Senate District 15 – General Election 2012

 
★ENDORSED CANDIDATE★
 
JOSEPH P. ADDABBO, Jr. – DEM, WFP
 
Candidate Questionnaire
Age: 48
Occupation: State Senator since 2008
Education: St. Johns University (BS Accounting; Touro Law School (JD)
 
 
Incumbent Joseph Addabbo, Jr. was elected to the state senate in 2008 following previous service as a New York City Councilmember. A long-time resident of Tudor Village, Addabbo is a former chair of the senate elections committee, during which time he helped move forward many of Citizens Union’s initiatives on election reforms including easing access to absentee ballots. Addabbo is a strong supporter of campaign finance reform, supporting a public matching system on the state level. He supported Citizens Union’s efforts resulting in the passage of ethics reform but believes even more can be done to increase public confidence in government.  Addabbo believes that regardless of which party is in the majority, more must be done to give the minority party a more meaningful role in governing, and he feels that both parties should be able to advance bills to a floor vote.  Addabbo was critical of the redistricting reform legislation passed in 2012, calling the constitutional amendment “kicking the can down the road” and a product of a flawed process.  He will, however, support second passage of the constitutional amendment to reform redistricting.  Beyond reform issues, Addabbo cares deeply about job creation in his district.  Citizens Union believes Addabbo understands the problems that plague governance in Albany, and has been a consistent advocate for fairer redistricting and election reform.  For his consistent  commitment and actions in support of reform, Addabbo earns our endorsement though Citizens Union finds his opponent appealing on many levels.
 
 

ERIC ULRICH – REP, CON, IND

Candidate Questionnaire
Age: 27
Occupation: City Council Member since 2009

Education: St. Francis College (BA)
 
 
Eric Ulrich is a rising star in the Republican Party in New York City who became involved at a young age in politics in Ozone Park. Ulrich has served in the City Council for three and half years following his election in a 2009 special election, when he became the second youngest member ever elected to the City Council.  He is running for the state senate because he feels that he can better serve his community in the state legislature and bring a strong focus to sustaining and creating jobs. Ulrich supports many of Citizens Union’s campaign finance reform proposals, most notably a state campaign finance system with public matching funds based on his positive experience with the New York City system. He, however, opposes closing some loopholes that would further take large sums of money out of our politics yet believes he could work with his republican colleagues to write a campaign finance reform bill acceptable to many. He supports second passage of a constitutional amendment creating an independent redistricting commission. Having worked at the New York City Board of Elections, he questions the integrity of absentee ballots and believes that the City Board is ineffective and partisan and should be abolished. Beyond reform issues, Ulrich argues that state education funding should be more fairly allocated to New York City schools and that the economy can be stimulated through public works projects.  Ulrich believes he can be a strong voice in a republican majority on behalf of New York City, referencing former Senator Frank Padavan as a model.  He says he will be an independent senator voting his conscience rather than the party line, pointing to his support for paid sick leave and participatory budgeting at the city level as evidence of his independence and ability to work across the aisle.  Ulrich acknowledges receiving a sizable portion of his campaign funds from republican senate majority accounts.  Citizens Union believes, however, that Ulrich can be an independent and effective state legislator.  His record of pragmatism and bipartisanship positions him to be an important voice for reform within the senate republican conference should he be elected.
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