Tax the rich

Assembly District 123 is fully inside one of the poorest counties in New York state and sits within the bottom one-third of counties in the US. Taxing the rich–the recipients of a runaway stock market propelled by corporate greed, monopolization, cuts to health and safety regulations, and federal tax cuts, etc–is the only way to address these fundamental inequalities. New York State has an obligation to return these ill-gotten gains to the public coffers and make investments critical to addressing the affordability crisis facing working families. We need to tax the top two percent of  New Yorkers and bring back all the resources that the working class and poor have been forced to give up for years, if not decades. This includes services in housing, public schools, child and healthcare access, and protecting our water and air. 

Clean water for all

Dan Livingston spent his time as a Binghamton City Councilmember fighting to protect critical water infrastructure in the district from being privatized. From the pushback against fracking, to his attendance at the NO DAPL protest, Livingston has shown up throughout his life fighting for safe water. He will lead with conviction and work with local electeds regardless of party to ensure that this generations-long blight on our community is resolved once-and-for-all so that everyone has safe water to drink.

Dignity for immigrants

ICE is tormenting upstate communities and we should be doing everything possible to put a stop to it. Dan Livingston strongly supports the New York for All Act. This law is critical in cutting off ICE’s access to local law enforcement resources. Livingston sees the importance in supporting this law because the Broome County Sheriff’s office has unilaterally implemented a contract agreement with ICE. There is no public safety benefit in connecting our county jails to a vast, nation-wide human trafficking operation. These agreements divert local resources to immigration enforcement, which should not be within the purview of local law enforcement agencies. This was done behind the backs of other elected officials. Local advocates contend that it has led to more racial profiling by officers.

Affordable Housing

Housing is a human right and everything possible should be done to ensure people can have a roof over their heads. Dan Livingston fully supports growing the number of affordable units available for renters. When he served on the Binghamton City Council, he voted time-and-time again against agreements that subsidized private developers who had planned to build housing that locals could not afford. The Housing Access Voucher program is a step toward ensuring New York fulfills its obligations to its residents. This program is a fiscally sound policy since shelter beds can be expensive to run compared to paying rent. The inspection standards are also a sensible step forward for helping maintain and improve the district’s old housing stock.