In an attempt to speak directly to voters within the State Assembly 99th District, candidate Steve Katz held a town hall meeting at the Mahopac Public Library last Thursday. The longtime veterinarian said New York State needs a businessman’s perspective in order to fix the high “level of corruption, incompetence, and careerism” created by “career politicians” over the years.

Of the approximately 20 people who attended the town hall meeting, several directed their questions and concerns regarding his policies. Candidate for county executive, and current county legislator, Mary Ellen Odell, was also present to support Katz.

“One of the things that I’m probably the most profoundly sad about is how unhappy so many of the residents of our district are to be in New York,” Katz said, addressing his audience. Prior to the meeting, Katz told the Courier that “out of control taxes” is number one on his list of issues that he plans to push towards reform; he said this is the biggest concern that he hears about on his daily door-to-door campaign visits to 99th district residents.

He also cited immigration and Medicaid fraud as top issues currently plaguing the state. Moreover, he’d like to see term limits instituted and to eliminate pensions for legislators.

He added that businesses need to be able to come into this area in order to create a balance and alleviate tax pressures on residents. “New York needs to be one big enterprise zone,” he said. “Why are you going to just [ignore] the Hudson Valley? Just because it’s pretty and it’s near New York City you’re not going to have an enterprise zone for us to attract business?”

According to Katz, there’s a ten billion dollar deficit between what the state is taking in and what is being paid out because legislatures “were garnering and trying to get favors from the unions and from other special interests … We want businessmen to come in, not lawyers and career politicians, to take a look at this budget … and to go through it line by line with a forensic accountant to actually see where the waste fraud abuse is.”

Katz said that if elected, he intends to continue holding two town hall meetings in a different town each month for the sake of keeping district residents informed. He said that running for State Assembly is “the right thing to do right now … I’m willing to sacrifice a whole lot for this. And I’m willing to do it for no other reason than one word: And the word is love. Love for my state, love for my children.” Sheriff Donald Smith also attended the meeting and told the Courier, “I can’t endorse [candidates] as Sheriff, but I will say [Katz] is a very honorable man with a great background. I certainly admire his integrity and everything he stands for. I think he’d be a great Assemblyman.”