The Dutchess Beat
August 15, 2008

A Template for Change
Assembly candidate Smith touts economic, energy initiatives

By Vanni Cappelli
Standing against a stunning Hudson River Valley backdrop on a cool and clear day, State Assembly candidate Jonathan Smith unveiled his vision of a faltering New York economy revived and statewide energy crisis solved by the reciprocal interaction of a renewable energy industry that will create new manufacturing jobs.

The contender for the 102nd District Assembly seat, who is endorsed by Dutchess County Democrats and the Working Families Party, spoke at a press conference attended by about 30 people in Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

“If we have the courage to lead there is a tremendous opportunity available to us,” Smith said. “If we start today we can make the Hudson Valley a leader in the new energy economy, creating good jobs in our area and lower energy prices. We can build wind farms to power our cities and solar panels to power our buildings. We can grow switchgrass to fuel our cars and use geothermal energy to heat our homes. All of these technologies are available to us now, and all of them are clean.”

Smith affirmed that the 200,000 manufacturing jobs that have been lost statewide since 2000, many of them through outsourcing, can be replaced if the state enters into a partnership with the proponents of the solar, wind, and geothermal industries.

Speaking to the Beat after his remarks, he stressed the need to create “a new energy business-friendly environment.”

“The technology-savvy workforce already exists in New York,” he said. “But many of these workers, like IBMers whose jobs have been outsourced, are unemployed. Other workers can be trained in this new field. We can incentivize companies from the new energy economy to come to our state and the Hudson Valley, creating jobs and industry. This can be done by creating tax brakes. If I am elected, I will constantly be working on these proposals.”

Among the graphics Smith displayed at his news conference was a depiction of how the scene that formed the background for his remarks would be transformed by his initiatives.

The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge appeared lined with solar panels from one bank of the Hudson to the other, and the heat-gathering rectangles also popped up on top of the parking garage next to the Poughkeepsie railroad station and the awnings on the platform. Smith affirmed that the presence of the panels on the bridge would in no way jeopardize plans for the Walkway Over the Hudson.

“The panels would be below the level of the walkway and would not affect the pedestrians in any way,” he said.

While outlining his proposals, Smith was emphatic that they are not mere visionary dreams, but proceed from his assessment that the current fossil fuel-based energy system in place in New York has become unsustainable.

“Right now we import 89 percent of our energy from out-of-state,” he said. “That means more than $30 billion leaves our state every year. This is an unworkable economic model that is slowly bankrupting New York while oil companies post record profits and foreign countries use our money to buy everything they can lay their hands on.

“As winter approaches many of us are thinking about the challenges that lie ahead. With the cost of heating oil on an exponential rise, residents of Dutchess County are wondering if they will have to choose between heat in their homes and feeding their families. There is no doubt that we face very significant challenges because of this economic downturn, but we also have tremendous opportunities for growth.”

On other issues, Smith expressed his desire to work toward universal health care for New Yorkers and stressed the need to care for veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I’ve lived in countries where universal health care exists, and I’ve gotten excellent care,” he said. “Universal health care does not diminish, but can greatly improve the quality of care. What we need to do is to get people together who are like-minded, and build a coalition to consider the best universal health care program for New York. There are states like Massachusetts that have passed a mandated plan, and California is working on its own version. We can study their programs and compare them to our own needs.”

On the subject of veterans’ welfare, Smith expressed his approval of efforts now under way in the Dutchess County Legislature to require that flags be flown at half-mast every time a New York soldier is killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. But his emphasis was on the needs of the living.

“We have really let our veterans down,” he said. “They come home with these conditions – physical disabilities, post-traumatic stress disorder – and there is no infrastructure to help them. We need to give them back some of what they have given us. We owe them our support.”