ELECTION 2008: Lee outlines agenda for fiscal responsibility

Communities

Related Photos

JOE OLENICK/STAFF

August 22, 2008

By Joe Olenick<br><a href="mailto:olenickj@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Joe</a> The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Fri Aug 22, 2008, 12:45 AM EDT

Congressional candidate Christopher J. Lee made a stop Thursday in Lockport and presented his agenda for fiscal responsibility in Washington, calling for less taxation and less red tape for small businesses.

Lee, a Clarence business executive, is running for the Republican line in the race for the 26th Congressional District in New York. The seat is currently held by Rep. Thomas Reynolds, who will be retiring by the end of the year.

Lee has been endorsed by Reynolds and is the consensus candidate of Republican committee chairmen in the seven counties in the district.

Lee’s plan calls for lower taxes, simplifying the tax code, less regulation on small businesses and ensuring members of Congress are working toward these ends and not their own pet projects. Lee said he wants to cut down the amount going to Washington and bring the money back to Western New York.

“One of the most important things we can do to restore the American people’s trust in Congress is prove that we can be effective stewards of their hard-earned money,” Lee said. “Western New Yorkers, and all Americans, deserve a government that can better live within its means.”

Lee said his experience in business was something that separated him from the other candidates. He said when it comes to having a budget, a business shouldn’t spend more than it takes in.

“It’s a huge advantage when you try to meet a payroll, you can understand the type of regulations that can impede your business,” Lee said. “Some of the other candidates don’t have that level of experience.”

Lee outlined four key steps toward his plan of fiscal responsibility in Washington: Reforming the “earmark” process, reducing regulations on small business, cutting taxes and simplifying the tax code.

Lee wants to promote transparency and accountability with earmarks, which are parts of legislative bills that allow money to be designated for a special reason. He said lawmakers should not use taxpayer money for certain projects but should have to justify how the money will be spent and why it is a good use of money. In fiscal year 2008, some 11,510 earmarks in appropriations bills cost American taxpayers more than $16 billion, Lee said.

He said he wasn’t totally against earmarks, when it is beneficial to the community by generating revenue. Lee mentioned the Flight of Five locks as a example, saying the project to put the old locks back in working order would drive tourism and create jobs.

The second point of Lee’s plan was removing roadblocks for small business. Lee said small businesses created over 80 percent of the jobs in the past decade. Current regulations are costing the businesses a lot, more than $7,000 per employee Lee said, and stand in the way of growth.

Tax cuts must be tied to cutting wasteful spending so that even larger deficits are not created, Lee said. He said the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 are set to expire, and if they do, he said it would be the largest tax increase the country has ever faced. That would lead to economic hardships for a lot of people, he said, which is why he wants to keep the tax cuts.

“The more money you give Washington, they will spend it and they won’t spend it properly,” Lee said.

Lee said a complex U.S. tax code is itself an enormous cost to taxpayers. According to the Tax Foundation, in 2008, American taxpayers will pay an estimated $310 billion simply to have their taxes assessed and administered. A simplification will save billions, Lee said.

“Americans are frustrated,” Lee said. “They can no longer trust Congress to look after their tax dollars.”

Lockport Mayor Michael Tucker attended the press conference and was supportive of Lee.

“I loved when you talked about the Flight of Five,” Tucker said to Lee.

On the Democratic side of the race, Iraq War veteran Jon Powers is running against Akron industrialist Jack Davis and Buffalo environmental attorney Alice Kryzan. Powers has been endorsed by the Democratic committees in all of the district’s seven counties.

Contact reporter Joe Olenick at 439-9222, ext. 6241.

Text Only

Communities

NFTA targets Lockport bus routes for closure
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s proposed service reductions would eliminate all bus service from, to and within greater Lockport.

December 20, 2011
Library adds online selections
Library card holders can check out and download e-books anytime, anywhere by visiting lockportlibrary.org. Patrons can download to a personal computer, Mac and many mobile devices, according to librarian Claire McDonough.

December 20, 2011 4 Photos
Mayor Maedl
Julia A. Maedl is stepping away from politics after 19 years of service to the Village of Middleport in 2001.
Maedl, who was a village trustee for nine years and village mayor for 10 years, will not seek re-election. She says she will remain very active, however.
Since the death of her husband, Robert Maedl in 2008, the Middleport mayor has been running Maedl Woodcrafts. She is on the tourist committee, chair of business association and trustee of Middleport United Methodist Church. She sings in the choir and is in charge of Harvest dinner and chicken barbecue. She manages 28 apartments.

February 11, 2011 1 Photo
Memorial tree program off to a good start
The town’s new memorial tree program has been growing quickly.
Councilwoman Cheryl A. Antkowiak said the program is being done with Stedman’s Nursery of Newfane. Residents who wish to have a tree planted will receive an information packet from Stedman’s as well as a map of Day Road Park showing where each of the 85 trees are located. Stedman’s sells the trees along with a plaque if the resident wants one to be put up.

February 3, 2011
New recycling bins available soon
Town residents could have some new bins to go along with its new recycling incentive program.
At Monday’s work session meeting, Town Board members approved the purchase of new recycling bins. The town placed an order of 1,000 of the 18 gallon bins for $8,845 and another order of 200 of the 32 gallon bins for $3,110. The large bins are 31 and a half inches in height and 22 inches in diameter.
Both sets of bins will be blue in color and the 32 gallon bins will come with lids.
The 18 and 32 gallon bins were produced by Otto Environmental Services in Charlotte, N.C., a company Supervisor Marc R. Smith said the town has used before for bins. The company still has a rubber stamp with the town logo on it.

February 1, 2011
Library names new director
Beverly Federspiel, Director of the City of Tonawanda Public Library, has been appointed as the new Director of the Lockport Public Library.
Federspiel, 49, will succeed Marie Binderman, who is retiring, on Feb. 28.
“I’m excited,” said Federspiel, who has been at the Tonawanda Library three years after serving at the Buffalo and Erie County Central Library for 18 years. “I’ve always loved the Lockport building and the community is very supportive. There are lots of opportunities out there.”

February 1, 2011
Winterfest, take two
Winterfest was a big success last year and Winterfest 2011 may even be bigger Saturday at Royalton-Hartland Elementary School and the Hartland Bible Church.
“Last year was the first year and well over 650 people attended, that’s a huge response for an inaugural event,” said Helen Feron, the chairman of the steering committee. “This year we expect more.”
Entertainment and activities are scheduled from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. including a basket auction at the Hartland Bible Church at 3 p.m., where Magician Robert Geckler will also perform at 2:15 p.m.
The event is geared towards school aged children and free to children 10-and-under. Admissiong is $3 for adults and includes Chinese auction tickets.

February 1, 2011
High school project coming along
Construction on Lockport High School is continuing throughout the winter months. Construction crews work on a scaffold on the west side of the building, which is the Locust Street side. The school is undergoing a $23.5 million capital improvement project that includes adding a fitness center, a six classroom addition and completely renovate the auditorium into a brand new fine arts center. The auditorium will also have stage work completed, new music rooms, a renovated foyer and a new entrance on the Locust Street side. There will be improvements made to ventilators and mechanical systems, an art gallery, new windows, as well as new padding and bleachers in the gymnasium. The technology wing also will be updated, and the library renovated to make room for a computer lab. Also, bathrooms will be added nearby. The entire project is expected to be completed in September.

January 28, 2011 2 Photos
Going green
With a symbolic “shot heard ‘round the community,” Lockport’s historic Kenan Center Arena unveiled its new artificial turf indoor soccer field and renovated “annex.”
About a dozen local dignitaries were on hand Thursday night at special dedication ceremony, attended by about 200 parents and soccer players, who wasted little time putting two new soccer fields to work.
The new turf installation was part of a larger arena capital project, which included the renovation of the arena’s adjacent annex room, which was gutted last year to create almost 6,000 square feet of additional space. Parts of the old artificial turf field were used to cover the new, smaller soccer field in the annex.
Lockport Mayor Michael Tucker lauded the Kenan’s effort and others who joined in to make the $106,000 capital improvement project — more than 10 years in the making — a reality. Funders include the Kenan soccer players, who raised about $60,000 selling candy, the Grigg-Lewis Foundation, the Kenan Arts Council, Rotary Club of Lockport and the Lockport Lions Club.

January 28, 2011 4 Photos
Residents: Keep new map simple
As the Niagara County legislative district map is redrawn, it’s understood the three cities are most at risk of seeing reduced representation on the Legislature — and that parts of cities and towns could end up oddly paired in the new, bigger districts.
Residents who spoke to the citizen panel that’s drawing up the new map Thursday urged it to keep natural fits in mind as it’s dividing 3 cities, 12 towns and 5 villages into 15 legislative districts.
The map has to be redrawn every 10 years based on results of the U.S. Census, to keep the population count in each district roughly equal. The task is more complex this time, since voters decided in 2009 that they want the legislature reduced to 15 districts/seats from 19.

January 28, 2011
More Communities Headlines

Communities

Search Results

Related Photos

ELECTION 2008: Lee outlines agenda for fiscal responsibility

Site Map

Contact Us