Here's the link to find your polling place and get your sample ballot.

https://www.chemungcountyny.gov/429/Chemung-County-Polling-Places-Sample-Bal

Here's what my sample ballot looks like ...

Iron workers endorsement

 This letter arrived at our P.O. Box today. I'm proud to have the support of unions. Not only did they build the middle class, but they have always been and continue to be the advocates for working people. 

Doing more to ensure local jobs are performed by local union workers helps keep money here in Chemung County, and using union workers ensures that proper safety measures are taken on the job site. When those standards are ignored or skipped, workers are seriously injured or killed. 

It's not just about livelihood. It is a matter of life and death. That's why I look forward to advocating for local unions on the Chemung County Legislature.

My message

 My message has stayed fairly simple. At every door, I usually say some version of what's on these cards.

Then I ask, "Do you have any local concerns or issues you care about?"

And then, I listen.

It's a great way to learn.

Who was Lynn Morse?

Came across this street while on a walk in the town of Erwin a couple of years ago.
Who was Lynn Morse?
When I was a reporter in the Star-Gazette's Corning bureau, Lynn was Erwin Town Supervisor.
He was a dedicated public servant, and I respected him.
One small anecdote sticks in my mind.
At one point, Lynn came up with a plan to build a structure for the town -- sorry I don't remember exactly what, possibly a garage for the highway department.
But this was a very important project for him. To him, it was an absolute necessity and he came up with a plan to fund it with a bond issue. Then he went out and campaigned for it publicly to get it passed on a ballot referendum.
Election day came and I happened to be standing next to him at the town hall as the final votes came in. His ballot measure lost.
"So be it," was all he said.
Even though he knew the importance of his cause and had fought hard for it, he had to listen to the voters and find another path forward.
The fact that they named this road after him is testament to how he succeeded in so many other ways, but I like to think he succeeded at least in part because he listened to people.

Letter to the editor

 The Star-Gazette published my letter to the editor this morning.

They cut off my ending, so here is the full letter as submitted:

So often, political messaging only tells you what to be against. For me, it’s better to be for something. What I’m for is honesty, accountability and transparency in government. I’m also for turning around the economy in Chemung County by helping people pursue their dreams here. That’s why I’m running for Chemung County legislature in the 4th District.

My 25 years in journalism trained me for this job. Much of that time was spent diving into complex government issues to explain to people what they needed to know. As a reporter at various newspapers across the country, I wrote about issues from planning and zoning all the way up to the federal level. But it was as a local government reporter for the Star-Gazette that I began to appreciate elected officials who strove to be public servants and not just politicians. 

That’s also where I met my wife Amy, who helped me fall in love with Horseheads.

My career at the paper ended with a layoff in 2009, and that forced me to reinvent myself. It took a bit to figure it out, but I eventually became an entrepreneur and launched a laser-cutting business. Running a business is very much about survival of the fittest. You have to find a product customers will buy and provide that product in a cost-effective way so that you can make enough profit to survive.  As a member of the entrepreneurial community, I've realized the energy of these fledgling business owners is an untapped resource for the county economy. Let’s invest in the people who already love living in this county and help them build a business.

Now, you should also understand what is at stake in this election. Your current legislator, Joe Brennan, has used his position to attack the gay community, the Chemung County Library District, the Chemung County Health Department as well as science and medicine. None of these campaigns have done anything to help provide more effective, efficient government for the residents of Horseheads, Big Flats or Chemung County at large. You, the voter, must choose whether to keep supporting his agenda.

County government comes down to providing the services we all need with the resources we have available, as efficiently as possible. These are items like roads, bridges, sewer, sheriff, jail, health department and the nursing facility. Each of these, and many others, are expensive operations that impact our quality of life but also affect the tax levy.

My approach to making decisions on these and any other issues will be to:

1) Get the facts right

2) Listen to all sides

3) Have an ongoing conversation with people

If you like this approach, please vote for me on November 8.

First union endorsement

I was proud to receive this union endorsement recently. 

Unions built the middle class and gave workers many essential protections. 

When I met with some union leaders recently, I realized that it is much more than that.

"We just want to work where we live," I was told. Doing more to ensure local jobs are performed by local union workers helps keep money here in Chemung County, and using union workers ensures that proper safety measures are taken on the job site. When those standards are ignored or skipped, workers are seriously injured or killed. 

It's not just about livelihood. It is a matter of life and death.

Legislators work in words. That's their trade, but what some do not realize is that the wrong words in the wrong place can get someone killed or can take away someone's livelihood. That's why I look forward to advocating for local unions on the Chemung County Legislature.

The result of apathy

 Often I get asked something like: "Why are you running? Why even put yourself through this?"

Yes, why? Politics is so toxic, wouldn't it be the saner thing to just stay home?

Sure it would be the easier thing, but the what happens when too many people stay home and don't even vote?

The result is bad government. That's why I run.