ELECTION 2012: Nojay, Weaver face off for state Assembly seat

The 133rd District of the New York State Assembly includes parts of Monroe County, including Pittsford, Mendon, Rush and Wheatland in Monroe County. This year, Republican/Independence candidate Bill Nojay and Democratic candidate Randy Weaver face off for the Assembly seat.
 

Bill Nojay      
AGE 55
OCCUPATION Small business owner, attorney
FAMILY  Wife Debbie; Children Matt, Kiva, Elizabeth
PARTY ENDORSEMENTS Republican, Independence
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Former chair of the board, Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority; Former chair and current director, Al Sigl Center Housing Corp.; former EMT/Driver, Pittsford Ambulance; former girls soccer coach, Pittsford Mustangs Travel Soccer; secretary/treasurer, Foundation for Democracy in Iran; Former election observer and democracy worker in several countries.

Randy Weaver
AGE 53
OCCUPATION Pharmacist
FAMILY Married 29 years, three children; two sons, 25 and 22, daughter, 20
PARTY ENDORSEMENTS Democrat
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 2nd term County Legislator, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Hornell Partners for growth, SSC workforce board, Lions Club, American Legion SAL, AmVets, Our Lady of the Valley Parish.
 

Here, the candidates answer questions on key issues:

What would you say are the top three issues in this year’s campaign for your office?  
Nojay: Our region's economy continues to shrink, hemorrhaging jobs and seeing capital invested elsewhere. To create jobs and grow our economy we need to stop the expansion of government programs and their associated costs, which give us the highest tax burdens in the nation. We need to encourage the private sector to grow here. To do that we need to lower taxes by reducing mandates on local government, reduce Medicaid and other costly New York government programs, and control government labor costs including the pensions and benefits we cannot afford.

Weaver: Jobs. Unfunded and under-funded state mandated. Future of hydrofracking
 

What is your definition of a public servant, and why did you choose to seek this office at this time?  

Nojay: I believe in the original concept of a citizen legislator, who accepted the call of public service duty for a limited time and then returned to their real job. I have never worked for government before; all my previous positions were volunteer jobs. Although we have some very fine people serving in the State Legislature, after a few years it’s time to move on and let fresh blood come in. The idea of "career legislators" who just seem to be there forever is not healthy for our government, our economy or taxpayers.

Weaver: My definition of a public servant is someone who gives of themselves for their community. It does not always have to be in a political area, it also includes volunteer work.
The reasons I chose to seek this office at this time are many. As a county legislator, I see first hand how what happens in Albany effects those downstream. I also feel that many of the needs of the area included in and surrounding the 133rd district are not met. As a business owner, I have firsthand knowledge of the detrimental effects many of the taxes and fees have on the business climate.

What specific experience, either professional or personal, do you have that would uniquely inform you as you tackle the duties of the elective office you are seeking?  

Nojay: My work as a private business owner gives me the vantage of someone who pays the bills and balances the checkbook. Lifelong government people seem to lose sight of whose money they are spending. The endless posturing and spinning of politicians is not something we would tolerate in private business, and we shouldn't accept it from our legislators either. The other experience I've had over the years has been traveling across the U.S. and around the world — 36 countries to date — seeing what works and what doesn't in other economies and forms of doing business.  In New York State we have a government we simply can't afford, and the highest taxes in the world to pay for it, and our competitors are eating our lunch. Let's get competitive again — let's go back to being the Empire State.

Weaver: Professionally, being a pharmacist allows me to be on the forefront of the medical provider debate. As New York State employs the recommendations of the Medicaid redesign team, I am highly qualified to examine the process and understand what effects it will have not only on the recipients of the service, but also, what impact it will have on the providers of the service.  
As a county legislator, I am already dealing with many of the same issues that are being dealt with in the Assembly.

What do you think is the single biggest issue facing Monroe County in the next two to four years? How would/does that issue affect local constituents?  

Nojay: Mandates from Albany are killing Monroe County taxpayers. They drive up property taxes and give us the nation's highest tax rates. We simply cannot afford the country's most expensive Medicaid benefits paid to the growing population of people moving to New York seeking benefits from our entitlement programs. We need to reform the Triborough Amendment and other labor union rules that have given us unsustainable and unaffordable public pensions. We need to encourage energy production so we lower energy costs for our manufacturers. Above all, we need to tame the bureaucratic beast of government that treats business and other taxpayers as the enemy. Other states look at private business as the backbone of their economies. Let's become business-friendly in New York and encourage private business to grow the jobs our taxpayers need to prosper.

Weaver: Jobs, both from creation side and maintaining side, is the largest issue facing not only Monroe County, but the rest of New York State. This affects all people in that if you do not have steady work at a fair wage you are unable to contribute to not only the help maintain the tax base that pays for all local government. You are unable to contribute to a good quality of life for others around you. People are more likely to move to other areas in search of employment, which further shrinks the pool and degrade the quality of life in the area. It takes many to be able to support the local retail and service sectors which help to define areas within each community.