Candidate Phil Steck has the experience and commitment to local district

I have paid close attention to the race for Congress in our congressional district and read with great interest your article about the recent Democratic candidates’ debate. Paul Tonko is a good man and I supported him the last 25 years as our assemblyman. He is now in a primary battle with Phil Steck, the Albany County legislator who led the Colonie Democratic Party to end a century of Republican dominance.

I met Phil when he was the quarterback at Albany Academy. He led the team known as “the little mouse that roared” to an undefeated season with a win over the much-larger Albany High School.

He graduated as valedictorian. He went on to Harvard and graduated magna cum laude and got his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He had many offers from big New York City law firms but chose to settle in his hometown. He never forgot where he came from.

He is currently the chairman of the Colonie Democratic Party and the best civil rights and labor attorney in the Capital Region.

Phil is a person who sees someone wronged and wants to do something about it (he reminds me of a young Joe Biden). He just won’t let the wrong go unanswered.

I once asked him why he took on so many pro bono cases (he did these cases on his own time). His response: “Nobody else would take the case, if I don’t fight for them who will.”

Phil has battled for so many working people, whether in the courts or on the streets. He has done this for many years. There is no doubt that he will do the same for us in Washington.

Mike Stuto

Rotterdam

Help keep Saratoga going, elect a Republican for state Assembly

As Saratoga County treasurer, I have been keeping a close watch on the state’s financial future. It’s clear to everyone that cuts must be made and we must operate with a lean state budget in place. Albany needs to cut its spending and stop pushing unfunded mandates onto local communities.

Tony Jordan, a Republican candidate for state Assembly, is the best person to represent us in Albany. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked in the financial field. That background provides Tony with a broad understanding of those issues facing villages and towns.

Like any family feeling the squeeze and cutting back on spending, governments must do the same. I am confident that Tony can help rein in spending at the state level, while still ensuring that important programs stay in place.

Please join me in supporting Tony Jordan on Sept. 9 in the Republican primary. It’s a vote that will help keep Saratoga County’s taxes among the lowest in the state.

Sam Pitcheralle

Saratoga

City councilman has the experience and leadership for the Assembly

On a hot August night, as two of my six children were in our driveway, one loading his car heading to college for the first time and one unloading her car having decided to move back home from Boston, both were approached by a young man walking through our neighborhood.

The college-bound son came in to say this gentleman was cool and very smart and I should come outside to meet him. So, curious, I left my kitchen tasks to see who was on the street. It was [Schenectady Councilman] Mark Blanchfield, who was canvassing our neighborhood. Both my son and daughter were impressed with him instantly. He took the time to speak to them and rather than wax eloquently about his own achievements, too numerous to mention here, he instead took the time to find out about their lives. What was my son going to major in at college and what brought my daughter home from Boston and where would she begin the job search?

The story could end there except as I was unpacking my son in his college dorm the next morning, I found Mark Blanchfield’s public relations literature. My son said that Mark explained the voting process of absentee ballots and had written the number of the Board of Elections so that he could participate in the November election despite his move to college.

Mark Blanchfield is clearly the only choice for assemblyman in the 105th District. One need only look at his record of achievement and experience in local government. His intelligence, excellent leadership and commitment to Schenectady are only surpassed by his interest and commitment to the lives of Capital Region people and their struggle with issues of affordable health care, high property taxes, fuel, war and peace, and the grace and dignity with which he does it.

Deborah Catalfamo Riitano

Schenectady