In late July, Queensbury Democrat Jean Lapper announced she would challenge Republican New York state Senator Dan Stec of the 45th district. Lapper, a CPA by trade who has never held elective office, has been campaigning across the district, which extends across much of the north and northeastern section of New York. During a recent stop in Plattsburgh, Lapper spoke with WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley about what issues she’s hearing about from residents.
What I am finding that’s resonating with people is my stance on protecting reproductive rights and reproductive health care and more access to reproductive health care because its lots of areas in the North Country that are truly a desert for reproductive health care and other healthcare services as well. And again that’s more prevalent the further north I go than it is say down in Glens Falls and Queensbury, where I live, where we have more, much more, medical services in a good hospital. But beyond that the investing in small businesses, protecting the environment, providing more affordable housing for working families, providing more child care resources for working families, that’s resonating everywhere. And then the last thing that I’ve been focusing on is, or maybe the first thing is, investing and finishing out the broadband project that New York state has been working on for way too long and the North Country has really suffered as a result. And that resonates everywhere.
Well Jean Lapper one of the things that you mentioned was the environment and obviously the Adirondacks is a key part of the Senate district. Just recently Paul Smith’s College issued a report on how climate change is affecting the Adirondacks. What can New York state, and what could you as a state Senator, do to help the Adirondacks, help the entire region? We’re seeing more changes in our rain, snow patterns. So what could you as a state senator do to do something about climate change?
Sure. Well I have just having lived here for the last 35-plus years I’ve seen the change. I’ve seen it get warmer. Our winters are warmer. I see that we get more rain and more heavy rain storms. I’ve seen the change in the lakes where the temperature has increased and we’re seeing more invasive species and other things that are harmful. And I think one of the things that is important is for us to support the New York state Environmental Bond Act which will be on the ballot this November. It provides $4.2 billion of funding for clean water and clean air infrastructure as well as providing many other climate goals. It’ll provide money for green jobs which is essential for this area to bring jobs to the area. And it’ll be an area where our young people can have jobs and we can work with our colleges like Paul Smith’s and ESF and SUNY Canton, Potsdam and SUNY Plattsburgh. So I think it will be a win-win for the North Country. And if we adhere to these climate goals that New York state has we will help by slowing down the increase in the temperature.
Jean Lapper, many of the GOP including the Republican incumbent Dan Stec and the Democratic Assemblyperson for this region have been very critical of the new New York state gun laws. What’s your stance on those gun laws?
Well I think that New York needed to respond to the Uvalde shooting as well as the shooting in Buffalo and we need to keep as well as the Supreme Court ruling, so it was a required response. The most recent dustups have been over whether or not hunters can legally hunt in the Adirondack Park and whether or not these historical reenactments were able to be held. Which apparently they are as I attended one at the Wilder Farm in Malone and it went off without incident. And clearly I believe that we need to change some of the language to clarify. Any reasonable person would think that hunters and other people you know carrying their guns in the Adirondack Park should not be felons and should not be arrested for protecting themselves. So these are the kinds of things that I think were, we’ve created a lot of political stunts actually around these issues as opposed to providing a reasonable, a reasonable response, which is to change the language where we can allow people to own their guns while keeping the general public safe.
Jean Lapper one of your concerns has been women’s reproductive rights. New York state guarantees that right. So what else would you want the New York state Senate and the Assembly in general to do in the wake of what’s going on federally?
Yes, well, so first of all we need leaders in New York that is going to push back against any federal bans, okay. It’s essential that we not stand back or not sit back at this point. We know we can’t take anything for granted. We just had 50 years of precedent overturned and it’s just unconscionable that women will have to go back to these old rules. And beyond that we need to provide more access to abortion and that is something that is not very readily available in the North Country. We don’t have the right or sufficient healthcare resources available in the North Country for women to get what they need when they need it. I believe that women are able to make their own decisions. I trust that they make the right decisions for their medical care as they do for their children and their spouses and their parents oftentimes. So I think that we, I trust that we can make decisions for ourselves. And beyond that we also need to protect providers. We need to protect them so that they’re not worried about criminal charges or other legal charges so that they can keep up their skills so that we get the care that we need when we need it.
What have you learned most about the district as you’ve traveled and campaigned in it?
Well, mostly what I’ve learned is that there’s great people that live here. There’s great people that live everywhere. People want to be heard. We have a lot of very independent minded people. The North Country has always been considered a very independent minded area. And people are happy to tell you what’s on their mind and when you listen to them you can connect with them. That’s all that they want. They want to be heard.
Democrat Jean Lapper faces Republican New York State Senator Dan Stec, who is seeking his second term, in the November general election.