NORWICH – A small crowd gathered before the venerable Chenango County Courthouse on Thursday to hear John Orzel officially announce his candidacy for Senator of New York’s 52nd District.
The Democrat from Whitney Point is taking on incumbent Republican Sen. Thomas W. Libous, who has held the post for 22 years.
“I know I am climbing a very, very steep mountain, but I think it’s time for a change,” he said.
The candidate used the venue to advocate for examining and possibly cutting back on the large number of public authorities in New York, saying many, such as the New York State Thruway Authority, have become “too independent and autonomous” and have “outlived their usefulness.”
He criticized his opponent for voting no on Gov. David Paterson’s emergency extender bills and failing to commit to voting yes on anything, he said, except “getting his fellow Republicans elected to office” or “staging a coup to shut down government.”
“It’s not about playing the game of who’s on first, or can we bribe the short stop? Isn’t it about solving our fiscal crises and getting out of the swamp? We need representatives who really are going to make a serious effort to correct the fiscal crisis.”
Orzel was born in Johnson City, educated at the State University College of Oneonta, taught high school social studies, economics and government for 34 years and is a town councilman in Triangle.
On the subject of natural gas and hydrofracturing shale, the candidate said the state’s environmental conservation department should be encouraged to take as much time as needed to complete its regulations. He also advocated for more enforcement of those regulations.
“The BP disaster in the Gulf was human failure on a colossal scale. The regulations were there; they just weren’t enforced. With the Marcellus Shale, we need strict regulations that are enforced. We need that gas, we also need clean water. I think we can do both,” he said.