To the Editor:

There is an important local election coming up on Nov. 3. Our current State Senator George Amedore is retiring and leaving a vacancy in the 46th District. The 46th Senate District includes Guilderland, New Scotland and the Hilltowns.

The Democrat-endorsed candidate Michelle Hinchey has challenged her Republican opponent, who coincidentally has a name that sounds very similar to the retiring State Senator George Amedore, candidate Rich Amedure, to a series of three debates.

Debates are important for our democracy, especially on the local level. In this age of 24-hour news, we don’t suffer from a lack of information regarding candidates for national office. It takes more effort to become informed about local races and the candidates.

Debates quickly allow the public to learn about the candidates’ background, their stand on the issues, compare and contrast their qualities, and ask questions directly to the candidates. People are more likely to vote if they know about the candidates that are running for election.

Even in this time of pandemic, debates can be safely held virtually and broadcast on platforms like Zoom and YouTube and viewed on a cell phone or tablet, which makes them very accessible. I very much enjoyed watching on my laptop the debates on YouTube held by the League of Women Voters for the Albany County District Attorney and Albany County Legislature races while sitting in my backyard.

In the race for State Senate for the 46th District, we have two candidates who are not well known in our area. A debate would be very welcome by voters who would like to make an informed decision about who to vote for. As of this writing, I do not believe Mr. Amedure has accepted the invitation to debate, although I hope he does soon. 

Christine Napierski

Member

Guilderland

Democratic Committee

Election District 13