League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
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Donald Birnbaum
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This is an archive of a past election. See http://www.smartvoter.org/ny/state/ for current information. |
League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
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Donald Birnbaum
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The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Nassau County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).Questions & Answers
1. Public education is financed through property taxes and state funds. What other means of raising revenue would you support?*
Savings not taxes. Complete restructuring of the manner in which money is spent needs to change. I recommend a multifaceted approach: (a) eliminate the layers of taxing authorities. We should have a general services administration operating water districts, sewer districts, lighting districts, etc. (b) We should pass a Sarb-Ox law to make it criminal for a school board to deliver a misleading financial statement. (c) Capital equipment must be pooled by the various school districts.2. Legislative districts have been determined on a partisan basis. Would you support establishing an independent commission as a more open and ethical way to create the districts? Please explain.*
Gerrymandering is designed to keep incumbents in office, which in effect causes lack of accountability. Today district lines are drawn for only two reasons (a) to elect and (b) to re-elect those parties who draw the lines. Independent commissions must form districts geographically not politically. In this manner an accountable, representative, fair and democratic government will exist. I disagree with the courts, which have decided that this is a political and not legal issue.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.
- Original answers for a published Voters Guide were limited are presented as submitted. Candidates have since been invited to supply answers of any length for the Web.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 18, 2006 18:28
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