State Sen. Betty Little’s sole challenger to return for her eighth two-year term in the 45th Senate District is Green Party challenger Steve Ruzbacki, a teacher from Olmstedville.

Little, a Republican from Queensbury, is a representative entrenched here in the North Country, her more than a decade in the state Senate coming after her seven years in the state Assembly. Without a challenger from the Democratic party, the 51-year-old Ruzbacki is her sole opponent.

One of three Green Party candidates running for state and federal office here in the North Country, Ruzbacki is running on a platform highlighting his party’s Green New Deal economic and environmental platform and the decriminalization of all drugs.

The following covers where each candidate stands on several issues important to voters of the North Country.

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Heroin and opioids

Little highlighted the work done by the state legislature in recent years to address the heroin and opioid crisis, and said it’s important to monitor the impact and weight of these reforms. She mentioned education for addicts and their families as critical to prevent further addiction and said she is very supportive of the planned new new detox center in Schuyler Falls. It’s an outpatient clinic and a joint effort between Plattsburgh’s Champlain Valley Family Center and the state’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.

Ruzbacki said he believes the war on drugs is the root of the heroin and opioid crisis. He said he would work to immediately repeal cannabis prohibition and formally end the drug war in New York by treating it as a public health problem. He cites several studies, research papers and articles that say marijuana is safe and effective for treating pain. He’s also in favor of expanding treatment centers and treatment capabilities of law enforcement.

“I support treatment centers where a person could receive methadone or heroin,” he said, “Changes in the law to require all cops to carry Naloxone (which reverses opioid poisoning) and giving amnesty to good samaritans who report overdoses.”

Little disagrees.

“In my many meetings to discuss heroin and opioid addiction, including with families who have lost loved ones, not one expert in the field has advocated legalization of drugs to help solve this problem,” Little said. “I think as a society we’ve come a long way in understanding addiction and improving services and programs to help addicts and their families. I don’t see my advocacy as a war against drugs, but instead a fight to save lives.”

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Ethics reform

Little said the key to ensuring better ethics is greater disclosure, including requiring more information being made public.

“(It) will help guard against those who try to game the system,” she said.

Little pointed to how this year she voted for a Constitutional Amendment to deny corrupt public officials from receiving a state pension, which she said “should be an effective deterrent,” and said she plans to vote that way again next year.

She said she doesn’t support term limits but has supported changing the Senate rules to limit the amount of time a senator may serve in a leadership position. She also said she believes there should be limits on outside income and greater disclosure of that income.

“Having the perspective of people in the state legislature who aren’t full-time politicians is important,” she said.

Ruzbacki said the root cause of the ethics problem is not spending but “huge” tax cuts for the wealthy. He also said he supports public campaign financing, “to end the pay-to-play culture that dominates the State Capitol.”

He added that he strongly support an independent, non-partisan redistricting commission “to end the partisan gerrymandering of legislative districts.” He does not support term limits for representatives but said he does support limits on outside income.

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Cost of housing

Little said controlling the growth of property taxes is critically important to keeping housing affordable for people of the North Country. She pointed to how this year’s budget included an increase in school aid, which she said is helpful to counter the effect of the property tax cap on local districts.

Little, who serves as the chair of the Senate Housing Committee, highlighted how she secured funding for an affordable home project targeting mobile homes and said she is currently involved in discussions on a statewide affordable housing program that she said would be helpful for upstate communities.

Ruzbacki said he supports more state funding for public housing, rent subsidies and affordable housing. He also said he would strengthen rent control laws.

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Broadband

Ruzbacki said he would promote a broadband policy that would include collaborative applications for federal broadband funding and feature community-wide educational events and workshops.

Little voted for the New NY Broadband Program, a program that is using $500 million in state funding to leverage private sector investment in un-served and under-served communities. She said no community can survive without the connectivity of broadband.

Little said she is also sponsoring a state constitutional amendment that would make the siting of broadband infrastructure in highway right of ways in the Adirondack Park easier and faster.

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Health care

Little said the Affordable Care Act is not working.

“One of my concerns with single-payer is the federal government does not have a good track record of delivering services and programs in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” she said.

Ruzbacki supports a Universal Single Payer Health Care system.

“I believe health care is a basic human right and is the only morally and fiscally responsible way to deliver health care,” he said.

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Constitutional convention

Little believes it’s up to voters to decide on a constitutional convention.

“I have no position other than these two points: The issues to be taken up should be narrow in scope so residents have a sense of what to expect, and that no past or currently serving members of the State Legislature should serve,” she said.

Ruzbacki said he would support a state constitutional convention in 2017.

“With a special focus of getting corporate money out of political campaigns in New York state once and for all,” he said.

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Energy

Little said she supports all forms of energy generation and said a diverse portfolio is needed.

“One area overlooked, in my opinion, is small hydropower,” she said, “which we have a lot of in the North Country. “A couple of months ago, I organized a meeting with local hydropower plant owners and state officials to talk about this incredible renewable resource and what the State can do to support its future.

Ruzbacki calls for 100 percent clean energy by 2030 in New York as part of the his party’s Green  New Deal.

“We would pay for the Green New Deal by restoring the more progressive tax structure New York had in the 1970s,” he said, “more progressive personal and business income taxes, retaining the full amount of New York’s Stock Transfer Tax and eliminating corporate welfare programs that would give 95 percent of New Yorkers a tax cut while increasing state revenues 20 percent.

He also is in favor of banning hydrofracking, oil trains and new pipeline construction and said he supports the creation of a statewide renewable energy electrical grid.

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Committees

Little said she is not thinking of any committee changes currently. She serves as chair of the Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee. She also is a member of the Consumer Protection, Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, Education, Environmental Conservation, Finance and Judiciary committees.

Ruzbacki said he is interested in serving on the following committees: Libraries, Environmental Conservation, Agriculture, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions and Mental Health and Disabilities.