CHENANGO COUNTY – Chenango County voters will head to the polls today to weigh-in on a number of issues ranging from local, state and federal representation to the amount of money invested in technology in their child’s classroom.

At the local level, focus in this election is heavily drawn to the race between incumbent State Senator Tom Libous and Democratic challenger Anndrea Starzak. Libous, a 26-year Republican veteran in the State Senate, is touting experience and works done for the community to give him an edge.

“I don’t think that there is any one greatest problem,” Libous said in a September debate with Starzak. “I think in order to do this job properly, you have to look at a multitude of things to help move us forward.”

Libous is also riding on what he says have been major successes for New York’s 52nd Senate District. Libous was influential in keeping the Binghamton psychiatric center open and implementing the Start-Up New York Program to attract new businesses to areas with state-run colleges and universities.

“If you're going to bring new people and new businesses into NY, you have to have something to grab them,” he added.

Starzak, however, says programs like Start-Up New York lack the long-term fix needed for areas like the Southern Tier. She is running on a platform centered heavily on education and improving the local economy.

Starzak said during a campaign stop in Chenango County in August that she intends to use her experience as a retired school teacher and former Town of Vestal Supervisor to advocate for statewide changes in health and education, promote good jobs and fair wages, improve infrastructure, and bring an end to corruption in Albany.

“We need a new Senator who works for all of us and who will put the needs of the people above her own,” said Starzak. “It’s time for a change.”

This also marks an election year for the seat of New York State Governor. While incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) is seeking re-election for a second term, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino is running a campaign that emphasizes the state’s slow economic growth in what he claims to be the worst state to do business.

During a springtime campaign stop in Norwich, Astorino said New York is “losing” under current leadership.

“We have the worst economic outlook in America. We have the worst business climate in America. We have the most corruption in America. We have the highest electricity in America,” Astorino said. “No matter how you objectively look at it, we are losing.”

Astorino is running on a platform to cut taxes for homeowners and cut spending for state-run programs. Moreover, he pledges to ease the tax burden on businesses to help create new jobs. He has also vowed to address the controversial issue of natural gas development by permitting gas drilling in the state – a contested decision he said will ultimately create more jobs, bolster the local economy and reduce electric bills statewide. In recent months, he has come out strongly in opposition of the New York Safe Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act, which was implemented under Governor Cuomo in 2013.

Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo is running on a track record of economic growth that includes four on-time state budgets, lower property tax growth rate, lower unemployment and the a new tax freeze for eligible homeowners.

According to Cuomo’s campaign website (andrewcuomo.com), four years of responsible fiscal leadership has turned the state’s $10 billion deficit into a projected $2 billion surplus.

“With spending under control and government spending down, the State could cut taxes and reverse the mentality of New York as the tax capital of the nation, an image that defined New York for decades,” Cuomo’s website says.

In the 126th Assembly District, incumbent Republican Assemblyman Gary Finch will appear on the ballot agains Democratic challenger Diane Dwire.

With her military background in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Dwire has been campaigning on a promise to protect quality of life by banning hydrofracking (pending further research), lowering taxes and cutting government spending, advocating for the Women’s Equality Act, and taking a zero tolerance stance for elected officials who abuse the powers of office for personal gain.