PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. -
A familiar face is giving
it a second shot to represent the North Country in Congress. Matt Doheny
defeated Doug Hoffman in the primary in 2010, but narrowly lost in the general
election to incumbent Democrat Bill Owens. He and Doug Hoffman split critical
votes.
"I got beat by 1,900
votes and a fellow Republican took over 11,000 on the Conservative line,"
Doheny said.
The investment banker from
Watertown has a different opponent in the primary this time. Kellie Greene is
an international business consultant from Sacketts Harbor.
"I'm the Main Street
kind of girl and he is the Wall Street type of guy and the Washington
insider," Greene said.
Doheny's main focuses are
job creation, reducing taxes, spending cuts and fewer regulations for
businesses.
"I'm a business guy
that would go in, invest and help turn around troubled companies, companies
that are beat up and bankrupt where things have gone wrong, and say look what
type of opportunities do you need to run things around, whether it is too much
debt or operational inefficient those situations help me understand what drives
businesses," Doheny said.
Greene holds a similar
position on the economy. She is also focused on rural health care.
"We have a big lack
of nursing homes and that in-between stage; assisted living. So I would work hard
to attract more of those private entities up here, entities that accept things
like Medicare and Medicaid," Greene said.
Doheny views Plattsburgh
as a suburb of Montreal and supports free trade and the flow of goods across
the border to help re-energize the North Country economy. For the first time,
the Adirondack Park will be represented by one Congressman and Doheny will
focus on technological advances in the park.
"To make sure we have
the basic infrastructure for the 21st century; cellphone coverage, broadband
here, that would allow small businesses to start to flourish and spring
up," he said.
Greene, too, is focused on
telecommunication infrastructure. She is also interested in upgrading current
infrastructure, not spending billions on new roads that take decades to build.
However, building a bridge between Burlington and Plattsburgh is a priority.
"When we already have
this infrastructure, we need to be utilizing it. We also need to be investing
in our rail infrastructure. We haven't been doing that in our country in a long
time and in the North Country we don't just need roads, we need manufacturing
companies that have easy access," Greene said.
Going into the primary
Doheny has rallied a lot of support. He has picked up nearly every endorsement
from Republican, Conservatives and Independents, hoping to eliminate the
spoiler factor this time.
"Voters will have a
clear choice-- somebody who has the backing of the Republican, Independent and
Conservative lines and a clear choice against our current Congressman, a
Democrat," Doheny said.
"I don't think the
Party should be meddling in the primary. This endorsement game just really
taints the process," Greene said.
To vote in Tuesday's
congressional primary in New York you must be a registered Republican. The
polls are open from 12-9 p.m.
There is also a three-way
race for U.S. Senate. The winner will challenge Democratic incumbent Kirsten
Gillibrand in November.
Matt Doheny
Kellie Greene
