses were struggling even before COVID-19’s toll) and provide economic stability to families who have lost incomes and may be at risk of defaulting on mortgages or being evicted from rental properties? 

Our local businesses and family farms have been overtaxed and under supported for years, and COVID exacerbated this. Immediately when New York State went “on pause” in March, I called for long-overdue relief (which did not happen in this year’s legislature, just as it did not happen for the 8 years my opponent was a member of the State Senate majority).

Here’s what we need to do:

•Establish an upstate-specific fund that mimics the NYC small business COVID relief program that (a) provides zero-interest loans for businesses with a smaller number of employees, and (b) grants to cover employee payroll.

•Pass legislation requiring insurance companies to make good on “business interruption” claims that local businesses are currently filing and that insurers are denying.

•Provide one full year of property tax forgiveness for any seasonal business which loses more than 25% of its annual revenue.

•Suspend mortgage or rent payments for 90 days for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

•Require that all state and local agencies use in-state facilities for conferences and off-site events.

•Send vouchers to NYS residents that may be used like cash at in-state tourism venues.
•Establish one-year sales tax holiday for all in-state non-chain restaurants and retail stores.

As a publication, we focus on life in the more rural regions of New York State. Most of our contributors and readers livewhere “trees outnumber humans.” Each of these smaller communities, these smaller places, offer something unique; collectively, they contribute so much to the economic and cultural wealth of New York State. In your opinion, what is it that makes these smaller places important, and what steps will ensure our future growth and prosperity?

My husband and I fell in love with the Finger Lakes 15 years ago and moved here to start our family. But this is not the norm. Young people are leaving. For me, this is deeply personal. I stand up every day for my kids and all our children, because I want them to find a bright future for their families here.

From the shores of the Finger Lakes, to the rich history of Elmira, the educational power in Ithaca, the vibrant tourism centers of Watkins Glen and our wineries, and the industrial might of Corning and Hornell, this area is booming with beauty and economic potential. But that potential has gone unrealized. Elmira is one of only two cities in the entire country that never emerged from the 2008 recession, and now with the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our economies, there is no end in sight. To get our region back on track we must get a seat at the table, and we haven’t had one for decades. For the last 40 years, this region has had the same people in power, the same people exerting their influence on our community in order to better serve themselves. I am running for State Senate to put people first, to get my community back on track, and I humbly ask for your vote.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
I met Leslie Dank Burke while delivering Owl Light News (and grabbing some lunch) in Watkins Glen, prior to COVID-19.  We did not have an opportunity to talk much, and I had been meaning to follow up with the candidates. 

On September 4, 2020, I submitted questions to New York State Senate District 58 Incumbent *Senator Thomas O’Mara and Leslie Danks Burke. 

*We did not hear back from Senator O’Mara prior to the print publication deadline.