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Albany Beat

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November 15, 2017, 7 PM ET

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Molinaro Goes To Israel

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro has returned from a six-day jaunt to Israel after trying to promote tourism and drum up business relationships with the Israeli government and Israel-based tech companies.

Molinaro (in blue shirt) prays at the Western Wall.

“Trying to grow business in New York State and certainly outside the direct New York City metropolitan area requires a great deal of innovation,” Molinaro, a Republican, told The Jewish Press in a phone call as he was standing outside the Western Wall just before Shabbos began. “This is a country and a people that not only have embraced innovation but have mastered it. The technology they deploy in order to address water needs and housing and construction, technology in health care, is just so fascinating, so instructional that the visit is really proving to be very, very helpful and interesting. I think will be beneficial to Dutchess County businesses and to our moving forward.” Molinaro said he was invited “to have Shabbat dinner at the Wall.” Sunday, he met with the mayor of Jerusalem and the ministers of finance, defense, and agriculture and also spent some time visiting the Dead Sea. For the record, Molinaro believes the U.S. Embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The trip focused on economic development and tourism and portions were organized in part by Empire State Development, Th!nk Dutchess Alliance for Business and the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County. Molinaro’s visit to Israel could figure in his potential gubernatorial campaign strategy for next year should he decide to run against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 60, who says he will run for a third term. Molinaro, 42, gave us a preview of the issues he would raise in a gubernatorial campaign:

Molinaro with Israeli Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations David Roet. The two spoke about the progress being made in promoting the rights of people with disabilities. Molinaro has a daughter on the autism spectrum and has been touring the state discussing the Think Differently Initiative to help special-needs children.

“There are too many New Yorkers who are out of work or whose incomes are too low, too many are living in neighborhoods that are unsafe, and schools aren’t as exceptional as they ought to be. That still exists today as it did before election day last Tuesday. Our state government is still too corrupt, too bloated, and as ineffective today as it was before Tuesday. All those things remain. The question is who can and how can we connect with enough New Yorkers to be competitive and that’s something we all have to think about and it is certainly something I am considering. “Elections are not about candidates. Elections are about voters. New Yorkers understand that there is a great deal of problem solving that is necessary to make life more affordable, to make life better, and to improve our schools, to help those regardless of ability to succeed and prosper.” Political pundits often remark that in order to run for governor of New York you have to visit the countries of the four I’s – Israel, Italy, Ireland, and India. Molinaro says now that he’s visited Israel, Ireland is next on his travel list. He says his last name will suffice and is taking a pass on visiting Italy but that a trip to India might be under consideration.

Legislative Shuffle Underway

In the aftermath of the election day results, eight members of the state Assembly are moving on to greener pastures – four are Republicans and four are Democrats. Daniel Rosenthal will replace the late Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz. Rosenthal, 26, a Kew Gardens resident, served as the district director for Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), a former assemblyman. Al Taylor, the longtime chief of staff for Assemblyman Denny Farrell (D – Harlem) takes over the Assembly seat held by his former boss, who retired. In the upper house, three state senators are moving on to those greener pastures. George Latimer, 64, (D – Rye), won the county executive race in Westchester, besting two-term incumbent Rob Astorino. The 50-year-old Astorino, a Mount Pleasant resident, ran a spirited campaign for governor in 2014 and was expected to make another run for the office next year. Astorino has since ruled out another run against the formidable Cuomo. Ruben Diaz, Sr. (D – The Bronx) is moving on to the New York Council where the pay is almost double the amount a state lawmaker earns and the commute is much shorter. Dan Squadron (D – Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn) moved on to work with entrepreneur Adam Pritzker and Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University to launch Future Now, a national initiative to promote “policies focused on creating a better, healthier, fairer future.” Squadron, 37, who is Jewish, is being succeeded by Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh (D – East Side Manhattan). Harvey Epstein, 50, a resident of the East Village, is seeking to take Kavanagh’s seat. Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer (D – Yonkers), a former chief counsel for the Senate Democrats is seeking to succeed Latimer in the upper house. Mayer, 65, is Jewish. A special election for these seats will likely be called by the governor for either Tuesday, February 13 or Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

Rubbing SALT Into The Budget Wound

Senator Charles Schumer, the minority leader in the U.S. Senate, and Governor Andrew Cuomo are predicting doom and gloom for New York if the state and local tax (SALT) deductions are eliminated in the federal budget being hammered out now in Washington. Cuomo and Schumer assert this amounts to double taxation. Republicans in Washington maintain the standard deduction will almost double, offsetting any harm caused by the reduction of the SALT deduction. Schumer takes exception to that argument. “They also take away the personal exemption of $4,000 a person,” he said. “The bill and compromise is still not good,” according to Schumer. “Seventy-one percent of the deductions are taken away under this so-called compromise. It’s dramatically hurting New York, and just because we’re not hurting you quite as badly as we did before…every New Yorker who is affected, who pays a lot of property taxes, who pays a lot of income sales taxes, will be negatively affected.” “It is an arrow pointed at the heart of New York,” said Cuomo. “The state and local deductibility, even with this compromise – to suggest that the state economy can handle this or, frankly, survive it, is ludicrous. It just confounds the numbers. Rushing [this bill through the Congress] before people even get a chance to understand the bill isn't even going to serve their purpose because the next day we'll start a repeal movement.”