Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, October 1, 2005, Saturday

Copyright 2005 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
All Rights Reserved
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (New York)

October 1, 2005 Saturday Metro Edition

SECTION: LOCAL STATE; Pg. 3B

HEADLINE: 2 political novices in race for seat in 21st District

BYLINE: Donna Jackel, DJACKEL@DemocratandChronicle.com

BODY:
One stresses accounting skills; one seeks audit of tax breaks.
Donna Jackel
Staff writer
Two political novices are vying to represent the 21st District of the Monroe County Legislature, a seat long held by Legislator Chris Wilmot.
Wilmot was unable to run again because of term limits.
Carrie M. Andrews, 29, has characterized herself as a "progressive, social justice activist."
She beat George H. Moses in a primary to get the Democratic line. Andrews is also endorsed by the Working Families and Independence parties.
She is running against Phil Zuber, 26, a bus driver who also runs a small landscaping business. Zuber is on the Republican and Conservative Party lines.
The 21st District covers an area between East and just north of Clifford avenues and between Winton Road and North Goodman Street. Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than a 3-1 ratio.
Zuber said his knowledge of accounting will give him a "great start" on understanding the county's fiscal issues. He described himself as a hard worker.
"There have been times when I have had four jobs at one time to try to get ahead," he said. "I know that hard work pays off. I think that a can-do attitude is what the city of Rochester needs right now."
He said he is running to ensure taxpayers' earnings are not squandered.
"A good legislator must understand that the money is not theirs, but belongs to the taxpayers," said the Rochester native. "I believe that I would be a good steward of taxpayer dollars."
Zuber praised the County Legislature for keeping the tax rate steady.
But he expressed concern about over-regulating businesses and citizens.
Zuber cited passage of the Neighbor Notification Law, for example, which requires companies that use liquid pesticides to give their clients' neighbors 48 hours' notice by mail each time they spray.
"There is no need for it," Zuber said of the law. He said he does not believe that a link between cancer and pesticides has been proven.
Andrews, however, praised the new law. She also supported the legislature's efforts to work more closely with city officials and the prescription drug plan for seniors.
She criticized the legislature for "ceding authority to local development corporations."
"Only last month," she wrote in an e-mail, "the county raised $51 million by refinancing, without a vote by the legislature, because the transaction had been pre-approved by a local development corporation."
If elected, Andrews said she'd urge an independent audit of tax breaks granted by the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency to ensure that businesses receiving tax subsidies from it are actually creating jobs.
Andrews also wants the county to pay for nurses in city schools, and for major county contracts to stipulate that workers be paid above minimum wage.
Zuber disagreed with Andrews about the school nurses, stating that the city should pay for city school nurses.
Asked how he would change how the county does business, Zuber said he would like to see more attention paid to the city. Constituents would be served well by a Republican legislator, Zuber said, because a Republican would "attract more energy and time spent on city issues."
Phil Zuber
Birth date: Feb. 1, 1979.
Residence: Rochester.
Education: Associate's degree in accounting, Monroe Community College, 2001.
Activities: School bus driver for the Rush-Henrietta School District and a bus driver for Coach USA; owns a small landscaping company, Hassle-free Lawn and Landscape.
The job
The 29 Monroe County legislators, each representing about 25,000 people, have responsibility for an annual budget approaching $1 billion, with expenditures on matters ranging from Medicaid to sheriff's patrols. The basic salary for county lawmakers is $18,000. The winner in the general election for the 21st District will serve a four-year term.
Carrie M. Andrews
Birth date: Dec. 19, 1975.
Residence: Rochester.
Education: Bachelor's degree in industrial and labor relations, Cornell University, 2001.
Activities: Labor relations specialist for New York State United Teachers, 2004-present; labor relations and professional issues associate for the Rochester Teachers Association, 2001-2003.
District 21 candidates discuss county issues
Carrie Andrews, running on the Democratic, Independence and Working Families lines, and Phil Zuber, running on the Republican and Conservative lines, discuss issues facing Monroe County. *
Carrie Andrews (D)
How would you close what has become a chronic budget shortfall for Monroe County government?
The county's payments on leased properties have skyrocketed in the past decade. I would support more oversight of county contracting and property transactions. Economic development initiatives should be reviewed to ensure they create living wage employment.
What should be done to control the costs of Medicaid?
A major way that we can assist (Medicaid recipients) is to create living wage jobs that offer health benefits. We must use resources, both private and public, to help recipients obtain a higher level education and improve job-seeking skills. We must offer incentives
to employers to provide health care.
What should be the county's role in addressing lead paint hazards?
The county must expand its pilot program and aggressively assist landlords and families with lead abatement. Such a program must be mandatory and should include financial assistance to landlords to cover the costs.
Phil Zuber (R)
How would you close what has become a chronic budget shortfall for Monroe County government?
I would go over the budget and find programs that are not working and find out why. If a program is not working, it is wasting money. Also by reducing regulation on small businesses, we could stimulate the local economy which would bring in a higher amount of sales taxes, reducing the budget shortfall.
What should be done to control the costs of Medicaid?
Stimulate the local economy by cutting taxes and reducing regulation on overburdened small businesses. That will give people good paying jobs with medical benefits. We need to continue to lobby the state to pay for Medicaid.
What should be the county's role in addressing lead paint hazards?
Step one is to continue educating the public to the hazards of lead paint. Too many of the victims of lead poisioning don't know it is there or that it is a hazard. I think tax breaks and grants are an excellent use in this situation.
* Candidates' answers were edited for clarity and space.
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