Assembly candidates on unemployment figures

I did ask the five candidates running for Assembly to share their thoughts on the latest county-by-county unemployment breakdown issued by the state Labor Department - three of them got back to me, and I've posted their responses below.

You can read my report on the figures, including comments from the three men running for New York's 21st Congressional District, here.

The full jobs report for September can be viewed here and here.

Tim Carpenter, Democratic candidate, New York's 115th Assembly District:

"We all know that unemployment is high in this state and in this country. New York needs to put it's people back to work. We need to make this a priority. Every item brought up at the state level should include information on whether it creates jobs or destroys jobs. By lowering unemployment, we strengthen the economy, something that everyone wants."

Janet Duprey, Republican and Independence candidate, New York's 115th Assembly District:

"The unemployment rate is still too high but I do have confidence in the state continuing to turn around economic growth. The North Country Regional Economic Development Council has presented its second round of priority projects to further create/retain jobs in the North Country. Many of the grant winners approved in last year's round of awards are currently progressing on their projects which necessarily take several months to complete and/or go to bid. When completed, the natural gas line in Franklin/St. Lawrence Counties should help the IDA and others to attract more business to the area by providing much reduced fuel costs. We are in the position of continuing to attract Canadian businesses to open operations in our counties, and I'll be working with other officials, legislators and Canadian authorities to make that happen. In doing so we must also work with our community colleges and BOCES to assure we are training unemployed workers in the skills needed to fill the jobs that are currently available and will be as more jobs are created."

Dan Stec, Republican, Conservative and Independence candidate, New York's 114th Assembly District:

"These updated jobs numbers are another indication that not enough has been done to improve our region's economy. Within the 114 AD, our numbers go from bad to worse when you consider Essex County. Essex is at 8.9 (percent), Warren at 7.8 (percent), Washington at 7.5 (percent) and Saratoga at 7.2 (percent). The state simply must do more to seek and remove burdensome regulations and government imposed costs on our businesses that make our state's one of the worst business climates in the country. When we have the APA as an obstacle impeding growth and NYS continually buying land how can businesses or a workforce survive? This is what I will make my top priority if elected to the Assembly and I will continue to push my 3 point plan."

You can read more about Stec's three-point plan here.

I will add comments from Karen Bisso, the Conservative Party candidate in AD-115, and Dennis Tarantino, the Democratic and Working Families party candidate in AD-114, as I receive them.