Tenacity

Last night, I headed to St. Francis College in Brooklyn for a debate between the candidates standing for election on November 4 to the New York State Senate from the 25th Senatorial District: John Chromczak and Daniel Squadron.

The event was sponsored by the Brooklyn Heights Blog. The 25th District includes parts of lower Manhattan and western Brooklyn.

John Chromczak argued the issues with knowledge and passion. He demonstrated he has the tenacity to take on the power brokers in Albany. I was particularly impressed by his determination to see real progress on the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site.

Chromczak stressed that New York State government needs better management -- not additional tax dollars.

Daniel Squadron defeated the district's longtime incumbent in the September Democratic primary. I give him much credit for seeking the office and putting together the organization needed to bring down one of the old guard. I liked what he had to say in the debate about mass transit -- notably the creation of the Second Avenue subway and the extension of the 7 line farther into the West Side of Manhattan.

But, Squadron greatly troubled me with a repeated argument that the solution to New York State's problems is to put both houses of the legislature into the hands of the Democrats. The state senate is currently majority Republican, the state assembly currently Democratic. Squadron stated they both pass lots of one-chamber bills that never become law.

Squadron repeatedly stated that the divided legislature was hindering progress and that good government would be speedy with the Ds in charge.

Sorry, Dan. We all want government to be efficient. But, one-party rule is not the answer.

As Chromczak aptly rebutted, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Update: You can now watch the full debate on-line at this post.

Photo of John Chromczak above, from the Booklyn Heights Blog, is credited to Marc Hermann.