“Throughout the past year, I’ve met literally thousands of people throughout Suffolk County who have shared with me their fears, anguish and frustration with their communities’ conditions, lack of opportunities and government today. More importantly, they’ve shared with me their dreams, aspirations and hopes for the future of their children and grandchildren. I share those hopes and aspirations.

“Unfortunately, because of the underhanded, desperate legal challenge brought by my opponent Ken LaValle and his long-time political cronies - and court rulings that I adamantly believe were flawed and not in standing with the intent of our state constitution and legal precedent - my candidacy has been knocked off track. I firmly believe that a fight to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, would provide the opportunity to make a strong argument to keep me on the ballot and had a good chance of success.

“However, because of pending deadlines for parties to formally place alternate candidates on the ballot, I simply am not willing to take a chance that Ken LaValle and his incompetent political agenda would run unopposed for a second straight election should my further appeals fail. He should not be our representative in the New York State Senate and his brand of Albany insider politics has long since passed its expiration date. Ken LaValle must go now.

“I have asked leaders of the Suffolk County Democratic and Working Families parties to designate my petitions for state Senate to my close colleague Jennifer Maertz, who has been at my side throughout this campaign meeting with voters and working with me to build solutions to our problems. Jennifer’s platform is in complete sync with mine, and I want to let my supporters know that she will not just run as hard a campaign as I have, but she will provide Senate District 1 with the strong leadership and fighting spirit it has, for decades, been lacking in the state Senate.

“Jennifer will win this election, and she will be a great state Senator.

“Words cannot express my deep gratitude for all of the encouragement and energy of the many people who provided me with such support over the past year.

“In the coming weeks and months, and beyond, I will continue to fight throughout Suffolk County for the issues that I have been campaigning on for so long - including fair share for Long Island's state education aid, property tax reductions, stronger job creation, marriage equality, and ethics in government. I look forward to continuing my active involvement in the public policy dialogue in our community.

“And I intend on continuing my fight here for a long, long time.”

Asked, “As things stand now, if the election for State Senate were held today, would you vote to re-elect your incumbent Senator or would you prefer someone else?,” only 31 percent of New Yorkers polled said they wanted their incumbent state Senator re-elected.

Asked who they wanted to see run the New York state Senate, New Yorkers want a bigger Democratic majority than a return to a Republican majority by six percentage points.

Ken LaValle hasn’t had a fight on his hands for decades, and now with a fed-up electorate and his own record of voting more than 600 times to raise our taxes and fees, in addition to supporting historic levels of dysfunction in Albany, the prospect of facing Regina Calcaterra is flat-out frightening. That’s why they’re currently trying to do in court what they know they can’t do at the ballot box, and that’s why they’re trying to deprive voters of the First Senatorial District with a real choice for state Senate.

Regina’s platform calls for a return to fiscal sanity, property tax relief for Suffolk County residents, fair share of state resources to Long Island taxpayers, smart job creation and full and uncompromising ethics and budget reform throughout state government. She has a proven record as a fighter for others, and shaking up the comfy world that lifetime Albany insiders like Ken LaValle have enjoyed frightens them.

“I was born in Suffolk County, raised in Suffolk County, and I pay property taxes in Suffolk County,” Calcaterra said. “The court has ample evidence that, even as I temporarily owned a home in Pennsylvania, I lived in New York, paid taxes here and represented a New York pension fund in a case that saved New York taxpayers millions of dollars.”

She said she has asked her campaign’s counsel to immediately file an appeal with the Appellate Division of the Second Department.

During a hearing on the matter, lawyers for the Republicans called no witnesses.

Calcaterra herself testified for approximately three hours over two days, answering questions about every detail of her New York residency from birth to the present day.

In her testimony, Calcaterra said that even while she owned property in New Hope, Pa., a great amount of her time was spent in New York working on the WorldCom case, where she represented the State of New York Common Retirement Fund. While that case was litigated, Calcaterra regularly lived in both New York City apartments leased on her behalf by her law firm, as well as with her sister in Suffolk County.

Calcaterra also provided evidence that she paid New York taxes during that entire time, worked on political causes in New York and maintained her law license in New York - as she actively litigated a case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“It’s time for a change, and Regina Calcaterra is all about a change for the better,” said George Bloom, president of CWA Local 1104. “We support her because we believe she’ll be better for working men and women, for job creation and for solving the problems facing state government.”

CWA Local 1104 represents highly skilled and dedicated men and women throughout the First Senatorial District, including telecommunications, communications and call center employees.

“I’m proud to have the support and endorsement of CWA Local 1104, which has been a strong and unwavering advocate for working people,” Calcaterra said. “Throughout my campaign, working men and women of the district have told me repeatedly how they’ve lost confidence in government’s ability to expand our economy, create and protect good jobs and stand up for them.

“Once I’m elected to the state Senate, I look forward to fighting hard to meet our common needs and standing up for working families throughout the district and New York,” Calcaterra said.

According to the poll, when respondents were asked, “Which comes closer to your view about your state Senator - A) there are a lot of problems in Albany but your state Senator has done a good job and deserves to be reelected or B) almost everyone on the State Senate should be thrown out including your state Senator?,” the results were powerful.

Some 53 percent of those questioned said their state Senator should be “thrown out” - including 51 percent of those living in the “suburbs.”

The number of those questioned in the Q-Poll who want a new state Senator has been increasing notably over the past year. In December, 46 percent said their senator should be thrown out. Today that number is at 53 percent. Only 35 percent said their incumbent state senator deserves re-election.

Of course, the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. That’s why we need to continue to get the word out about Regina Calcaterra’s campaign, her top issues and what’s at stake for everyone in the First Senatorial District in 2010.

In an email and telephone fundraising appeal during July 25, the campaign set a goal of 100 contributions to mark the 100-day-out point until Election Day on Nov. 2. By end of the one-day drive, 108 supporters made financial contributions to Calcaterra’s effort to unseat long-term incumbent Ken LaValle.

“The power of the grassroots support that has been fueling my campaign has been getting stronger every day,” said Calcaterra, D-New Suffolk, who has been running on an agenda of reform, fiscal responsibility and fair share of state services for the First Senatorial District. “The enthusiasm that I saw for this campaign in one day alone tells me that lifetime Albany insiders are finally approaching the end of the line, and the people of the First Senatorial District are committed to making change happen.”

Individual donors provided contributions to the Calcaterra campaign mostly in smaller amounts and online, via the campaign’s website, ReginaCalcaterra.com. The website re-launched last week.

The New Roosevelt Initiative, chaired by the preeminent Bill Samuels, this year is one of those organizations fighting for reform. NRI says on its website that it “will support those candidates for State Senate who have the independence, integrity and commitment to change our State legislature for the better.”

Separately, on its blog, NRI’s Phil Hoffman writes about a recent meeting with Regina:

“She clearly showed a great interest in, and knowledge of, the things we stand for and I know that Senator LaValle is going to have a rough few months ahead of him,” he wrote.

It’s worth reading in its entirety, here: http://www.newrooseveltinitiative.com/the-end-of-a-34-year-incumbency

“When it comes to ethics, like most other issues, Ken LaValle has once again proven he is a follower, taking direction from his party leadership. That he was part of a block of his party conference that waited until the last minute to sign NY Uprising’s pledges of reform is telling.

“Ken LaValle was also part of a block of lawmakers that voted to kill ethics reform in the Legislature this year. Before that, he spent years dutifully supporting Joe Bruno for senate Majority Leader, doing what he was told even when it was public information that Bruno was under investigation by the FBI for corruption in office.

“That he is a follower, not a leader, is why LaValle supported a school aid formula that shortchanges Long Island schools by providing us with 12 percent of state aid to education, when Long Island educates 17 percent of New York’s kids. It’s why he spent more than 30 years in a senate majority that rubber-stamped irresponsible, out-of-whack budgets.

“I’m disappointed that not all members of the Legislature signed NY Uprising’s pledges for budget reform, redistricting reform and ethics reform. I will work hard to convince them to see their benefits for all New Yorkers. In fact, some of those very members also fought hard for ethics reform in 2010, but were stopped by Ken LaValle and his cronies in Albany.

“When I’m elected, I will work with reform-minded lawmakers to sweep out Albany’s dysfunction once and for all.”

But even as LaValle continues to spend a convicted felon’s financial contributions to help himself get re-elected this year, there’s an even bigger issue at play: Ethics reform.

Regina is for it. LaValle this year voted to kill it.

You can read more about Regina’s ethics reform platform here: http://reginacalcaterra.com/issues/ethics/

“Democracy is a two-way street, and our campaign’s new website will give the people of Eastern Long Island a chance to ask me questions, provide thoughts and solutions, and take part in what is becoming an energetic and growing community,” Calcaterra said. “I’m lucky to have such a strong base of support in the district, and the contributions of Suffolk County residents to my effort is making this new website possible.”

The new ReginaCalcaterra.com is interactive, fully integrated with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and will serve as the centerpoint for the campaign’s online social networking. Calcaterra launched her initial website and Facebook presence earlier this year; response to her online efforts was so strong the campaign undertook an effort to rebuild and relaunch to better accommodate those seeking to communicate with the candidate and her campaign. The campaignplans to continue to grow its web presence through Nov. 2 to match the groundswell of grassroots support it has seen in recent months and weeks.

“It’s high time my opponent stop using tax dollars for his own political purposes and treating the wallets of Suffolk residents as his own personal piggy bank. It is a new day in politics and I cannot wait to bring a new ethical attitude to Albany,” Calcaterra said.

Calcaterra’s Website was completely paid for through her campaign funds, a stark contrast to incumbent Ken LaValle, whose website is funded entirely by taxpayer dollars and provides no interactivity with residents of the First Senatorial District. LaValle’s site, which is also managed by taxpayer-funded legislative staff members, has repeatedly taken political shots at Democrats this year - billing taxpayers for these election-year, partisan missives even as the state has struggled with its budget crisis and faced shut-down several times.

Calcaterra, D-New Suffolk, filed her campaign finance report with the state Board of Elections today - a report that shows her support in the district is diverse and growing.

Since she began running last year, Calcaterra has raised more than $260,000 toward her campaign for the First Senatorial District - more than any other Democrat to run for the seat in the last 20 years. The campaign reported $178,116.37 in cash on hand.

Separately, more than 3,700 signatures were filed with the Suffolk County Board of Elections Thursday to qualify Calcaterra for the Democratic line on the ballot - almost four times the required number.

“The spirit and momentum of this campaign’s grassroots support, from Mastic to Montauk, has been inspiring,” said Calcaterra, who is making her first run for office. “This support shows that voters on Eastern Long Island are ready put an end to the dysfunction, gridlock and failed political agenda of Albany's lifetime insiders, particularly Ken LaValle.

"The people of Eastern Long Island are fed up with LaValle and Albany," Calcaterra said. "Now it's time to take this fight all the way to Nov. 2."

According to the campaign, about half of Calcaterra’s supporters during the filing period provided small contributions of less than $100 - and many of those contributors were responding to the clear message of reform and job creation she has delivered in months of door-to-door, person-to-person campaigning.

"The connection that Regina has made and continues to make with voters throughout the district has generated a stronger response than we anticipated," said Laurel, N.Y. resident Melanie McEvoy, finance co-chair for the Calcaterra campaign. "From small gatherings in living rooms where Regina has discussed her agenda, to campaign rallies and even over the Web, contributors tell us they support Regina because they support better government in Albany."

Calcaterra has also been endorsed by Emily's List, Retail Workers Department Store Union/UFCW, NOW-NYS, NARAL Pro Choice, United Auto Workers, United Transportation Union, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality Now Long Island, Suffolk County Democratic Committee and the New York State Democratic Committee.

In a press release dated July 9, LaValle touted the recently funded Small Business Revolving Loan Fund as "a valuable resource for small businesses and entrepreneurs" that "encourages job creation." He boasts, “I have always supported creating and protecting jobs throughout the state and, more specifically, our local region."

But he declined to tell his constituents that he voted against that very program by voting against the 2010-11 state budget.

“Newsflash for Mr. LaValle: press releases do not create jobs, actions do," said Regina Calcaterra, D-New Suffolk, the Democratic nominee for state Senate for the First Senatorial District. "This is the worst kind of hypocrisy, taking credit for a program you voted against. Once again we see Republicans playing political games that are typical of an Albany insider. We need honest representatives in the Senate who vote their convictions, not try to score points by playing with people’s jobs.”

Suffolk County has been experiencing generationally high unemployment, and jobs actually began declining here in 2007 - when LaValle was in the state Senate Majority and the governor was of his own party.

Calcaterra has proposed a number of measures to restore job growth in New York and Eastern Long Island, including a "New Business, New York" program that would create a government effort to pair up venture capital investors with qualifying small businesses to provide for an infusion of private capital into our job-growth engine. Since 2000, more than $300 million annually in venture capital funding to Long Island's businesses, including small businesses, has fled to other states.

"We are seeing yet another example of why Ken LaValle needs to go," Calcaterra said. "Job creation and economic growth are too important for his public relations games."

Source Material:
http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senator-lavalle-announces-small-business-loan-availability

“Thanks to the hard work of this campaign’s supporters, we already have well in excess of the required number of signatures to put Regina on the ballot this year- and we look forward to fighting a hard campaign against Ken LaValle every day until Nov. 2.

“After his 600 votes to raise our taxes and the failure of his political agenda, LaValle is now much closer to losing his comfortable perch in Albany. The hard work of Regina’s grass-roots supporters is making all the difference and will keep on making a difference until Regina Calcaterra is our next state Senator."

As angry as taxpayers should be about the state of affairs in Albany, they should be even angrier if our representatives don't take measures to clean up the budget process.

In my discussions with voters this year, I've said repeatedly that state agencies and authorities need to adopt Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) - and report publicly every three months on how much of our money they spend and how they spend it. State government should be run like a publicly traded company and we - New York's shareholders - have a right to see the books.

Without this type of accounting reform, we'll never know how it's justifiable for SUNY Stony Brook to close its Southampton campus, if at all - or see early warning signs of financial problems there.

Without reform, we'll never know whether MTA taxes and surcharges, like my opponent Ken LaValle supported in 2005, are making a difference or are all for naught because the money is being wasted on redundant costs.

Unless there are reforms, we'll never know the full menu of alternatives there are to imposing license fees for saltwater fishing - an idea that never should have been proposed in the first place.

Sadly, in 34 years Mr. LaValle voted for budget after budget with gimmicks, one-time sources of revenue to plug budget gaps and more than 600 times for new taxes. Yet, he has not supported these reforms in a meaningful way.

We've heard all too much about shared pain in New York. It's time we start hearing about accountability.

In Suffolk County, in particular, we have big reasons for concern. According to news reports, in a two-year period through last year, Suffolk County saw a 60-percent increase in the number of heroin or related overdoses, yet the number of felony drug arrests in Suffolk County dropped by 50 percent during that same time. Separately, there are now more "high risk," convicted sex offenders relocated in our neighborhoods than ever before—158 throughout the county—with resources to prevent them from committing new crimes dwindling.

In neighborhoods throughout Mastic, Manorville and Moriches, kids are at risk in ways we never could have imagined just a few years ago. This is no time to cut resources for cops and law enforcement.

Yet, at the same time, New York provides fewer state troopers to patrol all of Long Island than are assigned to the governor's personal security detail. New classes of state police recruits have been postponed for the foreseeable future and Suffolk County officials say they don't have enough money to fully fund policing here, either.

We need a change in Albany as quickly as possible. I'm running for New York State Senate to reform the way we do business, and will push for new funding sources—including from public-private partnerships—that can make sure we hire more state police, have them assigned to our neighborhoods, and even keep local government from choosing between higher property taxes and having enough cops on the beat.

Enough is enough. Our leaders have put our safety at greater risk than ever in Suffolk County and that's got to change.

That's why residents of the First Senatorial District have such a great opportunity this year to elect a proven reformer with a great track record, a clear vision for improving government and new ideas for fixing the state budget, creating jobs and making New York a great place for families from Montauk to all points north and west: Regina Calcaterra.

Regina has been working tirelessly, 7 days a week, to meet with residents of Eastern Long Island, to share concerns and ideas and talk about how she would fight to improve our representation in Albany. A big part of the effort to keep reaching out to residents will be this web site. With easier-than-ever ways to talk to Regina and the campaign, to suggest ideas, to volunteer, to contribute or to share words of support, the new ReginaCalcaterra.com is designed with the community of Eastern Long Island in mind.

Throughout the campaign, you can read this blog every day for updates and discussions on the issues. Volunteering or contributing to Regina's effort is just a click or two away. Sync'ing up with Regina on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube is a snap. Regina's campaign will grow stronger with each visit you make to this site, and stronger still each time you tell a friend or share a link to ReginaCalcaterra.com.

We can use this site to work together to advance our community, spread the word, and strengthen our campaign through Nov. 2!

"The budget passed by the state Legislature is nothing to celebrate, as Albany's lifetime insiders finally reached the end of their budget gimmicks and fiscal chicanery," Calcaterra said. "However, a failure to vote to override Gov. Paterson's veto would visit even more suffering, still, on the people and school districts of Eastern Long Island. Sen. LaValle says most school districts may not feel much pain if this important funding is not restored. Try telling that to the overtaxed, overburdened, out-of-work residents in our neighborhoods and communities from Port Jefferson to Mastic to Montauk.

"During the past 20 years alone of Ken LaValle's 34 years in Albany, Suffolk County property taxes have risen by more than 550 percent. That's too much pain already," Calcaterra said.

#

Source Material: Newsday, June 30, 2010: "GOP has delicate balancing act in state budget battle" (subscription required)

Quote: "Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), who faces a well-funded challenger in Democrat Regina Calcaterra, said most school districts had already made budgets without the school aid restoration and may not feel much pain if it's not restored. Still, he said, 'I haven't even contemplated a veto override yet.'"

New York Uprising, formed by Ed Koch and supported by a number of other leaders, has asked all candidates in state legislative races to sign the pledges in an effort to make significant improvements in New York government.

Said Koch: "I applaud Regina Calcaterra as a 'Hero of Reform' for signing the three New York Uprising pledges. This year voters are counting on candidates to commit to specific reforms in advance, as Regina has done. I look forward to working with her to see them swiftly implemented should she be elected."

By signing the three, separate pledges, Calcaterra is vowing to support creation of a State Ethics Commission and new financial, business and lobbying disclosure requirements; creation of an independent redistricting commission to redraw congressional and state legislative district lines without deference to political parties or incumbents; and major fiscal reforms including GAAP accounting requirements for the state budget process.

"State government is a mess created by decades of bad decisions, self-dealing and the incumbent-protection system known as gerrymandering," Calcaterra said. "These pledges represent an honest step toward improving New York's government, and I proudly sign my name to them."

The race for state Senate for Eastern Long Island now provides voters with a clearer choice than ever. Calcaterra's opponent, 34-year incumbent Ken LaValle, just this year alone has voted to kill ethics reform, said he opposes fiscal reforms at SUNY, and has refused to give away thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Joe Bruno, the former Senate majority leader convicted in federal court of corruption in office.

"I challenge Ken LaValle to stop opposing better government in Albany and sign these pledges, too," Calcaterra said. "The residents of Eastern Long Island deserve representation that will fight for more effective, ethical government in Albany.