Councilman Ulrich and Senator Addabbo at the Middle Village debate.
At the state senate debate in Middle Village last Thursday night, Democratic State Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. squared off with Councilman Eric Ulrich on a number of local and national issues.
Throughout the night, the two candidates who are vying for the District 15 State Senate seat, butted heads in front of a raucous crowd that often cheered and jeered things both candidates said.
The evening opened with a question about discretionary funding, and the cuts and misuse of member items that are usually designated for nonprofits such as senior centers and veteran’s posts.
Addabbo said he proposed a plan to Governor Cuomo that would take politicians out of the discretionary fund equation. He said that too many elected officials have misused those funds in the past, so eliminating a middle man would help get the money directly to where it’s needed the most.
Ulrich responded with an attack on Addabbo, saying that the Senator failed to acquire the funds for his district.
“Part of the job of an elected official is to fight to bring as much money back to your district as possible,” Ulrich said.
Ulrich took it one step further when he called Addabbo out for appropriating $40,000 toward Vito Lopez’s senior center in 2009, which is currently being investigated by authorities. Lopez was also accused of sexually harassing two staff members this past summer.
“I’ve got a big problem when you come here and tell these people there’s no money for them, but there’s money for him [Lopez],” Ulrich said.
Later in the debate, Addabbo grilled Ulrich for his association with John Haggerty, who was convicted of stealing money from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign. Haggarty, who is a personal friend of the Councilman, does not actually work for his campaign.
“That is a very good question and probably the biggest difference between you and I,” Ulrich said. “I do not throw my friends under the bus.”
The two candidates were also asked about the decriminalization of marijuana in New York. Both men saw it as a misstep of the Governor, and disavowed the plan.
“If you give them an inch, they’ll take a yard,” Addabbo said.
Things became especially heated when the question of gay marriage was brought up. Addabbo voted against the bill in 2009 and then supported it in 2011 after Cuomo became Governor.
In his defense, Addabbo said he voted no on the bill in 2009 because a majority of his constituents opposed it. He said he changed his mind in 2011 because a majority supported the bill that time around.
“7,974 people, I’ll never forget the number, weighed in on this issue for me,” Addabbo said. “74 percent wanted me to vote yes. I voted yes. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I can’t choose between the easy votes and the hard votes. I make tough decisions.”
Ulrich used this to his advantage, claiming that Addabbo flip flopped on the issue.
“When we make decisions as elected officials, we do not stick our finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing,” Ulrich said. “You’re an elected official and you have to take tough stands on issues.”
Both men, who said they are Roman Catholic and believe marriage is between a man and a woman, also said that gay marriage has not had any obvious negative effects.
“For those couples who chose to get married, it has had a positive impact on their lives and the lives of their families,” Ulrich said. “For them. That is the only impact I can tell so far.”
By Ryan Lavis
