Political Candidates Speak Out:
Backgrounds, Goals Explained
Meet a Candidate for Member of Assembly, 102nd District, for Election Day, November 8, 2022
Publisher’s Note: We sent out an e-mail asking the candidates for the major political races next week to share information about themselves, so our readers can get to know them a little better. Every candidate had the opportunity to return their answers. We asked them:
A. Please tell us about yourself.
B. If you were elected to office, what are your top priorities and why?
We have run these answers over the last few weeks, in hopes this will help in your decision-making process on Tuesday, November 8. Please get out and vote!
NICHOLAS CHASE—DEM
Running for Member of Assembly, 102nd District
A. I grew up on a small farm outside of Oneonta, and went on to study political science at Hartwick College. Three years into my degree, I hit some financial hardship and had to take an indefinite leave of absence. This coincided with the start of the pandemic, and I started substitute teaching in a local school. I worked just about every single day due to the lack of substitutes. I really liked it, so I came back the next year and was given a long-term substitute position teaching middle school science. It was in this position that inspired me to run for this office. My students would talk about how they’re concerned about the low profits of farming (which many wanted to pursue after high school), the rising prices of everything from food to housing, and Democrats.
I’m a Democratic candidate running on a moderate platform to promote unity and compromise, with the main goal of ensuring Upstate New York works for my students, post-graduation. We want them to stay and raise their families here. Currently, I’m a long-term substitute at Schenevus CSD, teaching high school English, and doubling as a politician on nights and weekends! My top priorities would be increasing funding to rural schools, women’s rights, cutting property taxes for small farms, and bringing funding to the district for increased affordable housing opportunities. Our small, rural schools are chronically underfunded. I will seek to increase funding to ensure students in rural communities have the same opportunities as students in more affluent communities.
B. I will always be a steadfast voice for women’s rights in the Assembly chamber and will vote accordingly. I am pro-choice, and will do everything I can to ensure New York remains a sanctuary for women who seek healthcare options that have been outlawed in their respective states. Throughout the campaign, I talked to farmers about what Albany could best do to make their farms more profitable. The answer I got was to lower property taxes for small farms, so I did some research. I believe if we can implement an element of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 (an element of a bill to lift the United States out of the Great Depression), we can use that revenue to lower property taxes for small farms without cutting state income in the process. I also plan to find funding in Albany to increase affordable housing in the district, an issue with effects that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.