Redistricting has placed much of Cortland County in the 131st Assembly District, where incumbent Republican Jeff Gallahan is unopposed for his second two-year term.
Gallahan got his first taste of public service in Ontario County as a Manchester town councilman for four years then town supervisor for 11 years, according to his Assembly biography.
He worked as a journeyman machinist at the General Railway Signal Co., then Cutting Tool Sales and various manufacturers, moving up the ranks to eventually serve in management roles.
Gallahan and his wife, Lynn, founded CR7 Food Trailer and Catering in 2017.
His district includes all of Cayuga County, and Cortland County except the city of Cortland and towns of Cortlandville, Virgil, Harford and Lapeer.
Broadband
Coming from a rural county, Gallahan found the need for internet access critical, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools and businesses relied on remote access.
“I would drive to libraries and there would be eight or nine cars with parents in the front seat and kids in the back seat doing their school work,” Gallaher said.
Farmers also are limited when they cannot access the internet, he said.
Some gains in broadband access have been made in the last couple of years when
State legislation reduced fees for rights of way in recent years, bringing more access, Gallahan said. Now he wants to work with both Republicans and Democrats to extend internet service, possibly by extending subsidies to providers. He said he sees the need as similar to the expansion of electrical service in rural areas in decades past.
“Everyone needs to have internet connectivity,” he said. “If they don’t, it is a huge disadvantage in all aspects of life.”
Child care
Child care is not just a family problem but an economic one, Gallahan said.
“It is a huge problem for my constituents,” he said.
Parents can’t work if they cannot find affordable child care, he said. That makes it difficult for parents as well as companies who are struggling to find employees.
He suggested state funding to help facilitate more child-care options and encourage employers to help resolve the child-care shortage.
Opioids
While the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines for more than two years, the national proliferation of opioids has received less attention, although the problem has gotten worse, Gallahan said.
“There is more addiction to opioids than before the pandemic,” he said.
Gallahan said more must be done to eliminate the stigma of drug abuse, possibly through education in schools.
“There is a stigma,” he said. “There shouldn’t be. There is no difference between those illnesses and cancer or heart disease.”
State bail reform has limited the ability of police to get treatment for people who have opioid addictions, Gallahan said. Incarceration can provide an opportunity to find help, but releasing defendants quickly eliminates the opportunity.
“That fuels the fire for people to go out and steal and support their habit,” he said.
Economic development
Gallahan said his experience serving on the Ontario County Industrial Development Agency has given him insight on how to use incentives to attract businesses and jobs.
He suggested a state program to provide tax incentives to employers who maintain jobs for more than a year. Tax revenue from added employment would help fund the incentives.
Curbing state taxes and regulations on businesses would help to keep jobs in the state, he added.
Agricultural jobs are important, especially in the rural 131st Assembly District, Gallahan said. He said state legislators have to be educated about what it takes to operate a farm. He said many did not understand the economic harm caused by the state’s recent lowering of the overtime threshold for farm workers, which dropped to 40 hours from 60.
