AUBURN — Democratic state Sen. Rachel May and Republican Caleb Slater clashed during an hour-long debate Thursday between the candidates in the 48th Senate District race.Â
Slater, R-Syracuse, went on the attack early when he challenged May, D-Syracuse, to condemn negative mailers that were sent to 48th district voters. The aggressive approach continued during a question about water quality.
After May detailed how she has worked to address the problem — she has sponsored legislation to combat harmful algal blooms and advocated for funding — Slater accused her of blaming farmers. His comment was in response to May mentioning the importance of working with farms to address runoff that contributes to the development of algal blooms. May said she isn't blaming farmers, but wants to ensure they have the resources "to do what they need to do alongside everyone else."Â
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The candidates generally agreed about the need to address homelessness and encourage affordable housing, but Slater questioned May's priorities because of funding that was provided for the migrant crisis. He said it was an example of central New York getting the "short end of the stick." He supports a comprehensive approach that includes mental health and substance abuse services.Â
May again touted her legislative record. She has passed legislation to ease the regulatory burden on multi-family housing and wants to developing revolving funds to reduce the costs of building new housing. Homelessness, she explained, is an issue across the 48th district, which includes all of Cayuga County and part of Onondaga County.Â
"It has nothing to do with the migrant crisis at the border," May added. "It has to do with the fact that New York state has been extremely slow to build new housing for decades now."Â
The verbal sparring peaked during an extended discussion about the state prison staffing shortage. While both candidates acknowledged the problem, they differed on how to recruit more employees to fill vacant posts.Â
May said the recruitment challenges aren't limited to prisons. Offering competitive wages and fixing the state pension system are priorities. She also highlighted the time it takes for recruits to complete training and get test results before they can start a job. This leads to some people taking jobs in other states where the wait isn't as long.Â
Slater blames the problem, in part, on a solitary confinement reform law — the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act. The legislation, known as the HALT Act, is a target because of increased prison violence.Â
To improve safety in prisons, Slater supports repealing the HALT Act. He mentioned a recent story about eight correction officers who were attacked at Auburn Correctional Facility.Â
"We need to be supporting good-paying jobs for the people of central New York, but also making sure that not only our streets are safe but inside our prison walls are safe too," he said.Â
May agreed that safety is a priority. She has supported providing more equipment for jails and prisons to screen packages. But she doesn't support repealing the HALT Act. Solitary confinement, she said, is "really not just isolating, but dehumanizing."Â
When Slater countered that May "doesn't regret the vote for the HALT Act," May fired back that Slater "thinks he can be a spokesman for law and order when he's trying to put a convicted felon in the White House," referring to former President Donald Trump.Â
"It is the height of hypocrisy to pretend that you care about law and order when really the point is to score political points against Democrats and not find solutions to the problems."Â
Slater slammed May's comments as a "shameless attack" and denied he was being partisan. He said he doesn't have a purity test and there's no animosity toward Democrats. But May, citing his earlier comments in the debate about wanting to collaborate with Democrats, said he had attacked her "every time you've opened your mouth."Â
The candidates moved on from the prison safety discussion and addressed a question about state school aid. The Rockefeller Institute is reviewing the foundation aid formula, which is base aid for New York school districts. While there is consensus that the school aid formula needs to be updated, there are concerns it could result in less funding for Auburn and other local districts.Â
May noted that under the Democratic majority in the state Senate, they secured increased aid for Auburn in the last few budget cycles. She said the current formula is outdated because it's using poverty levels and other data from the 2000 census.Â
One area May believes needs to be reexamined is the distribution of aid to downstate school districts that have received increases every year, but don't qualify for the additional funding based on the current formula.Â
"It's, politically, extremely difficult to say we're going to actually cut state funding to any district in the state," May said. "But there are some that are so wealthy and overfunded that we're going to have that conversation, and it's going to be hard."Â
Slater agrees there needs to be changes to the formula. He supports fully funding school districts and ensuring resources are "allocated properly."Â
May is seeking her fourth term as a state senator, while this is Slater's first run for elected office. The winner of the election will serve a two-year term.Â
Early voting begins Saturday, Oct. 26, and continues through Sunday, Nov. 3. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Government reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.