There is Much to Question About Harckham’s Legislative Record
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
There have been quite a few letters in this paper, as of late, that have come out in support of incumbent state Sen. Peter Harckham, but there are at least two sides to every story and the voters should hear the other side.
First, Sen. Harckham voted and signed off on No Cash Bail Reform. This legislation has contributed to the rise in crime, and made New York state, as a whole, a less safe place to live in. The negatives of this law clearly outweigh the positives that may have come out of this. Sen. Harckham owns this 100 percent.
Second, there are the new election rules that were established in 2019 under then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo for that year’s state budget. The prior threshold was 15,000 signatures, which made it much easier for third-party candidates to get on the ballot. The threshold is now 45,000, and the petitioning period was also shortened to six weeks and moved from summer to the spring. It was originally 50,000 votes in order to get state ballot access for the next four years; now it’s 130,000 votes that are needed. This effectively disenfranchised Libertarian Party candidate Larry Sharpe and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins from the 2022 gubernatorial race.
This also disenfranchised 2024 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Chase Oliver from being on New York’s ballot. An unmistakable example of undermining the democratic process of New York state and disenfranchising other choices on the ballot.
It should be noted Sen. Harckham voted for the budget, and therefore, the new state election law. I asked Harckham about this in October 2022, and he said it was all Cuomo’s fault because he sneaked it into the budget. So, I followed up and asked whether he will pledge to change that law and he said yes. Well, two years later he hasn’t done a single thing to change that law.
Finally, there is the proposed controversial lithium battery plant on the Somers-Mahopac border that Sen. Harckham supported.
Sen. Harckham may very well have delivered for this area by “bringing home the bacon,” but at the end of the day it’s not going to matter if crime is on the rise, the quality of life is deteriorating and the democratic process is being subverted.
Bruce Kelly
Mahopac
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