PLATFORM
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 – the billionaire class – and bring back all the resources that the working class and poor have been forced to give up for years, if not decades. …and reclaim the resources that have been extracted and withheld from the working class and poor for decades. This money should be invested in public schools, housing, childcare, healthcare, and the protection of our air and water.
Clean water for all
As a Binghamton City Council Member Dan Livingston fought to protect critical water infrastructure in the district from being privatized. From the pushback against fracking, to his attendance at the NO DAPL protest, he has shown up throughout his life to fight for safe water. Livingston will lead with conviction and work with local electeds to ensure that this generational blight on our community is resolved once-and-for-all so that everyone has safe water to drink.
Dignity for immigrants
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, nationwide human trafficking operation. These agreements divert local resources to immigration enforcement, which should not be within the purview of local law enforcement agencies. The sheriff’s contract with ICE was made secretly, 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 we need to ensure that everyone has a roof over their head. Dan Livingston fully supports increasing the number of affordable units for renters. When he served on the Binghamton City Council, he consistently voted against agreements that subsidized private developers who 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 residents. This program is a fiscally sound policy since shelter beds can be expensive to run compared to simply helping people pay rent. The inspection standards are also a sensible step toward maintaining and improving the district’s housing stock.