Q & A with candidate Eddie Sundquist

Tompkins Weekly Staff

 

The upcoming June 26 Democratic primary for New York’s 23rd congressional district is a crowded one. Tompkins Weekly has sent this Q & A to all of the primary candidates and will be printing them in the order received.

 

Tompkins Weekly: What makes you qualified to be the Congressional Representative for NY 23?
Eddie Sundquist: Congress has been stuck in reverse for more than a decade now and people are ready for new faces and fresh ideas. Something I say a lot on the campaign trail is that we need a new generation of leadership in this country and that is what I think I represent.

 

TW: Why are you running for Representative of NY 23?
ES: As a native of the Southern Tier this area often gets overlooked when it comes to our federal government. We need a representative that will stand with the people here and not with the special interests back in Washington. I am running because that is lacking in our current Representative.

 

TW: What do you offer to the residents of Tompkins County that the other candidates running in the primary do not?
ES: A fresh perspective on higher education. I was the first in my family to graduate college and I went on to get three degrees – no one understands the value of an education better than I do. I intend to enable Cornell, Ithaca College, and all the other great institutions across the district to continue to drive economic development for the entire district, just like we’ve seen in Tompkins County.

 

TW: What is your plan to stimulate job growth in the NY 23?
ES: I am the only candidate – Republican or Democrat- that has a comprehensive jobs plan for this district. The Ithaca Times called my jobs plan “unmatched” by the other candidates. The plan focuses on three core aspects of job growth: our education, our infrastructure, and our innovation. We need to work to make this district a green technology hub, bringing jobs and growth to the area. The only way we do that is by having a workforce that access to affordable, high-quality education and the world-class infrastructure that sets the foundation for economic development.

TW: Where do you stand on Safe Injection Facilities?
ES: I think we should be open to trying new approaches to stop the pain that opioid addiction is bringing into our communities. I do think it is important that we pair these facilities with proven treatments that also help treat the addiction. More Drug Courts, treatment facilities, and halfway houses will be the most effective way to tackle this crisis head on.

 

TW: The heroin and opioid crisis has had a major impact in this region. How do you plan on addressing the crisis?
ES: We have a Congressman that says this crisis is a national emergency, but cuts proven programs every chance he gets. I’ve talked to local leaders across this district and what I hear time and time again is that we need more resources. This includes the expansion of Drug Courts, which have enabled cities like Jamestown and Dunkirk to treat drug addiction; more treatment facilities, especially in our more remote, rural areas; and halfway houses, of which there are simply too few to help addicts transition back to civilian life. In 2016 more Americans died from drug overdoses than died fighting in the Vietnam War, so I think it is time we stop saying it’s an emergency and we start treating it like one.

 

TW: What do you want the residents of Tompkins County to know about you?

ES: I am a teacher and just like any good teacher, if handed this opportunity, I am going to fight everyday for our kids so that they can grow up in a better world than we did. This is a time of incredible change and that can be scary for a lot of people. That’s why it is so important that we focus on tomorrow’s problems today so we can make the ride a little less bumpy.