Anthony Brindisi hosts virtual town hall for Hamilton students
by Natalie Halpin ’21, Managing Editor
In 2018, Hamilton students and faculty crowded into the Chapel to ask Democratic candidate Anthony Brindisi, then running against incumbent Claudia Tenney in NY-22, about his policy decisions and view on bipartisanship. In stark contrast to his initial run, he joined a Zoom call on Monday, Oct. 5, with close to 30 participants to respond to their questions and urge them to register to vote in this district.
The call began with field organizer for Congressman Brindisi’s campaign Elizabeth Militello ’22 discussing housekeeping rules for the Zoom, seeing as the Chapel Town Hall structure consisted of individuals approaching a microphone and the Brindisi staff wanted this discussion to be just as orderly. Brindisi then joined the call and made his opening remarks, expressing his gratitude for the college engagement team at Hamilton. Mentioning his last time appearing as a guest on campus, he acknowledged the importance of maintaining his connection with students and addressing any questions or concerns they may have. He argued that this election cycle would probably be the most important election of students’ lifetimes, given that issues at stake include college debt, the economy, money in politics, the environment, and gun control.
Stressing the impact that Hamilton students could have in the College’s district, Brindisi stated: “You have decided to make NY-22 your home for four years. You should have a say in who your representative is.” In 2018, Brindisi challenged the then-incumbent Republican Claudia Tenney for NY-22’s House seat. This was (one of) the closest races in the country as Brindisi won by just 4,473 votes or a margin of 1.8%. This district has a sizable student constituency, consisting of Hamilton College, Colgate University, Utica College, and Binghamton University.
The first question, asked by Mian Osumi ’21, focused on greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and sustainability. According to Brindisi, NY-22 has a large small farm population, many of which are struggling dairy farms. He stated that there are large companies that control all the poultry while local farmers are only milking 100 or fewer cows. Local farmers want to cut down on carbon emissions, but face difficulties implementing environmental policies due to their budgets. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, Brindisi said that he has worked to put technology in place that would reduce carbon emissions and advocates for increasing sustainability resources for small farms.
Two students inquired about his stance on systematic racism and both times, Brindisi said: “I support Black Lives Matter.” He added that he supported the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which addresses a range of policing practices and accountability. Brindisi further stated that he hopes to compromise with the Senate on legislation that would improve policing. Illustrative of his moderate political views, Brindisi continued by saying that he is in support of law enforcement and expresses his appreciation for the officers’ oath to protect and serve their community. He does, however, want to invest more money into community policing. The second student who addressed this topic, Emma Liles ’21, brought up police brutality in Utica, specifically body camera footage showing Utica Officer Matthew Felitto’s use of excessive force on Kerwin Taylor. To this, Brindisi said that he condemns this behavior, he is always willing to “sit down with law enforcement” and wants the federal government to recognize the importance of community engagement programs.
On the mental health crisis in NY-22, Brindisi said that half of the district is rural and the suicide rates in rural areas are 45% higher than in urban areas. The Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act sponsored by Brindisi passed through the House with the goal of preventing veteran suicide. Seeing as there have been spikes in drug misuse and mental health conditions during COVID-19, he added that he believes that NY-22 needs more resources allocated towards these issues.
Regarding mass protests across the country and discussions about many prominent American figures’ controversial history, Amanda Kim ’21 asked about Brindisi’s statement condemning the vandalism of Utica’s Christopher Columbus statue, questioning Brindisi’s characterization of Columbus as a symbol of Italian-American pride. Brindisi clarified that having grown up a few blocks away from the statue and coming from an Italian-American family, he sees Columbus as a symbol of pride in Italian-American culture and heritage. He added that Italian-Americans also make up a large portion of the NY-22 constituency and have an important history in the district. He acknowledged that everyone should study the history of these figures but felt that this particular occurrence of vandalism was wrong.
For the last couple of questions, students mentioned the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a fear of a Republican-dominated court in which Roe v. Wade and LGBTQ+ rights may be overturned. Brindisi said that “nobody should be discriminated against based on who they love”and a lot more has to be done on the federal level, specifically regarding the Equality Act. This legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, providing LGBTQ+ Americans basic legal protections. Brindisi emphasized the need to defend Obamacare because of its role in protecting reproductive healthcare. With a 100% pro-choice voting record, he says that it would be a huge mistake to overturn Roe v. Wade and voted to codify the law when he was in the NY legislature.
Concluding his Hamilton Town Hall, Brooke Kessler ’22 asked what it’s like to run against Claudia Tenney for the second time. Joking that they used to be acquaintances, Brindisi seemed troubled by her critical campaign against him, specifically mentioning the tagline “you can’t spell Brindisi without B.S.” He explained that after watching one of Tenney’s advertisements using this language, his 9-year-old daughter asked him what B.S. meant and he became determined to run a positive campaign. In closing, Brindisi stated that this race will be a fight, but expressed confidence that the volunteers and support from students will help him win this election.
