As the upper house of New York’s state legislature, state Senators hold the power to present legislation as well as confirm the Governor’s appointments of non-elected state officials and court judges. District 56 of the New York State Senate has been represented by Jeremy Cooney (D) since 2020.
Last election, Cooney won his election with 54.2% of the vote, against repeat challenger Jim VanBrederode. They will face each other again as they seek office this November. Both candidates were interviewed by the Campus Times on background, platform, and policy.
Jeremy Cooney (D):
Senator Cooney, adopted from an Indian orphanage, was the first Asian-American elected to state office from Upstate New York.
“When you’re raised by a single parent, you learn that the entire community plays a part in your upbringing,” Cooney stated in written responses to the CT. “I’m proud to be the first graduate of the Rochester City School District in the Senate in over 40 years and take my passion for our city and community to the state capitol.”
On affordability
As State Senator, Cooney supported various bills providing financial assistance, from Senate Bill S277C, that provides a working families tax credit, to Senate Bill S9913, that establishes New York’s first home grant program.
These tax cuts led to the lowest tax rates for the middle class in New York in 70 years, Cooney alleges. “They’ve been fully implemented and will save New Yorkers around $1.7 billion statewide.”
Cooney has also expanded child tax credits covering ages zero to four, “putting cash in the hands of our families, reducing poverty in our community, and setting up our youth for future success.”
On healthcare
Cooney supported the proposal for New York Health, which provides a state-funded version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would increase food accessibility to lower-income families.
“We can’t talk about ending poverty and increasing the quality of life for our residents without talking about healthcare access. There is no question that all members of our community, regardless of the zip code they reside in, should have access to affordable, high-quality care.
“I have been very involved in increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to support our hospitals, supporting local organizations like Jordan Health that serve underserved areas of our city, and I’ll always make the health and wellbeing of our community a top priority.”
On women and LGBTQ+ rights
“I am proud to be unequivocally pro-choice,” Cooney stated. “Everyone deserves the autonomy to make healthcare decisions regarding their own bodies, and it’s crucial that New York leads on this issue as much of the country moves backwards.”
When it comes to protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, Cooney pushes for Proposition 1, which also includes protections against discrimination.
“Our city and our state are known for being welcoming and inclusive places for people of all sexualities and backgrounds. It’s important to me that we always make a concerted effort to make these communities feel safe, seen, and welcomed across New York State.”
On public safety and gun violence
Cooney believes that there is no single fix to reduce crime, and that we need to take a holistic approach to address its root causes — referencing his “Three P’s: prevention, policy, and punishment.”
“While all three are necessary and important in their own ways, prevention is a key piece that deserves more attention. Whether it’s funding grassroots anti-violence organizations, investing in our schools, or creating better economic opportunities, we have to work to prevent our youth from entering the cycle of violence.”
Cooney is also a proponent of the Car Theft Prevention Act. The city saw nearly 4,000 car thefts reported in 2023 and is on pace for over 2,000 by the end of this year.
On the election
When seeking re-election this November, Cooney seeks to represent everyone who resides in the community, regardless of ethnicity.
“As an Indian-American, I’m also proud to represent a new diverse voice as the first and only Asian-American elected to state office outside of NYC. It is an honor to help better the lives of my neighbors and I’m ready to continue fighting for them for years to come.”
Jim VanBrederode (R):
VanBrederode’s interest in running for public office comes from his background in policing, both in the town of Gates and the city of Rochester.
“I had no intentions of being a politician,” he explained in an interview with the Campus Times. “I was always a public servant. I was always the person providing the services, answering 911 calls, and dealing with people’s problems, and coming up with solutions. The crime [and] the murders didn’t seem to resonate with the voters [in the last election … ] I think a lot of people, if it’s not in their neighborhood and it’s not in their face, [they] just get used to the news breaking every night and just get so immune to what [we’re] seeing every night […] 2024 came and I decided to try one more time.”
Many of Jim’s concerns and proposals involve tackling crime in the city and addressing voters’ potential public safety concerns.
On gun violence
Recently, Governor Hochul and Rochester Mayor Malik Evans celebrated a 39% decrease in gun shootings this year, despite the city being hit by mass shootings like that of Maplewood Park in July.
For VanBrederode, recent closings of prisons and an alleged leniency of the criminal justice system are what’s to blame for upticks in violence.
“A lot of [innocent] people have died,” he said, “because the system is not going to carcerate [anybody] anymore, we’re into this whole ‘let everybody out free until we convict them.’”
On bail reform and ‘raise the age’ laws
VanBrederode referenced New York’s repeal of cash bail in 2019 while lamenting the inability of police to prevent repeat offenders from reoffending. His experience in policing, he alleged, gives him a perspective that those in office don’t when it comes to preventing crime.
“New York is the only state that doesn’t have a dangerous standard […] The criminal justice system has been totally dismantled, and that’s what’s frustrating. Nobody wants to talk about [these policies] because [they’re] not politically correct.”
New York also changed the age a child can be prosecuted as an adult in criminal cases. As of 2019, you must be 18 to be tried as an adult.
According to VanBrederode, the chance to rehabilitate children would have happened had the police and the courts received resources beforehand.
“It really is catch and release; you catch them doing something, and then you bring them home. There’s nothing in place to help the parents if they’re struggling with someone who’s out of control or to help the kids. At the end of the day, we’re losing a whole generation because of this new policy.”
On balancing concerns
VanBrederode wants to put more focus on the less visible parts of the justice process.
“It’s what happens after the arrest where there’s no funding to provide supervision or to give them the services that they need, and so people just fall right through the cracks of the criminal justice system.”
VanBrederode mentioned the closings of Walgreens in Rochester as a consequence of reducing the responsibility of the government in managing crime.
“Maybe if we created a safe environment for the store to thrive, these stores wouldn’t be closing right? […] Nobody wants to address the underlying issue. The issue is we have a problem with crime, [but] maybe if you had an environment where somebody didn’t get shot in the parking lot, the store would still be in business.”
On the election
For VanBrederode, his ambition for public office reflects a tenet of his time in policing: standing with his community at all times, not just the worst ones.
“You [have] to be there all the time so people know you, and then when there’s a problem, they trust you.”
