Former Cayuga County Democratic Committee Chairman Ian Phillips announced his campaign for New York State Assembly this week.
Philips said while the district may be a difficult one to win, he hopes to bring people together.
“It’s a difficult district but I really feel, extremely strongly, that there is more reasonable people who want to see things get done than unreasonable people who just want to hear shouting,” Phillips said.
If elected, Phillips said he plans to focus on central New York’s affordability crisis, environmental protection and education. He says representing the district’s communities in Cayuga and Onondaga County may look different, but both deserve strong leadership.
“Our communities are diverse and our problems are diverse, but that’s quite honestly what makes central New York so great,” Phillips said. “We have the rural communities, we have the wonderful Finger Lakes, but we also have small cities in this district and villages that have different problems and need support from the state.”
He said he hopes to bring the American Dream closer to central New York.
“I think we need to make it more affordable for people to achieve the American Dream here in central New York,” Phillips said. “It’s being kind of stripped away from us here in central New York. Being able to afford a home when you have lots of medical debt or student loan debt, or just the groceries being unaffordable is extremely tough to deal with.”
Phillips is the current regional political director for New York State United Teachers, the statewide teachers union, as well as president of the Auburn City School Board.
The 126th Assembly District seat is currently held by Republican John Lemondes.
