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By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

Democratic candidate Nicholas Chase is running to unseat incumbent Assemblyman Chris Tague in the 102nd Assembly District.

“I grew up on a small farm outside of Oneonta, New York, and went on to study pre-law and political science at Hartwick College,” Chase said. “About three years into my degree I hit some financial hardship and needed to take an indefinite leave of absence. This coincided with the start of the pandemic, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to do for work. I started substitute teaching at a local school.”

Chase worked at the school on a per diem basis for the rest of the academic year, and decided he liked teaching so much he wanted to return. He was assigned to teach middle school science and later taught fourth grade, before moving on to teaching high school English.

His time as a teacher motivated Chase to run for political office, he said.

“Those students, and conversations with those students, are what inspired me to run for office,” he said. “Middle schoolers complain about everything under the sun. They would complain about high gas prices, the low price of milk because a lot of them are farmers — this is a conservative district. And they complained about Democrats, and as a Democrat, I was upset that our youth was viewing us this way, so I decided to run to host a bipartisan campaign to get things done and ensure Central New York works for my students post-graduation.”

He said he wants to bridge the gap between the two major political parties.

“We need bipartisan representatives. We have 13-year-olds with a hatred towards Democrats because that’s all they are taught,” Chase said. “And you have Democrats who have a hatred of Republicans. We need to understand that compromise is key. I’m running a bipartisan campaign. We need to realize that all of us want the same thing — we want a better place to live in New York. And if we stop fighting each other, we will be able to get that.”

Chase thinks expanding access to broadband is one of the 102nd Assembly District’s most significant challenges.

“The lack of broadband is an important one. The pandemic really exacerbated that,” Chase said. “We need broadband to succeed in such a technologically advanced society. I had kids that would miss out on lessons because they weren’t able to Zoom in, especially with the quarantines that would happen here and there. There is a huge learning gap that resulted because of the lack of broadband and it’s important for our small businesses, as well as homeowners. A lot of them don’t have access, especially in upstate New York.”

Aiding farmers is another key issue, he said.

“I talk to farmers a lot because this is a very agriculture-based district and a lot of them are worried about the property taxes,” Chase said. “I think the property taxes are too high — it is really bogging them down. So I did some research — no one ever proposes solutions, they just say, ‘I stand by farmers’ — and I looked into the past.”

Chase said he would propose legislation similar to a Depression-era solution — the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 — to help farmers with their property taxes, he said. His plan would add a tax to industry that buys raw materials from farms, and then turn that money over to the farmers to cut down on their property taxes.

He also thinks that as a rural district, schools in the 102nd Assembly District need a boost in funding.

“Our rural schools are chronically underfunded and with education being the biggest part of the budget, you would think that wasn’t an issue, but it is,” Chase said.

With agriculture a major industry in the district, Chase said he would not vote along party lines on a contentious issue in the region — whether the overtime threshold for farm workers should be lowered. Farmers have come out against the change, which was approved recently by the state’s Farm Laborers Wage Board. The move received support from many state Democrats, but was fiercely opposed by most Republicans.

“I would have voted against that,” Chase said. “I think a lot of people pushing that bill aren’t experienced when it comes to small farms in upstate New York. We can’t put them out of business. I understand the logic behind it and it looks good on paper, but when put into practice, our farmers are really struggling.”

To spur economic growth as inflation and gas prices remain stubbornly high, Chase said he would look to bring new industry into the district.

“I think reindustrializing our area is what is going to be best for our economy,” he said. “Farming is a big part of it, but we’ve got to work on both — industry and farming are both essential aspects of that. As for rising prices, I know it’s difficult — I have to drive to work every day, I have to buy groceries as well, this is just something we are going to have to deal with for a short period of time until we are able to overcome it because it is a global issue.”

With abortion and reproductive rights taking center stage on a national and state level, Chase said he supports the pro-choice movement.

“I am a firm supporter of abortion rights and women’s health care,” Chase said. “As a man, I have no right to tell a woman what she can and can’t do with her body. A lot of Republicans that want government to stay out of their lives don’t realize that banning a woman from having an abortion is coming into someone’s life and telling them what to do with their body. They need to realize the hypocrisy of that so we can fix the situation.”

“I am very glad that abortion was safeguarded in New York’s Constitution — that bill was passed basically codifying it — and I would support Gov. [Kathy] Hochul’s bill to allow out-of-state people to be protected if they seek an abortion in New York state,” he added. “I agree with that 100% because it’s a fact — it is getting outlawed in other states around the nation and if they want to come to New York to get their abortion, I would welcome them with open arms.”

Watch the full interview with Democratic candidate Nicholas Chase, running for the 102nd Assembly District, at https://theupstater.com/interview-nicholas-chase-candidate-for-102nd-assembly-district/

Election Day will be Nov. 8.