Richard Stiek is not a fan of state government mandates.
The Port Washington Republican, who is challenging 16th District state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel in the upcoming November elections, said that he wants to do away with unfunded mandates from Albany, which he blames for increasing tax rates and fiscal problems in Long Island communities.
“I kept looking at my tax bill and the property evaluations and really just got frustrated,” he said. “I believe in small government and lowering your taxes, and letting communities decide for themselves.”
Stiek, a lawyer and a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said that the state takes more from Long Island than they give back – and that Schimel sometimes sided with Albany over Nassau.
“We pay 19 percent of the state’s income tax coming out of Long Island, and we get 13 percent back,” he said.
Stiek criticized Schimel for her support of the 2009 payroll tax increase to support the MTA. Schimel voted for the original bill, but supported a 2011 tax law that cut the MTA tax.
The tax was ruled unconstitutional in August by a state Supreme Court judge in Nassau County; the MTA has said that it will appeal the decision.
The Republican challenger had tough words for the MTA payroll tax. He said that MTA executive director Joseph Lhota was responsible for balancing the transit agency’s books, not businesses and workers in adjacent counties.
“The assembly wants to make anyone who could use the MTA pay for it,” he said. “They want to make everyone out there subsidize the MTA.”
Stiek acknowledged that high government spending is not confined to Albany, but did not advocate reducing the size of local government when questioned about saving money through the consolidation of agencies
The town of North Hempstead includes 30 incorporated villages, 11 school districts and multiple parks districts, all of which draw significant operating budgets.
“We have a lot of agencies, they’re spending a lot of money,” he said. But he indicated that any changes should be made with the approval of affected officials and communities.
“It really has to be done with the consent of those being affected,” he said.
Stiek said that the state government’s use of unfunded mandates – regulations and mandatory programs that must be implemented and paid for by local governments – hurts the district’s schools.
“Unfortunately the schools are burdened by these unfunded mandates,” he said, arguing that elected officials and bureaucrats in Albany do not understand what is best for local education.
“I trust the men and women who teach the kids and are experts in their field,” he said.
Stiek did not say what specific mandates were harming schools, saying that such determinations should be left up to administrators and teachers in each school district.
“I would just get rid of all [unfunded] mandates coming out of Albany,” he said.
Stiek criticized the test-driven nature of the Annual Professional Performance Review, the state’s teacher evaluation program, but said that peer and administrative review should be used to asses teacher performance.
“There should be some kind of objective assessment in place for teachers,” he said.
When it came to the state tax cap, which requires a supermajority vote when local taxes are raised over 2 percent, Stiek was more supportive of state intervention.
He said that the cap should be adjusted, including possibly tying it to property values, but did not say that he would support its repeal.
Ultimately, he said, the decision to raise property taxes belongs to towns and villages.
“If people want to pay that a higher tax rate to keep class sizes down… that’s their choice,” he said. “It shouldn’t be forced on them from far away.”
Stiek also weighed in on a divisive issue – hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which Schimel has vocally opposed.
The natural gas drilling technique, which has drawn criticism from environmental advocates who cite studies that implicate fracking in drinking water contamination. Proponents of fracking argue that the natural gas it secures is greener than coal and that increased drilling could boost the economy and create jobs.
Stiek said that he would support fracking if impact studies showed that New York’s drinking water would remain safe.
“We should wait until we see the reports… I’m a guy who believes in numbers,” he said. “Lets make sure we get the engineering and science right.”
Balanced against those concerns, Stiek believes that drilling could benefit his district and alleviate its tax burden.
“If it boosts our upstate economy, it’ll help us out here. It will generate revenue,” he said.
Stiek endorsed another method to boost the economy: a refundable state income tax credit that would offset part of the payroll tax liability of small businesses that hire new employees.
Lamenting the presence of vacant store fronts on the main streets such as Port Washington’s, Stiek said that state government should facilitate the growth of small businesses.
He also expressed support for two initiatives that have yet to gain traction in Albany: greater transparency in campaign finance and the establishment of an independent redistricting commission to oversee the redrawing of the state’s legislative districts.
The 16th district consists of Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington, Herricks, Mineola and East Williston.
Reach reporter Dan Glaun by e-mail at dglaun@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow1 and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
