Democrat Minita Sanghvi is in her second term as Saratoga Springs’ Finance Commissioner. But as the fall elections approach, she’s hoping to win a seat in the New York state Senate. Sanghvi hopes to unseat longtime Republican Senator Jim Tedisco of the 44th district.
In an interview with WAMC, Sanghvi says she’s working to outline her priorities as well as a different approach to the Senate seat.
Mr. Tedisco has been in office for 47 years, and, you know, of late has gotten quite ineffective. Out of 1000 plus bills that the New York State Senate passed that were signed by the Governor, he has sponsored only two out of which one was a local law. So, you know, that's not a lot of substance we are getting from our state senator, and considering that he is making one of the highest wages of all the legislators across the country, our district is really suffering. You know, we don't have somebody who is really advocating for our district. There are no new ideas coming out of his office. I mean, if you've had 47 years to put things in place, like we've basically seen what has come out of there, and there's not a lot. So, I think it's time that we have some new ideas come in. People are really excited about an innovation corridor idea that we've been proposing. People are really excited about climate change initiatives. I mean, here is Jim Tedisco, who has voted against complete streets. And, you know, I really care about the environment, and the walkability of a town or village or city is key to that. You know, sidewalks are important, and as we go door to door, we've seen a lot of people want more sidewalks. They want more bike lanes. And I'm a strong proponent of complete streets. So, you know, these are the differences that are fundamental, and the people are really responding to our message.
Sanghvi says her campaign’s focus on issues within Saratoga Springs and beyond is resonating with voters. The 44th District encompasses Saratoga Springs, South Glens Falls, Niskayuna, as well as a portion of Schenectady.
I made certain campaign promises when I got when I was running for election in 2021 where I said, you know, we are going to get the third fire station done. We got it done. We got 16 new firefighters hired. We got a homeless shelter. We said, you know, this is an issue that Saratoga Springs is going through. We funded a homeless shelter when we are looking at simple things that need to be done. The question is, is he getting the job done at the end of the day, it's one thing to write something in a local newspaper. It's one thing to shout something out at a rally or go to a ribbon cutting. But the question is, are you bringing funds to the district? You know, he came to the third fire station for the opening that the city funded, and we were able to get funds from Congress with, you know, the help of Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, who were fantastic to work with. And the state did not give us any money, you know. And here he comes for the opening, for the ribbon cutting, but doesn't actually do something for our community, and that's the critical piece here. People are tired of just someone showing up but not getting the job done.
Sanghvi’s time on the Saratoga Springs City Council has coincided with major tensions between officials and city residents. Sanghvi says she has been able to work with members of the council to advance the priorities of city residents, and plans to take that experience to Albany if elected.
Everybody's problems are different. You know, Schenectady has more of food insecurity. Niskayuna, you know, there's the water bills, there is, you know, more sidewalks, the needs are different. In Moreau, it's the Saratoga biochar in Milton, it's the mill town development that many people are, you know, opposed to. In Charlton, it's more about solar farms. So, all these areas have different needs and different requirements, and it's important that their representative in the state senate knows those talks to the people, spends time with them. And being on the city council, first in a dem majority city council, and now in a Dem majority Republican minority, and now a two-two council, it's really taught me that we if you want to get progressive things done, if you want to get forward thinking things done, really the best way, no matter who is at the table, is to work together. You know, Mayor Safford and I have been working on the issue of homelessness from the get go, and we've been able to have conversations with the county on these issues, and that's been really helpful. And we've, you know, finally got. The county buying this incredible piece of land in Saratoga Springs on Ballston Avenue that will permanently house the Code Blue shelter. This is a big deal and many years in the making, but we were able to do that because we were all working together for the same goal. We are able to get things done, and as long as you're willing to work together, find ways of compromising, find ways of, you know, talking to people, things, things can improve.
In recent days, Republicans launched a statewide effort to defeat Prop 1 on November’s ballot. The Equal Rights Amendment would enshrine abortion rights and gender protections in the state constitution. Sanghvi is a supporter of the measure.
I believe that we should enshrine in our constitution that it is not okay to discriminate against people based on their national origin, their religion, their gender, their sexual orientation, their gender expression, their pregnancy outcomes. This is something fundamental. And you know, people think, ‘oh, New York is such a safe space.’ But it may not be if somebody like Lee Zeldin, for example, was to get elected governor. Suddenly, all of those rights that we take for granted may not be something that we can rely upon. And so, I think it's important that the ERA pass. And now keep in mind, my opponent has voted against the ERA, not once, but twice in the state legislature in 2022 and in 2023 and that really shows right, that if you can't even believe that all people are created equal and should not be discriminated against, those are some basic fundamental rights that we as Americans believe in, and I think it's important the public knows that, and it's important that we elect someone who believes in these fundamental rights and freedoms that all Americans should get.
Sanghvi acknowledges that representing the priorities of her upstate constituents may lead to disagreements with downstate Democrats if she makes it to the legislature. She says she’s ready to work with officials from all sides of the political spectrum and all across the state to help the district.
Some of the main things that I'm hoping really to bring to the table. One is my finance expertise. I've, you know, worked in in low paying jobs. I have worked in corporate America. I've worked in academia. I'm really hoping to bring my expertise in business and finance to the State Senate. But also, sometimes New York [city] has a different perspective in that they don't necessarily always understand the issues that rural America faces—the rural upstate New York spaces face. Whether it's our farmers, whether it is, you know, simple things like cell coverage in these areas, things like dental coverage. You know, we don't have enough dentists. We don't have enough social workers. And the bus mandate is a really good thing. You know, where we are talking about the electrification of busses. But a lot of our schools here, you know, have talked about how they don't have the funds, or even the power abilities, right? They don't have the resources to make this happen, and so really, sort of helping downstate senators understand the realities of upstate life is something I'm hoping that I can bring to the table for our district.
WAMC has requested an interview with Tedisco.