She questioned John Byrne's claim that he has the support of small businesses after touting being endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, a special interest group funded by giant corporations.
Assemblywoman Russell said her record shows she works every day with small businesses to help grow the jobs we need in the North Country.
“The fact that my opponent has been endorsed by the NFIB, a big-money, special interest group funded by corporate interests like the Koch Brothers, tells you everything you need to know about him,” Assemblywoman Russell said.
“Meanwhile, I helped make paid family leave a reality, and I’m fighting for equal pay for women. Mr. Byrne’s big-business ally opposes those measures to help workers,” she noted.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses is opposed to paid family leave, the fair pay act and earned and paid sick days.
Assemblywoman Russell helped save nearly $200 million for businesses through the elimination of the manufacturing tax. She drove vital funding to roads, bridges and water projects in the North Country because a solid infrastructure is key to attracting and keeping businesses here.
She supported small businesses and veterans by enacting a tax credit for hiring veterans and securing tax credits for farmers.
When the pharmaceutical plant in Massena was going to close its doors, Assemblywoman Russell went to bat for the workers there, sitting down with management and working with them to save North Country jobs.
Assemblywoman Russell’s farm-to-school program, which has already been adopted by 16 North Country school districts, has also benefited the local economy.
The program has opened new markets for local farmers and provides healthy meals to students – a win-win for North Country families.
“My opponent has proven time and again that he’s out of touch with the issues that matter to hardworking North Country families,” Assemblywoman Russell said.
“He wants to hold us back and give major corporations more advantages, while I’m focused on building a brighter future for the working men and women of the North Country," she added.
"My opponent needs to do his homework before shouting out baseless claims contrived by his handlers. I'm proud of the work I do on a daily basis to assist small business owners from one end of the district to the other. They know I am here to fight for them," the assemblywoman pointed out.
Assemblywoman Russell said Mr. Byrne's baseless attacks appear to be the strategy of a candidate who realizes he can't match her record of getting results, bringing state money into the region to aid local schools restore vital programs, helping bring a Boys and Girls Club to Massena, providing funding to assist initiatives to fight poverty in Watertown and stepping up when the town of Orleans needed money for a critical municipal water project.
"This latest attack is just another example of Mr. Byrne trying to overstate his accomplishments to throw voters off his record of failures. But the voters can see the hypocrisy of my opponent touting his endorsement by a group funded by the major corporate interests one minute and then decrying the control he charges special interest groups have on Albany in his next breath. Voters need and want an authentic voice representing them in the New York State Assembly, and they know that is what I provide on a daily basis," she noted.
