Suffolk Leaders Attend Losquadro Campaign Kick-Off

Pictured above from left: Brookhaven Town Leaders Richard Johannesen (Conservative Party Chairman) and Jesse Garcia (Republican Party Chairman), Ron Nehring (California State Republican Chairman), John J. LaValle (Suffolk County Republican Chairman) and Assembly Candidate Dan Losquadro welcome volunteers and supporters at the gala opening of Losquadro Campaign Headquarters in Miller Place on Saturday, September 18.

“Suffolk County residents need and deserve relief from the failed economic policies of the Democrat majorities in Albany,” Losquadro said. “I am pleased to see so many motivated volunteers willing to sacrifice their weekends and free time to spread our message of reform and tax relief.”

Losquadro said more than 50 volunteers and supporters gathered to collect literature, lawn signs and other campaign materials for distribution throughout the community.

Dan joined supporters, volunteers, elected and party officials earlier in the day at the campaign's Southold Headquarters in Mattituck where many picked up literature and other campaign materials for distribution in the community.

Bi-Partisan Business and Taxpayer Groups: Alessi Is Anti-Business, Anti- Job Creation, Anti-Taxpayer.

The Business Council of New York, a leading New York State business group, composed of thousands of New York small and large companies, chambers of commerce and trade associations says that New York State First District Assemblyman Marc Alessi voted for job and small business killing legislation a whopping 85% of the time. The findings are in the groups’ 2009-10 voter guide.

“In the past two years, the Democratic legislative majorities have consistently voted to tax more, spend more, and regulate more,” said Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc. The Business Council goes on to say that there is “… a dramatic difference in the two major parties on business issues, with a significant majority of Senate and Assembly Republicans casting votes to reject new economic burdens and to support private sector investment and jobs creation, while only two Democrats sided with the Business Council's pro-jobs agenda in more than half their votes.”

“Mr. Alessi and his party – the Democrat Majority – that brought us the business-crippling MTA payroll tax are clueless about Long Island and Suffolk County’s economic and tax cutting needs,” said Suffolk County Legislator and Assembly Candidate Dan Losquadro.

“Nearly 98 percent of all New York businesses are small ones – about 1.7 million

in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Labor,” Losquadro said, adding that “more than half of all working New Yorkers earn a paycheck from a small business owner.”

Losquadro said that when elected he will push for job and business creating reforms including:

• restoring the one percent lower tax rate for small businesses
• provide a Small Business Energy Tax Reduction
• require that at least 15 percent of state contracts are with businesses employing 100 or fewer employees
• establish a Business STAR Program to make property owned by a small business (100 or fewer employees) eligible for the basic STAR benefits, reducing the property tax burden
• reduce the waiting period from 12 months to six months for eligibility in The Healthy NY program for small businesses. The program was created to help small businesses, sole proprietors and individuals acquire affordable health insurance. However, many businesses and individuals are not eligible for this program because current rules prohibit them from having provided or possessed health insurance in the past 12 months.

 The Business Council of New York’s findings come on the heels of another group's, Unshackle Upstate New York, dedicated to changing the way New York State government treats taxpayers and private sector businesses. Unshackle Upstate New York released its legislative scorecards for the 2009-10 session on August 30 and ranked Alessi a miserable 8 out of 100 on its taxpayer scorecard.

The full report card can be found here: http://www.unshackleupstate.com/scorecard-new/assembly-scorecard.cfm?card=2

“Mark Alessi is out of touch with the issues and needs of my neighbors on the

East End and in Brookhaven,” said Losquadro.

“Instead of working to create jobs, Alessi is driving businesses and young people away. Obviously, he is not listening to my neighbors who, like me, agree that enough is enough! We need someone who has a record and the will to fight for our future and our children's future, and that someone is me,” Losquadro concluded.