by Bea Peterson
Saratoga County Supervisor and small business owner Joanne Yepsen attended the Hoosick Democrats pre-election rally Sunday afternoon, October 21, at the Sand Bar. Yepsen is running for the NYS 43rd District Senate seat now held by Republican Roy McDonald. Yepsen, who has 25 year experience in strategic planning and fiscal management, told the gathering that, if elected, she wants to have a task force in every community. She wants to help communities like Hoosick work on long range planning and economic development. “I’m tired of hearing people say they can’t afford to live here,” she said. “We have the lowest education rate and the highest taxes. Our state is in financial crisis.” Yepsen would like to expand small businesses. She calls them the backbone of our economy. “Regulation and taxes on small business have to change in order for them to flourish,” she said. She wants to see young people in community colleges trained for jobs that are becoming available in the high-tech area.
As County Supervisor she said she has had to work across party lines and she would continue to do so at the state level. “There needs to be fiscal oversight and fiscal responsibility,” she said. Long an advocate for agriculture, tourism and technology, she said tourists have to have a destination and Hoosick Falls residents have to find a way to market their community. She said it is important to have a county-wide package in place. She spoke of the success they have had with improving Beeker St., a high crime area, in Saratoga. “We did it turning the buildings around one by one,” she said. Yepsen admitted there is not a lot of funding out there right now for such projects but strategic planning should be a priority.
Yepsen was asked how she felt about gas well drilling in the Marcellus Shale. She responded that new energy sources are important to pursue but not if they hurt the environment.
Rensselaer County Democrat Chairman Tom Wade said he was proud to have Yepsen on the ticket. He feels the party has strong candidates this year, and he is hopeful about the election outcome.
