Delgado addresses hundreds in Claverack

CLAVERACK — More than 225 people filled the Churchtown Fire Hall to hear U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-19, answer questions about migrant labor, opioid addiction, bail reform, climate change and vaccines at a town hall in Claverack on Saturday.

The town hall, Delgado’s fourth in Columbia County and 35th since taking office, concluded a week of engagements in the district.

In his opening remarks, Delgado said he strives to listen to his constituents irrespective of their party affiliation.

“I’m a Democrat. Two-thirds of the people I represent do not share my party,” Delgado said.

He cited his Family Farmer Relief Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in August, as an example of his ability to work across party lines.

A vocal group in attendance wanted to discuss vaccines.

Outside, as people exited at the end of the town hall, six people held up signs saying “no more mandates” for vaccines. One person held up a sign that read, “Measles is a beneficial disease.”

During the question period, Stu Summer said he and several other people had contacted Delgado’s office about vaccination laws, but received the same letter back.

“We have been trying to educate you about this issue, and you have been a stone wall,” Summer said. “Are you going to mandate that every adult in this country be vaccinated to the CDC schedule?”

Delgado said he is aware of the issue but takes a different position.

“And I’ll continue to do the research, and if I, in doing so, am informed differently, then I will change my point of view.”

“The issue for me is that it is a public-safety issue,” he continued, which caused the room to break into chatter and calls of dissent.

Delgado said he would continue to educate himself. “I want to be clear. Never have I said that I trust the pharmaceutical industry. But what I am saying is we are thinking about how we can ensure that our young people, the vast majority of which are being vaccinated for various diseases, how we ensure that the vast majority of these young people whose parents have taken the step to protect them in this regard are also protected,” he noted.

A theme of Delgado’s remarks was that corporate interests, including Big Agriculture and Big Banks, have an outsized effect on how the government operates.

Barbara Ullman, of Claverack, who since 1983 has owned an apple orchard managed by Yonder Farms, said she is concerned about the supply of migrant and guest farm workers. She asked the congressman if there is anything he can do to help. Small, family-owned farms need more attention from Washington, Delgado responded. He supports the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would streamline the hiring process for farms and create a pathway to legal residency for seasonal workers who pass a background check, he added.

Claverack Town Justice Michael Brandon spoke about the bail-reform law, which went into effect in New York on Jan. 1.

“I feel this bill was passed very quickly and was not thought out completely,” Brandon said.

Delgado said he does not have a say in bail reform, which is a state law. But he said he believes the cash-bail system penalizes defendants who are poor.

“We have to be mindful of what we are trying to correct for,” he said. “And what we are trying to correct for, I think, at the federal level, is how do we get to a place where the criminal-justice system is equitable in that regard?”

Andrew Vallas, of Hillsdale, said he thought some of Delgado’s information about opioids did not hold up under scrutiny.

Delgado responded he believes in taking a compassionate tone when talking about addiction, and he disagrees with those who would prefer a punitive approach.

Vallas disagreed.

“What you’re saying does not work,” Vallas said.

Delgado pointed to the work of Chatham Police Chief Peter Volkmann, who Delgado invited to attend the State of the Union in January. Volkmann’s Chatham Cares 4 U Initiative is “thoughtful and creative enough to have a real impact,” Delgado said.

Cheryl Qamar asked if Delgado would be willing to support a walkathon for water.

He said he would, citing his support of the PFAS Action Act to set enforceable maximum contaminant levels for PFAS chemicals and improve systems for wastewater management. PFAS is perfluorooctanoic acid, an ingredient used in industrial chemical processes, and is a contaminant that has been found in some water supplies in the region.

Craig Bender, of Ghent, asked about finding common ground on climate change.

Climate change is already having an impact on farmers, Delgado said, citing flooding, soil health and the increase in Lyme disease.

There’s a moral and economic imperative to act, he said. “All of the job growth is in a green job economy.”

Delgado said investing in renewable energy, weatherization and water-management technologies would create jobs and sustained economic growth.

The Green Jobs and Opportunity Act, which Delgado introduced in August 2019, would train students for jobs in wind and solar energy, he pointed out.

“That includes helping our farmers develop carbon sequestration techniques,” Delgado said. “Incentivizing them, not burdening them.”