Wagner: I Will be Putnam County’s Senator
By Janine Bowen
Flanked by several of his union supporters, Justin Wagner, the Democratic candidate in the 40th state senate district, called for infrastructure improvements during an Aug. 13 press conference in his recently opened Putnam County campaign office in Brewster.
Wagner said improving the infrastructure of the region would create jobs.
Better Internet service is one area of infrastructure that was needed in Putnam, Wagner said. His campaign office in Croton has a new Internet line that has 56 kilobytes per minuet, he said. In Brewster, “the fastest Internet service they could provide us was 8 kilobytes a minutes,” Wagner said. “That has real consequences for business owners.”
Wagner said businesses are being held back in Putnam due to inadequate IT infrastructure. “I think this is the type of issue that we need to come together, Democrats and Republicans, and commit ourselves to,” he said.
Wagner said Verizon committed to build out its FIOS high speed Internet service in the Town of Southeast and the Village of Brewster. “As your state senator I will hold them to that promise,” he said. “I’ll do it because I believe in the free market. And choice and competition helps consumers and it will also create jobs.”
“I believe infrastructure is the runway for economic growth,” Wagner said. “Businesses decide whether or not to come to New York State based on whether or not they think they can make money and move products here, whether it’s moving products on the Internet or on our roads.”
“I’m committing myself as a bipartisan legislator to rebuilding infrastructure here in Putnam County and throughout our district,” Wagner said.
Wagner, who resides in Croton, said, “I will be Putnam County’s senator. when it comes to creating jobs, building infrastructure and lowering property taxes. I will be here so much that you will have to get me a permanent parking pass for the Village of Brewster.”
Representatives from three local unions that have endorsed Wagner also spoke at last week’s event.
Mahopac Teachers Association President Thomas McMahon said, “We know that he’ll stand up for teachers and our rights,”
McMahon added that Wagner would “fight against the bullies on education reform currently trying to take over our students and our schools.”
Joe Stratford, a political organizer from Local 1199 of the SEIU, said his organization wanted a Democratic majority in the state Senate that would “work effectively with Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo, local leaders and others to pass a full set of progressive legislation.”
Joe Mayhew, representing Local 1130 of the Communication Workers of America, said, “Working families in the Hudson Valley need a senator who shares our values and understands the role of government is not to walk away but to get in the way of the lobbyists, corporate fat cats and cheaters who would hurt our jobs, squash our protections, and put their interests ahead of the working families of the Hudson Valley.”
