Inside the FLX: Supervisor Evangelista talks 54th Senate

Geneva City Supervisor Charlie Evangelista doesn’t lack experience.It’s a fact that is difficult to argue with 20 years of experience on the Ontario County Board of Supervisors. His tenure has been met with multiple successes, which led to him looking more closely this winter at the opportunity to run for New York State Senator in the 54th District. Evangelista joined Josh Durso on Inside the FLX to discuss his campaign for the 54th Senate District, as well as some of the issues that are important to those living in the region.The move is one that comes with plenty political collateral on the line, as he looks to win a race in a district that is outnumbered by 14,000 voters in favor of Republicans. It wasn’t an easy decision for Evangelista – but it was one, which timing played a vital role.On Wednesday, Evangelista was at the Geneva Events Center where Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a $10 million grant victory for the City of Geneva. It was something that City Council worked tirelessly on for months, and something he remained personally invested in throughout the process. Evangelista is hopeful that the diverse issues that face this community are recognized and dealt with in a meaningful way moving forward. However, it’s a process that he understands will take time. He believes that his time as the Executive Director of the YMCA, as well as his extensive work in the past with other nonprofits make him a strong candidate for Senate.All of the candidates that have committed to running for the 54th Senate District have reconciled that in their campaigns. Voters have grown tired of the same old politics in Albany, which has recently led to multiple corruption convictions – for politicians that previously served long terms.Evangelista believes that it is imperative that a strong candidate makes it to Albany in January when the new year, and new Senate term begins. Currently, he is moving through the signature gaining phase, which will be wrapped up in the coming weeks. The next phase will be working to gain the support of his party, which will involve a lot of work heading into August.He hopes to see more growth, like the kind that has been happening in Geneva over the last several years. It’s something that has been long-overdue for the region, and he believes that even better times are ahead for a district that is bustling with growth in the tourism sector and beyond.”A lot has changed, but there has been a lot of constant over my tenure,” Evangelista explained. He believes that it’s time for the disconnect that exists between voters and Albany to be eliminated. Running for Senate was simply the next step in his personal evolution. “Unfunded mandates have to be dealt with as counties have watched their funding erode over the years,” he continued. Evangelista hopes to make bolstering the industries that are successful in the region, while ensuring that taxes are kept low, will be a winning combination for those he represents if elected in November.While he points out that he does not have the extensive financial support that other candidates have displayed or talked about – he pointed out that he believes his message will best resonate with voters. Should he make it through the Democratic Primary – he will be a formidable opponent for anyone entering the race, even with a 14,000 voter advantage on the other side of the aisle.Check out the entire interview from Inside the FLX in the video player above.