Campaign finance reform. That’s what 24th Congressional District Democratic nominee Dana Balter said was the most important issue facing Congress during a forum Tuesday night in Syracuse University’s Grant Auditorium.

Her focus on campaign finance reform indicates that Balter is a candidate who wants to focus on the people, rather than corporations or wealthy donors. It’s commendable that Balter encouraged political discussion with students and, throughout the forum, proved herself to be passionate about fair representation in the congressional district.

Plenty of questions were asked throughout the evening, and many answers were drawn back to a central idea: Congress needs more leaders who will represent the people who elected them. Anyone who attended the Balter forum can clearly see that she’s someone who would do just that.

Balter’s two weeks away from an election that could flip a congressional seat. But, if you went to the forum without any prior knowledge about Balter or her campaign, that would be hard to tell. She’s running against incumbent Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus). And she rarely mentioned or even referenced her opponent during the forum at SU. Balter, though, drew a stark contrast between herself and Katko, regardless.

She also presented herself as a deeply thoughtful and analytical person. She made it clear that she’s not a follower, and would be more than willing to approach legislation with an open mind.

More important than the answers she gave Tuesday night was the fact that Balter was willing to hold a forum on SU’s campus, at all. She’s facing off against an opponent who has become infamous for not being accessible to his constituents. It may be overlooked in the grand scheme of things, but Balter took time out of her schedule only two weeks before the election to create a conversation on campus. That deserves credit.

The forum was important for both Balter’s campaign and students at the university. While students were given the chance to discuss issues with a potential representative, Balter indicated that, even beyond this public setting, she would use her platform to fairly represent the people of central New York. Constituents deserve to have someone as passionate and thoughtful as Balter.

Nick Turner is a senior political science and policy studies major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at nturner@syr.edu.

Published on October 23, 2018 at 10:19 pm