BARNEVELD – Richard Hanna isn’t waiting until Jan. 1 to start his transformation to congressman.

Hanna, a Republican, has spent much of his time since Tuesday’s election making phone calls – including reaching out to local officials such as Republican Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente and Democratic Utica Mayor David Roefaro, he said.

During the two months leading up to when he takes office, Hanna plans to talk with county leaders, mayors, state legislators and other officials from across the 11 counties in the 24th Congressional District, he said.

Hanna, 59 of Barneveld, also wants to meet with officials from local colleges and universities to discuss ways the institutions can cooperate, and he expects to start a tour around the district this week to hear from as many people as possible, he said.

“It’s all about bringing people together and letting people know the office belongs to all of us,” Hanna said.

On Tuesday, Hanna received about 53 percent of the vote to defeat U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, in a rematch of their tight 2008 race, which Arcuri won.

The election

When Arcuri called Hanna on election night to concede the race, the two wished each other well and pledged to help each other through the transition process, Hanna said, adding that Arcuri’s family has a long history of service to this community.

“It was a completely appropriate phone call – and gracious,” Hanna said.

Following Tuesday’s victory, Hanna was up until about 3 a.m. Wednesday and woke back up at about 5 a.m., he said, adding that short nights of sleep are something he got used to when running his Hanna Construction business.

He didn’t get much rest Wednesday night either, he said.

“I started to feel like food, water and sleep aren’t that big of a deal,” he said.

The transition

In addition to reaching out to officials in the district, Hanna already has other plans for his transition into office, he said.

He intends to keep congressional offices located in Utica, Auburn and Cortland – as Arcuri did – and he is looking into whether his budget would allow for staffing an office in Oneonta a few days a week, he said.

On Nov. 14, Hanna will travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in a training session for new congressmen, and he will go to Harvard University later in the month for a similar session, he said.

“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “I’m a quick study. There’s nothing about the process that concerns me.”

The congressman

As Hanna meets with local officials in the coming months, he wants to get down to specifics with them and discuss solutions, he said.

The main local issues are jobs and the economy, but there are some differences among the communities in the sprawling district, and he wants to fully understand the needs of each area, he said.

“This tenure I have is not going to be idle,” Hanna said. “We’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to work.”

Hanna said he expects that some of the first national-level issues to be tackled will be the Bush tax cuts, which he supports extending as long as they can be paid for; the health care legislation, which he wants to either make changes to or repeal and create a better bill; and the federal deficit, which he wants to find ways to reduce.

The Republican

A socially moderate Republican who has never hesitated to criticize the party, Hanna said he will work with officials and constituents from all parties.

After Republicans gained control of the House Tuesday and made gains in the Democratic-controlled Senate, officials from both parties will have to reach across the aisle to accomplish goals, Hanna said.

“I’m happy to be a Republican, but I’ll be happier to be a Republican if they come up with solutions,” he said.

Republicans have to realize they weren’t elected Tuesday because U.S. citizens love the Republican Party right now – they were just elected because people aren’t happy with the current direction things have been going under a Democratic Congress and Democratic President Barack Obama, he said.

“What I see is a Republican Party that knows it’s got one more chance to get it right,” Hanna said. “And they better.”

Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, considers himself a “centrist,” while 24th District Rep. Michael Arcuri is a “Blue Dog Democrat.” Both cross the partisan divide and break with party orthodoxy. But the Blue Dogs occasionally stray into open rebellion and divisiveness.

Richard Hanna, Arcuri’s Republican opponent for the second time, is a successful entrepreneur who says he doesn’t need the job in Washington. But he clearly relishes the challenge. “The problems that are coming are also opportunities,” he says. “It’s a great time to be alive and in Congress.”

Hanna’s thoughtful take on the issues goes against today’s polarized political climate. He says he would not have voted for either the economic stimulus or health care bills — but supports infrastructure stimulus programs and wants to improve, not repeal, the health care overhaul. He says he regrets the negative tone of campaigns — including his own — and prefers to run against ideas, not people. He is pro-choice but personally anti-abortion, favors civil unions, and is an NRA member who doesn’t hunt. Constituents who are angry about spending and deficits while clinging to their entitlements need to hear hard truths about the limits of government. “Somebody’s got to face up to it — in a sympathetic way,” he says.

Arcuri, a former prosecutor, has been an able public servant and effective advocate for his district. He is progressive on social issues, opposing the military’s “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” rule.

With two good candidates in this race, we believe the balance tips toward Hanna, whose private-sector experience and optimistic approach are much needed in Washington.

New York state’s congressional dele gation could see huge changes in the midterm elections. A virtual purge of Democrats is quite possible, with as many as 11 seats changing hands.

New York is traditionally a late-deciding state because of the high cost of media here and the late primaries, so these races are coming into focus only now. The key question: Will the absurd state of the governor’s race depress the “change” vote — or will New Yorkers opt to send a message further down the ticket?

Here are the 11 possible GOP pickups in the House:

Arcuri v. Hanna: Republican Richard Hanna leads Democratic Rep. Mike Arcuri by 46-43 in the latest McLaughlin poll. The 24th district spans much of central New York, including Geneva, Cortland, Oneonta, Rome and Utica. Arcuri cooked his own goose by backing the Pelosi agenda 91 percent of the time.

Read About All 11 possible pickups…

Richard Hanna has spent the better part of three years running for Congress in New York’s 24th Congressional District, and from what he’s seen, the biggest issue in the land is lack of confidence in the future.

“Of course people are worried about jobs and the economy,” he said last Wednesday in an interview with The Daily Star. “But I think it’s more than that. It’s about confidence. People are no longer confident their government can solve problems.”

Through much of his life, the nation’s problems were seen as cyclical, he said. But the poor job market, poor real estate market and other signs of hard times are because of “structural problems,” not economic timing, Hanna said.

“People see that we’ve squandered our prosperity, that we’ve set up all these institutions we can no longer afford.”

The way forward is to rein in spending on unnecessary programs and initiatives because “I don’t think we can tax people any more,” he said.

Extending the Bush-era tax cuts “would be great, but the problem is they’re built into the budget. The problem is how do we pay for it?”

Hanna, who is running against incumbent Democrat Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, said running for office is hard work.

“The system makes it hard to run against incumbents,” he said. “They have built-in advantages, and of course, they use them.”

In 2008, Hanna came close to winning, a near-miss that made it easier to say yes to running this time. But competing with someone who is in office, has name recognition, announces grants and works with business and political leaders is a tall order for any challenger, he said.

To a certain extent, office seekers’ fortunes also depend on events beyond their control, such as the rise and fall of other candidates in other races. Two years ago, the popularity of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama may have helped Arcuri. Polls this year show Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo far in front of Republican Carl Paladino.

Hanna said he is concentrating on his own race, confident people will see he is a moderate Republican whose philosophy is in line with the district.

Hanna, 59, who operated a very successful construction firm, said he decided to plunge into politics less than a year before he announced his run for Congress in 2008.

“I’d sold my business and done pretty well, and I didn’t like the direction we were going, as a nation,” he said.

In a sense, the United States seemed to have become a collection of 300 million special interests, with too few people thinking about the collective good, he said.

Hanna said strident rhetoric and philosophies were — and are — driving people apart, and he sees his role as trying to restart discussions that may bear fruit.

Asked about one divisive topic within the district, horizontal gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing, he said he sees the same stridency at work.

“On both sides, you have extremists and they have their experts, but the two sides are not talking to each other,” he said.

“What I hear from most people is they don’t want drilling unless they’re sure it’s safe, so I think the science should rule,” he said. Until drilling and fracking are regarded as safe by scientists, Hanna said he will remain skeptical, but willing to listen.

By Maggie Haberman
POLITICO

In one of the most-watched House races in New York, an internal poll for the NRCC by pollster John McLaughlin shows GOPer Richard Hanna leading Democratic Rep. Mike Arcuri by 3 percentage points.

It’s an internal — and commissioned — survey, so those caveats apply. A recent public survey suggested Arcuri was ahead by 8 percentage points.

The McLaughlin numbers, taken over Wednesday and Thursday of last week of 300 voters in NY-24, shows Hanna at 46 percent, Arcuri at 43 percent and 11 percent undecided. The poll has a 5.6-percentage-point margin of error.

The race has been among the ones Republicans have had at the top of their priority list for months. It’s an economically depressed area and the anti-incumbent sentiment is running high.

The turnout model used by McLaughlin had 43 percent Republicans, 38 percent Democrats, 15 percent independent and 3 percent conservative.

Hanna, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, for the 24th Congressional District seat, outlined his ideas for how Congress can allow small businesses to thrive:

Don’t implement any new tax increases on small businesses.

Provide stability by limiting federal regulation on small businesses.

Reform banking oversight to make it easier for businesses to access loans.

Limit new paperwork – such as a mandate related to 1099 forms in the health care bill – that adds expenses for small businesses.

The government’s role should be to provide a positive environment for small businesses and allow the business owners to be the ones who grow their companies and produce jobs, Hanna said.

Federal regulations that increase costs and paperwork for small businesses are harming the overall work environment, Hanna said.

“It’s easy to pass a law, but this is the real world out here,” he said.

Read More…

At this April 2009 meeting, a citizen asks Mr. Arcuri how this generation will pay for the debt associated with government spending. He repled “We won’t pay this debt; it will be up to our children and grandchildren…”

According to the Ithaca Journal, “Another resident on hand with several children with him told Arcuri that he wants his children to see one of the many faces that is leaving them in debt.”

To see the full story, click here.

The people have had enough of these misleading tactics that always pop up when politicians are desperately running away from their own failed records.

Below are the facts from two independent news outlets that set the record straight.

We’ll continue updating this page so we can hold Richard’s opponent and his Washington allies accountable.

[ii]“24th Congressional Commercials go from introductory to accusatory,” Dave Dellecese, WKTV NBC 2, 09/25/10, http://www.wktv.com/news/local/24th-Congressional-Commercials-go-from-introductory-to-accusatory-103548204.html?m=y&c=y

At Two Rallies

Rome Rally BBQ & Picnic

Sunday, September 19th
3 to 5 p.m.

Toccolana Bocce Club
1412 E. Dominick Street
Rome, New York

COST: $20 pp, $35 couple, $50 families of 4+

***

Cooperstown Rally BBQ & Picnic

Sunday, October 10th
3 to 5 p.m.

The Peppermill Restaurant
5418 State Highway 28
Cooperstown, New York

COST: $20 pp,  $35 couple, $50 families of 4+

RSVP to:

Linda@richardhannaforcongress.com

315-624-9440 (Hanna Campaign Headquarters)

This letter appeared today:

Vote for Richard Hanna and get the real deal

Richard Hanna spoke briefly at his recent campaign barbecue. He was brief, charmingly eloquent and easily likeable.
The only promise made was honest representation. Representation that honors hard work, achievement and the acknowledgement that all else cannot exist without them.

His is not the platform of a professional politician. Richard Hanna’s like us. He wants the best for the 24th Congressional District. That “best” is an improved economy that will provide the kind of future that offers opportunity.

It’s not a promise of an endless stream of government assistance, or another “stimulus” package building curbs for sidewalks that don’t exist. Richard Hanna’s campaign is low-key and rises from the bottom to the top, not the other way around. It needs to be noted that Hanna doesn’t need the job. He’s making the run thinking he can make things better.

Richard Hanna’s not going to hand us schemes we don’t want and then follow up with presenting the bill to the four generations of our progeny needed to pay for them.

THOMAS J. BROWNE
Whitesboro

And this one was posted online Aug. 18:

Hard-working Hanna would work hard for us

Let’s be realistic. A successful businessman makes a profit.

If you were a successful businessman, wouldn’t you have a diverse portfolio of investments, including commodities, utilities, oil, etc.?

I’ve known Rich Hanna for 40 years, from a young man working from sunup to sundown operating heavy machinery up on Deerfield Hill, to the successful businessman he is today.

I don’t know about you, but I want someone who knows how to make things work, as my representative in Congress.

I want someone who is not afraid of the hard work it takes to get the job done right. This November, we have a chance to have Rich work for us in Washington.

The taxpayers have been beaten over the head enough, lately. Let’s give Rich Hanna a chance to help stop the bleeding.

RON MacMASTER
Clinton