Q&A With James Skoufis, Democratic Candidate for New York 42nd State Senate District

James Skoufis (Courtesy of James Skoufis)

James Skoufis, a two-term state senator representing the 39^th senate district, is running in the newly drawn 42^nd State Senate district in New York, which encompasses almost all of Orange County.

He faces Republican candidate Dorey Houle in the general election.

Skoufis spoke with The Epoch Times on Oct. 25. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

The Epoch Times: You were elected to the Woodbury town board at 21 and then to state assembly at 25, becoming the youngest assembly member in New York at the time. Why did you decide to enter a career in public service?

Skoufis: My father was born in Greece, where ancient Greeks invented politics a couple of thousand years ago. Politics was viewed as a noble profession, and people got into it to be a voice for their neighbors, friends, and families. Over time, that mission has gotten lost for some people.

But that’s where my heart is—go out and fight for the people I represent and deliver for them. I love public service because if you are in it for the right reasons, there is a real capacity to do good.

James Skoufis. (Courtesy of James Skoufis)

The Epoch Times: You spent six years in the state assembly and have worked at the state senate for almost four years now. What are the issues that you have focused on?

Skoufis: Since my days in assembly, I’ve put a focus on early childhood education. I supported a bill to establish universal full-day kindergarten. Later we got additional funding so districts like Washingtonville and North Rockland could have full-day kindergarten. Most recently, I’ve supported the legislative effort to bring universal pre-K to Orange County so that parents can get their 4-year-old prepared for a great academic future.

I have also fought against corporate welfare, which is essentially enormous tax giveaways to big corporations that don’t deserve—or even need—those breaks. One of my core missions has been to take that money we are wasting right now and shift it to our small businesses, retirees, seniors, and middle-class families.

As a state senator and chairman of the committee on investigations and government operations, I sponsored a bill to authorize the State Comptroller’s Office to audit local economic development agencies, and it later became law. This year, I got state funding for independent audits of these local economic development programs, and I look forward to reviewing the reports next year.

When it comes to taxes, I’ve broken with my party many times on bills that would raise taxes. I am very sensitive to increasing taxes on anyone except for millionaires. I’m a Democrat who believes that we need to have good services and programs, but it should not come on the backs of the people who are struggling to afford to live here.

James Skoufis interacts with a kindergartener in a file photo. (Courtesy of James Skoufis)

I also supported making the 2 percent property tax cap permanent. There is absolutely a property tax crisis here in New York State, and it disproportionately impacts middle-class families and retirees.

Ultimately, I believe the solution ought to be to do away with property taxes completely and fund our schools and local governments solely through the state income tax. That way, we can ensure that millionaires carry a bigger share of the funding and that middle-class families would not be penalized for saving and buying a home.

The Epoch Times: That sounds like a radical change. What’s your plan to get there?

Skoufis: It would be a very dramatic change, no question about it. The first step would be to get political buy-in, particularly from the governor. And we should do some very serious studies, especially on what the new income tax rates and structure should be.

The most important thing is that this must be structured in such a way that—at the end of the day—the middle class pays less out of pocket for income tax than they currently do for income tax plus property taxes.

I’ve worked to deliver for Orange County for the past 10 years, and I have the experience and wherewithal to continue doing so because the job is not done.

A lawn sign supporting James Skoufis in Port Jervis, N.Y. on Oct. 21, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

The Epoch Times: If you were reelected, would public safety be one of your priorities too?

Skoufis: I’m a law-and-order Democrat, and that’s why law enforcement organizations such as Orange County Deputy Sheriffs Police Benevolent Association and New York City Police Benevolent Association have endorsed me.

When the bail reform came to vote, it was included in the state budget. If I had voted ‘no’, I would have defunded the police because there was money for state troopers in that budget too.

But the important thing is that I knew the reform was not put together in the best possible manner, and I’ve supported common sense fixes and will continue to push for more.

I support changes to the discovery law, too. The key piece to be changed in the law is that there is not enough protection for witnesses against potential retaliation in gang-related cases.

The Epoch Times: You said that as a Democrat, you’ve broken with your party in the past on some of the votes. What are your Democratic values?

Skoufis: I am a Democrat who believes that our party should be out representing and fighting for working-class and middle-class people who don’t have lobbyists and who don’t have lawyers up in Albany looking over bills for them. We ought to be the fighters for the average men and women in Orange County and New York State.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of my colleagues get lost in these fringe issues that a really small and extreme faction cares about and push them at the expense of the rest 70 or 80 percent of the people.

They lose sight of the fact that people don’t ask a lot from their government. They just want good schools, good hospitals, good roads, a good environment, and lower taxes. That’s not rocket science. I think a lot of voters have become frustrated because elected officials lose sight of those very basic issues that need tending to.