To the editor:

I recently read a mailer for Brent Davison in his campaign to fill the vacant 115th Assembly seat. I don’t know Brent, so I was intrigued to see how he intends to address some of the deep problems facing our area. But after reading his mailer, I’m left with more questions than answers.

Mr. Davison says he wants to oppose Kathy Hochul’s “socialist economy.” What does he mean by this? Is he against Medicaid? Social Security? Public education? School lunches? Veterans’ benefits? North Country Community College? SUNY? The Department of Transportation? Police and fire services? Can he please clarify which socialist programs he’s for and which he’s against?

Mr. Davison’s mailer says he wants to “stop Kathy Hochul from closing more prisons.” As a former trooper, he surely knows that crime rates are declining nationwide and here in New York State, a situation that will inevitably result in fewer criminals in need of correction. This is a big problem for towns that structured their economies around prisons. Does Mr. Davison have an economic development strategy that helps prison workers and their communities transition toward stable and well-paying jobs? Or is his solution to just make more criminals?

I also see that Mr. Davison is a Deacon in the Catholic Church. As a fellow Christian, I thank him for his contributions to the community. I’m confused, however, for his mailer implies that he supports gas stoves and diesel school buses. Surely, he must know that Pope Leo recently urged Catholics to put pressure on their elected representatives to address the climate change crisis, for “only then will it be possible to mitigate the damage done to the environment.” What is Mr. Davison’s plan for addressing climate change? Does he accept that science or not? Also, if energy costs are the concern, what does he plan to do about the Trump Administration cancelling both the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and new alternative energy projects right as energy costs are spiking?

And speaking of Pope Leo, he recently urged Catholics to care for immigrants without the “coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination.” In his mailer, Mr. Davison says he opposes taxpayer dollars being spent on SUNY tuition for illegal immigrants. Does he have a plan to legalize these young people so they, too, can obtain the benefits of our world-class higher education system? As an aside, many towns in our area are collapsing due to outmigration. I wonder what Mr. Davison thinks of revitalizing our rural communities via new immigration. Perhaps someone can ask him?

I hope Mr. Davison is a serious candidate with serious answers to the issues currently constraining so many of us here in the Adirondacks. I really hope he’s not just another candidate who chooses to inflame culture war divisions to distract people from an unaffordable economy that only works for the top 1 percent. After all, we already have one of those politicians representing our area.

Joe Henderson

Saranac Lake