Helming officially kicks off campaign for 54th

On Friday, Canandaigua Supervisor Pam Helming kicked off her campaign for the 54th District of the New York State Senate.The announcement came weeks after Helming was endorsed by the Republican party for the seat. In addition to receiving the Republican Party nod, Helming has also received backing from the Independence and Reform parties, as well as the Conservative party in Wayne County.”Today, I am proud to kick off my campaign for the State Senate to serve the residents of the Greater Finger Lakes region, including Wayne County and the Town of Webster. The stakes for Upstate New York have never been higher. We need to reduce property taxes, create jobs, grow our economy, protect our Second Amendment rights and restore the public’s trust in their state government,” said Helming in a statement kicking off her campaign.Earlier in June, Helming joined Josh Durso on Inside the FLX to discuss her candidacy, as well as some of the most-important issues facing the 54th district. “First things first. We must fight the corruption in Albany and, to do that, I believe that term limits are essential,” she explained. Speaking to the trust problem in government, she explained, “Ending the era of career politicians will also help taxpayers take back state government from the special interests that drive wasteful, out of control spending and unfunded state mandates.” Helming said that full-disclosure of “outside income” is a necessity among politicians. She went on pointing out that those convicted of corruption should be forced to forfeit their pensions once conviction occurs. Some of the issues she has highlighted over the last several weeks circle back to her time serving as supervisor in Canandaigua. “Whether it’s taxes, unfunded mandates, Common Core or the SAFE Act, state government’s reach into our communities and our daily lives is expanding,” Helming explained. “I will stand up for taxpayers and stand up for our rights. I’ll work to end Common Core, continue to oppose the SAFE Act and work to repeal the measure, provide further transparency and give taxpayers a strong, resolute voice in Albany. Additionally, I will fight to bring our region its fair share of critical funding, including fighting for upstate parity to bring vital road and bridge funding in line with that of the downstate transportation allocations.”Helming faces multiple competitors on the Republican side, as well as two on the Democratic side. At this point though, multiple factors remain, such as petitioning, which will determine who can run this fall in any primary races for the 54th district.Watch Pam Helming’s entire interview on Inside the FLX in the video player below.