MY RESPONSES

Reponses to the League of Womens Voters

1. What would be your top three priorities if elected?

My response:

My top priorities are lowering utility costs and property taxes, maintaining our infrastructure, and keeping our communities safe. New Yorkers pay some of the highest utility costs in the country, and I will work to reduce unnecessary costs, improve reliability, and ensure energy policies put affordability first. High property taxes make it harder for families to buy and remain in their homes, so Albany must exercise greater fiscal discipline, reduce costly mandates, and focus spending on essential services. I will prioritize maintaining roads, bridges, water systems, and other infrastructure before problems become more expensive, while ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. Finally, every resident deserves to feel safe in their home and community. I will support our police, firefighters, EMS, and other first responders and ensure they have the resources and tools needed to protect residents and respond to emergencies.

Dana’s response

 My top priorities are making New York more affordable for working and middle-class households, promoting environmental             sustainability, and protecting our personal and civil rights from right-wing MAGA extremism.

2. What do you think woud be the most beneficial policies to address climate change and the damage caused by climate change in NYS?

I believe New York can protect our environment without sacrificing affordability, reliability, or our natural resources. My approach is conservation first: clean water, clean air, healthy soil, protected forests, farmland and open space. I support responsible development of alternative energy, but we should not clear forests, destroy productive farmland, or place large-scale solar projects on drinking-water supplies simply to meet a mandate. We should prioritize solar on rooftops, parking lots, commercial and industrial sites, brownfields and other previously developed land, while expanding energy efficiency and other technologies where they make economic and environmental sense. We should also invest in resilient infrastructure, stormwater management, flood mitigation, clean drinking water and protection of our watersheds. New York should pursue environmental policies based on measurable results, sound science, local input and cost-effectiveness.

Dana’s response

We need to speed up adoption of renewable energy to avoid making our climate crisis worse, as well as to lower home energy costs. I sponsor multiple bills to help with this. For example, A.7060 would help households replace oil heating with electric heat pumps, saving thousands in annual heating costs. I also have several bills aimed at streamlining the production, deployment and storage of solar energy, the cheapest form of energy. We also need to make our infrastructure resilient in the face of the climate change that is already happening, and I advocate for funding for this during every budget. I am also advocating for the state to move faster on other legislation that has already been passed, such as the Build Public Renewables law.

3. What policies would you persue to promote social and racial justice in our state?

My response:

I believe every New Yorker deserves to be treated equally under the law and judged as an individual, not by the color of their skin, ethnicity, religion, or background. New York already has strong laws prohibiting discrimination, and I will support enforcing those laws fairly and consistently. I do not believe the government should divide people by race or create different standards based on racial identity. Instead, we should focus on policies that expand opportunity for everyone: a strong education, safe communities, affordable housing, good jobs, and equal access to government services. My goal is a state where every person has the same rights, the same responsibilities, and the same opportunity to succeed.

Dana’s response

I evaluate all legislation through the lens of equity and only pursue the passage of legislation that can help all New Yorkers, regardless of their background, to thrive. My top priorities - affordability, environmental justice, and protecting our personal and civil rights, including reproductive freedom - directly promote social and racial justice. I am endorsed by a number of organizations including leading unions, pro-choice advocacy groups, housing advocates and more because I have a demonstrated track record of promoting freedom and justice for all. You can view these endorsements at danaforassembly.com/endorsements.

4. What actions, if any, would you propose NYS take after the recent Supreme Court decision in Louisiana vs Callais

My response:

I believe New York should comply fully with the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais and ensure that redistricting is conducted fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the Constitution. Districts should be drawn based on population, geographic boundaries, and other legitimate neutral criteria—not to advantage or disadvantage voters because of their race. Every New Yorker deserves an equal voice in our elections. I would support an independent and transparent redistricting process that respects the Voting Rights Act while also respecting the constitutional limits recognized by the Court. Political districts should represent voters, not be designed around racial outcomes or partisan interests.

Dana’s response

Our state-level Voting Rights Act does a lot to protect voting rights and prohibit practices that dilute the voting power of racial minorities. However, we should go further to ensure that our votes are accurately recorded. One step we can take is to pass the Voter Integrity and Verification Act of New York (VIVA NY), which would codify the right of New Yorkers to use a hand-marked paper ballot. Some boards of election have approved the purchase of voting machines that allow ballots to be marked and scanned on a single device, which some experts argue is a security risk that could, among other things, enable bad actors to hack machines and even change votes. VIVA NY would ensure that there is a verifiable paper trail. I also sponsor legislation to require boards of election to make electronic ballot images publicly available upon request.