Leslie Danks Burke (D-Ithaca)
JAMESTOWN – The only democratic congressional candidate to have opened a campaign office in downtown Jamestown says she’s ready to go to work for the people of Chautauqua County and the rest of the 23rd Congressional District. Leslie Danks Burke (D-Ithaca) is one of three candidates vying for the Democratic line on the November ballot, looking to unseat Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning), currently serving his first term in congress.
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LISTEN TO COMPLETE DANKS BURKE INTERVIEW
Danks Burke tells WRFA she’s disappointed Reed is not serving as a strong advocate for the region, especially when it comes to job creation.
“President Obama recently announced an infrastructure development plan that will get Americans back to work, building bridges and making improvements to railroads and highways and other infrastructure in our towns, villages, and downtowns,” Danks Burke explains, adding, “I am deeply disappointed that Reed voted against that program. We have folks that are out work in manufacturing industries and we can get those people back to work building for New York, and I want to make sure that we are doing that.”
While Danks Burke is critical of Reed – a Republican from Corning – she says she’s also aware it is important to work with others across the aisle, and if elected to Congress, that is something she plans to do.
“(The new 23rd Congressional District) is more Republican than Democrat. We need to find a candidate who is going to be able to appeal across party lines to a certain extent. I believe I can do that,” Danks Burke says. “I am a litigator and in my career I’ve done large-scale international and civil rights litigation. My entire professional career has been devoted to working across lines and making sure that product is achieved, even if people are coming at things from different viewpoints. That is a real strength of mine and I’m committed to bring that strength to the southern tier.”
Danks Burke says the primary platform of her campaign is job creation, and she’s developed a plan that focuses on manufacturing, along with developing job-creation partnerships with universities, colleges and community colleges to help bring jobs back into the region.
Because of redistricting earlier this year, Chautauqua County has been put into the newly drawn congressional district, which include 10 other counties stretching across the Southern Tier as far east as Danks Burke’s home of Tompkins County.
She is running against fellow democrats Nate Shinagawa (D-Ithaca) and Melissa Dobson (D-Corning) for the Democratic Party endorsement, with a primary taking place on June 26. The winner will square off against Reed in the Nov. 6 general election.
More information on the campaign can be found at www.lesliefornewyork.com. Her campaign office is located at 17 E. Third St., Jamestown.
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