Michael Vass discusses NY Congressional candidate George Phillips
On Friday, July 23rd, I had the opportunity to interview the Republican challenger for the House of Representatives seat currently held by 18 year incumbent Rep. Maurice Hinchey. The interview was held at the Endwell campaign office, at 11am. The interview was scheduled to be 30 minutes and actually went an hour. Video of the interview is currently being edited for upload and distribution via Youtube (there are 4 parts to the interview running 9 minutes each).
I was able to interview Mr. Phillips because his office responded to the open letter that was sent to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (as well as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Charles Schumer, and all the candidates running against them in the up-coming mid-term elections). To-date Rep. Hinchey has failed to respond to the open letter (as well as all the elected officials seeking re-election).
Prior to my coverage of the 2010 mid-term elections I was unaware of George Phillips. So when I had the chance to interview him I was very interested. The first impression of George Phillips and his organization is that of one that is organized and personable. It is also obvious that Mr. Phillips does not have the massive financial backing that is common for incumbent elected officials. The campaign office was unasuming, efficient and neat. It was the model of a grassroots effort devoid of corporate or political special interests. One of the most immediate things I noticed was that in the office besides posters, flyers, and other promotional information that you would expect, a copy of the Constitution was also available for disbursement to visitors.
Mr. Phillips himself was quite refreshing. Unlike the overly polished and practiced persona that many elected officials present these days, Mr. Phillips is just a regular middle class New York resident, in fact a teacher when not running for elected office. On the day of the interview he was juggling 2 personal events with the needs of a candidate on the political trail. Considering the time constrains he was quite relaxed and refreshingly open.
In my interview with Mr. Phillips I had the chance to discuss several issues that many New Yorkers have voiced concerns about. The economy (both local to Central NY and nationally), jobs, “green” innovations, the Tea Party, the Obama Administration, the national debt, the Obama Stimulus, Health Care Reform, and his background were all issues on the table. Sadly, in covering all the above issues we ran out of time before we discussed the issue in the open letter (which I hope to cover in a future interview).
Overall I found Mr. Phillips informed and concerned. He presented an interest in the issues that voters in Central New York have, as well a desire to present those issues directly to the public. I had the impression that Mr. Phillips would love to debate Rep. Maurice Hinchey (something that Rep. Hinchey has refused to do in the last and current election cycles).
I will not presume to decide for voters on the worth of Rep. Hinchey or George Phillips. Both have experience in government (Hinchey as an incumbent, Phillips in his work as an aide), and both are qualified. Both have issues that play to their respective political bases as well as those on the opposite side. But I believe that an informed voter is one that hears both sides before making a decision.
I suggest that voters review the interview with George Phillips, contact Rep. Hinchey and request a debate between the candidate and the incumbent, and learn about the beliefs of those running. It is through this process that the best possible candidate can be elected for the 22nd Congressional District of New York. Anything less is a disservice to voters.
