Thursday, October 25, 2007

David Lussier, for Albany County Legislator

David Lussier, Green Party Candidate for the Albany County Legislature has launched is campaign website: http://lussierforleg.com


Dave has been campaigning hard and is taking the remaining weeks off of work to commit to a full time campaign. Two years ago Dave finished second out of four candidates with 30% of the vote for Albany Common Council in an overlapping district.

Dave needs only about 400 votes to beat the Albany Democratic machine, and this time the machine seems to be malfunctioning, because the non-endorsed candidate won the primary. Dave has gained the support and help from members of the county Legislature and well as the president of the Albany Common council.

Voters have been relaying stories of the Democrat's racist and sexist remarks during door to door visits. At least 2 voters have also repeated the Democrat's recounting of the time he boarded an alien space craft in his backyard.

Dave's field plan is strong on voter identification and targeted campaigning. However, the field plan hit a snag on Saturday morning when Dave ran out of both literature and money. He quickly tapped into the members of the Green Party of New York State and raised the money for another round of literature and got back on the streets. This printing will not last and he could use some help footing future printing bills.

Dave also needs help with phone banking, if you are willing to call voters please volunteer with Dave's Campaign.
Voice: (518) 495-8001
Email: seedaverun@gmail.com

Donations can be made online through a Paypal account.

Dave will accept only personal donations up to $100. A little money spent on Dave's campaign can go a long way towards improving the community!

Please send your check to:
Friends of Dave Lussier
620 Madison Ave
Apt. B
Albany, NY 12208

Read More!



Why I'm Running For Legislature

Integrity & Vision

It's time for some "homegrown" energy in the Albany County Legislature -- and that energy is David J. Lussier. Dave grew up and lives in the Albany area. Before earning a degree in Sociology with a minor in Urban Planning at SUNY Albany, Dave attended local Bethlehem schools. He is currently working in construction, repairing water & fire damaged buildings in and around the Capital Region. He is also pursuing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from SUNY Albany.

Dave has worked hard to improve the quality of life in Albany, including organizing numerous neighborhood cleanups, serving as Vice President of the Washington Square Neighborhood Association, and promoting local participation in community life.

Dave will bring this focused and intelligent enthusiasm to the County Legislature. He's also committed to a healthy environment, sustainable development, affordable housing and health care for Albany's residents. Dave would like to see us reduce costs for Medicaid for the county through bulk purchasing of medication for seniors, which would have the added benefit of lowering their costs at the pharmacy.

He would also like to see homeowners' energy costs reduced; we could easily institute a bulk purchasing program for heating oil, and eventually a municipal power corporation akin to Green Island's to offset New York's high energy costs.

Most importantly, Dave knows community voice in local government is critical to our success. Albany County will only prosper if its neighborhoods and stakeholders are engaged in a common dialog. Dave will unite people to bring about future-focused, common sense solutions.

Issues

Fiscal Reform


Medicaid and bulk purchasing

As an increasingly large part of the county budget we are interested in providing that service and reducing costs. Although the long-term solution is universal single-payer care, in the short-term Albany County can cut down on costs to taxpayers and those on Medicaid by purchasing medicine in bulk from pharmaceutical companies. This is a common practice in various areas, and can work here as well.

Energy Costs

Rising energy costs hurt Albany's residents; our campaign proposes to help offset those costs in two ways - bulk purchasing of heating oil and a municipal power company.

Bulk purchasing of heating oil will, as with medication, allow for the county to reduce prices on a major expenditure for Albany homeowners.

Municipal power is a longer term solution, but a necessary one. Not only do municipal power companies have lower costs (and thus lower rates for customers) but by taking power generation and provision into public hands, we can invest in renewable and clean energy sources instead of the fossil fuels contributing to the climate crisis.

Livable Albany
Abandoned buildings


Albany County holds close to 1000 documented abandoned buildings. Besides contributing to the general feeling of neighborhood decay, abandoned buildings are a haven for crime and contribute little to community well-being or the tax base. We propose that the county work closely with the city to rehabilitate these properties into affordable housing. This can be done by increasing sales of the buildings to local residents and providing aid to those who wish to turn them into livable properties once more. The county could also turn them into quality, affordable public rental stock for local residents.

Living Wage We are committed to fighting for a living wage of at least $10/hr. for all workers in the county as both a sound moral and economic policy. Communities around the country such as Santa Fe, New Mexico and San Francisco have passed similar laws and have seen a decrease in poverty and little harm to businesses; in fact businesses have been helped by the increase in residents' expendable income.

Sustainable Albany

Community Urban Planning


A thriving urban core is crucial to the success of the county as a whole. SDAT, community involvement in designing the comprehensive plan is crucial to creating an Albany in which future generations will want to live. A livable, sustainable Albany will help us reach the critical goal of 100,000 people living within the city by the next census to earn an increase in federal funds. This will propel the city of Albany to another level of development.

Bike Lanes

Albany should promote the painting of bike lanes around the county in order to increase safety for all drivers and riders, besides promoting sustainable transportation.

Recycling Programs


Albany should become a model in reducing waste production by increasing the number of items that can be recycled and the incentives to do so. We should follow the lead of other forward-thinking towns which have banned unnecessary items such as incandescent bulbs and single-use plastic grocery bags, so as to reduce the waste we put into our own landfill. We can also use recycled items in benches, houses, and for various other uses around the county.

Save The Pine Bush


The expansion of the Pine Bush landfill should be halted and we should gradually reduce the amount of trash we intake from other communities. The Pine Bush is a rare ecosystem and should be treated as such.

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