# Elect Joseph Lamanna for NYS Assembly > Elect Joe Lamanna for NYS Assembly District 130 (Wayne County & Webster) --- ## Home URL: https://www.electlamanna.com # Fighting for Upstate Sign up to stay updated! ## World class experience, working class roots **Joe is not a politician. He's a problem solver.** He spent his career as an engineer and union president, negotiating, enforcing agreements, and standing up for hundreds of working families across NY. Joe understands how choices made in conference rooms ripple through kitchens, classrooms, and job sites and ultimatley affect us. Joe is running to represent us - fellow neighbors, and New Yorkers. This is about **uplifting upstate** and making it livable for the next generation of working families. With Joe as your next Assemblyman, **no town will be left behind** in District 130. Learn More ## Fighting for Us! **Joe stood up to big corporations** fighting for workers when they needed him the most - and he won. Protecting nearly 3,000 jobs and worker benefits. He's ready to fight for us again in Albany. ## Make a plan to vote! ###### General election ## November 3rd 2026 ##### Check if you're registered to vote ##### Wayne County ##### Monroe County Vote ###### ## JOE'S TOP PRIORITIES ###### Affordability **You Shouldn't Have to Choose Between Groceries and Gas** The cost of living in this district hits people in ways that Albany barely notices. Property taxes are crushing families. And here's something that shouldn't be possible: Wayne County is the fifth largest agricultural producing county in the state, generating over $104 million in fresh fruits, vegetables, livestock, and milk - and yet residents in parts of this district have nowhere nearby to buy groceries. That is a failure of policy. - I'll push for expanded property tax relief through STAR and ENHANCE STAR that actually reflects what rural homeowners pay...not formulas designed around Westchester County. - I'll sponsor legislation directing the state's Food Access Expansion Grant Program, which provides infrastructure funding for supermarkets, food cooperatives, and permanent farm stands in underserved regions, specifically into Wayne County. We will recruit a grocery store. Period. [New York Governor](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/during-hunger-action-month-governor-hochul-announces-more-500-million-dedicated-increase-food) - I'll push for a state-granted mobile market circuit - trucks that hit Sodus, Wolcott, Rose, Butler, and other food-sparse corners of this district every single week, accepting SNAP and EBT. The technology and the model already exist. The will to fund it is what's been missing. - I will oppose every unfunded state mandate that lands on Wayne County towns without a dollar attached. Those mandates are a hidden tax on every family in this district, and I'll vote no and make noise every time one comes through. - Most homes here heat with propane or oil, not natural gas. I'll fight for HEAP increases that reflect the real cost of staying warm in a rural district, not some statewide average that doesn't match what people are actually paying. ###### ECONOMIC GROWTH **We Grow the Food. We Can Grow Our Economy** People in this district have been clear: jobs have disappeared, towns that used to thrive no longer do, and families doing everything right are still struggling. This is what I hear at every diner and every community meeting. [Waynetimes](https://waynetimes.com/news/new-yorks-130th-assembly-seat-draws-interest-as-manktelow-announces-he-wont-seek-reelection/) - I'll create a Farm-to-Shelf Pipeline for Wayne County. We produce over $104 million in fresh agricultural products every year and some of that produce ends up in stores in New York City before it ends up on shelves 10 miles from the farm. I'll sponsor a direct farm-to-retailer matching program connecting Wayne County growers to grocery chains, school cafeterias, and regional hospital food services — with streamlined contracts and reduced distribution barriers. Produce local, buy local. That's not a slogan — that's an economic development strategy. - I'll invest in Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES trade pathways. Not every student in this district is going to a four-year college, and there is nothing wrong with that. I want every kid in Williamson, Palmyra, and Newark to have a direct, funded pathway into welding, electrical work, HVAC, plumbing, automotive, and healthcare trades. I'll push for dedicated state funding to expand BOCES enrollment capacity and modernize facilities so those programs can serve more students. - I will demand that broadband gets treated as infrastructure in this district, not a bonus. Webster has it. Wolcott and Rose don't. That gap is an economic wall. I'll push for ConnectALL funding prioritization in District 130 and I won't let Albany treat rural broadband like a nice-to-have. - I'll champion agri-tourism tax credits for farms along Lake Ontario — orchards, pick-your-own operations, vineyards, and event venues. Keeping tourism dollars local, with local families, on local land, is economic development that actually fits this district. - I'll make sure Webster's gets the smart investment it needs with preservation of open space and parks - while making equally loud demands for Wayne County. I'm not picking one over the other. Both sides of this district will have a fierce advocate in Albany. ###### PUBLIC SAFeTY **You Deserve to Feel Safe Where You Live, Work, and Sleep** Public safety in a rural district like this one isn't just about crime. It's about whether a fire truck shows up. Whether an ambulance gets to you in time. Whether the deputy covering a 200 square mile stretch of Wayne County has what he or she needs to do the job. Albany tends to write public safety policy with New York City in mind — and rural counties like ours get left scrambling. That ends with me. - **I'll secure equipment and technology grants for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.** The state has distributed $127 million in law enforcement technology grants and I will make sure Wayne County gets its fair share and not just whatever's left after downstate agencies take their cut. Modern dispatch systems, and communication equipment are not extras when you're covering a county this large and this rural. - **I'll fight for a real solution to the volunteer fire and EMS staffing collapse.** New York State has lost between 30 and 40 percent of its volunteer firefighter workforce since 2000, with some departments down to barely enough members to keep operations going. Fire commissioners want the tools to keep community fire departments serving and saving lives including the ability to offer nominal pay for volunteers, something already offered in New Jersey and Connecticut. I'll push that legislation through and stop letting Albany delay it another session. - **I'll take the opioid and fentanyl crisis seriously with real infrastructure, not press releases.** Trafficking networks are active throughout this region. Investigations have uncovered fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine distribution networks throughout Central New York. Wayne County has a public health response but not enough of one. I'll fight every budget cycle for treatment capacity, recovery housing, peer support workers, and naloxone access, and make sure our law enforcement has the resources to disrupt supply chains at the source. [New York State Attorney General](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-announces-takedown-central-new-york-fentanyl) - **I'll create non-police crisis response options that actually work.** Not every 911 call needs a deputy with a gun. Some need a mental health professional or a peer counselor. The state has already begun funding Daniel's Law pilot programs for non-police, peer-led crisis response teams for mental health and substance use emergencies. I'll fight to expand those programs into rural counties like ours so law enforcement can focus on what only law enforcement can do, and people in crisis get the right kind of help. [New York State Senate](https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/state-senate-passes-2026-27-budget) - **I'll expand domestic violence victim services and fight for law enforcement mental health support.** Rural domestic violence victims often have nowhere safe to go in a county with limited shelter capacity. I'll push for local funding and resources. And I'll back expanded mental health support for our officers and deputies, because the people keeping us safe carry a weight that doesn't just disappear at the end of a shift. Federal funding has been secured to expand mental health services for law enforcement in rural areas of New York, and I'll make sure Wayne County and Webster aren't left out of that pipeline. ###### INFRASTRUCTURE **Don't Tell Me There's No Money For Upstate Finger Lakes Region** The Lake Ontario flooding crisis of 2017 showed exactly what happens when water levels are mismanaged - villages like Sodus Point faced going underwater. The Army Corps of Engineers data showed lake levels significantly above long-term averages. That was not a natural disaster. That was a policy failure. And it can happen again if we don't do something. - I'll fight for permanent Lake Ontario flood protection funding at the state level and keep relentless pressure on the federal government and the International Joint Commission to do their job. Sodus Point and Lake communities cannot be sacrificed every time the IJC gets this wrong. - I'll secure real DOT capital funding for rural roads in Wayne County. These roads carry heavy farm equipment year-round and take a beating that the DOT capital plan does not adequately account for. I'll be in every budget negotiation making that case. - Between 2019 and 2022, New York lost 17.5% of its certified EMS practitioners, and rural communities face far greater distances between patients and hospitals. The system is a patchwork where EMS response is at the mercy of time of day, proximity of an ambulance, and the availability of staff. I will not wait for someone in Galen or Savannah to die waiting for an ambulance before I act. I'll push for a rural EMS stabilization fund, a real increase in the volunteer tax credit from $200 to at least $2,500, and state baseline funding so local municipalities aren't carrying this alone. - I'll fight for Environmental Facilities Corporation funding to modernize aging water and sewer systems in smaller Wayne County towns before they fail. - I'll protect local highway department budgets from Albany's budget ax. Those crews are what keeps this district moving. When state aid gets cut, they're the first to feel it and I'll be the loudest voice in the room opposing those cuts. ###### HEALTHCARE **Closing a Maternity Ward Is Not a Solution, It's a Crisis** After more than 70 years of delivering babies in Wayne County, Rochester Regional Health has begun the state approval process to close inpatient labor and delivery services at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital the only hospital in the entire county. If approved, most patients would be redirected to Rochester General Hospital, roughly 35 miles away. For some rural residents, travel times could exceed 45 minutes, particularly during winter weather or emergencies. That's not a transition. That's a healthcare desert in the making. [Finger Lakes Daily News](https://www.fingerlakesdailynews.com/local/newark-wayne-hospital-seeks-closure-of-maternity-unit/)[FingerLakes1](https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2026/05/30/newark-wayne-birthing-center-closure-faces-growing-opposition-as-state-review-begins/) The closure sparked immediate concern throughout Wayne County, prompted calls from elected officials for state intervention, and left many residents wondering what comes next. I will use my seat in Albany to intervene in the DOH review process directly, demand a full rural impact analysis, and pursue legislation that requires hospitals serving rural counties to maintain essential obstetric services or face real funding consequences. This fight is not over. [Finger Lakes Times](https://www.fltimes.com/opinion/in-focus-newark-wayne-ending-birthing-services-is-a-warning-sign-for-the-finger-lakes/article_eeb55446-b864-418f-81db-e92c8653d168.html) - I'll fight the Newark-Wayne maternity closure with every tool available to me - in the DOH process, on the Assembly floor, and in the press. Newark-Wayne is the only hospital in Wayne County. That is not a convenience. It is a lifeline, and I will treat it like one. [News10NBC](https://www.whec.com/local/newark-wayne-community-hospital-announces-closure-of-labor-and-delivery-unit-this-year/) - I'll push for permanent telehealth reimbursement parity and state investment in telehealth access hubs inside BOCES facilities, libraries, and community centers - so residents without reliable broadband still have a path to care. - I'll fund opioid recovery infrastructure in Wayne County every budget cycle. Not just crisis response - treatment beds, recovery housing, and peer support that keeps people alive and rebuilds families. - I'll back state legislation to cap routine outpatient pricing and require genuine price transparency. When you have no choice but to use Newark-Wayne, you shouldn't be surprised by an outrageous bill three months later. - I'll push for state mental health funding targeted at rural districts for youth, for veterans, and for families with nowhere nearby to turn. ###### Accountability **Corruption in Albany - This Is Where We Fight!** Albany has a corruption problem. It has a transparency problem. And it has a habit of treating rural upstate districts like they don't matter until election season. That stops with me. - I'll publish a real-time public dashboard - every vote I cast, every lobbyist meeting I take, every donor who gives to my campaign. Not because I'm forced to. Because the people in Lyons and Webster have a right to know whose interests are being served in that chamber. - I'll co-sponsor legislation to create a truly independent ethics commission with subpoena power and public reporting - not a review board stacked with Albany insiders who protect their own. - I'll demand public, line-item disclosure of how state money gets allocated by region. Right now, downstate interests dominate budget negotiations and rural districts like ours get whatever's left. I want every taxpayer in this district to be able to look up exactly what came back home from Albany under my watch. - I'll hold monthly open town halls in person - in Lyons, Sodus, Webster, Newark, Wolcott, and Williamson. Not on Zoom. In a room, face to face, answering real questions. If I can't explain a vote to the people back home, I shouldn't be casting it. - I'll break the "message bill" racket. Albany is full of legislation introduced to make members look productive that was never meant to pass. I'll keep a public running tally of what I've introduced versus what I've actually moved - and I'll name the performative politics that keeps rural communities stuck while Albany pats itself on the back. This district grows food that feeds the state. Its families built the region's economy with their hands. They deserve an assembly member who shows up and actually fights - not just shows up. Fighting for our Upstate Communities! ##### It is never wrong to do the right thing ##### -Mark Twain Insert quote text here ###### This is ## NY Assembly District 130 **130,000 People, 16 Towns, One District** ###### news & press ## Latest Campaign Developments ###### Support Our Campaign ## We're fueled by local people. We don't have deep pockets, we don't have corporate backing, and we don't accept any super PAC funding. Your contributions help us continue to advocate for local ownership, local jobs, and local decision making - demanding our seat at the table. Your Donation is Matched through NYS Public Matching Funds ###### Sign up to ## Request a Yard Sign **Our campaign will deliver you a** ***Joe Lamanna for NYS Assembly*** **lawn sign at no cost. We appreciate your support!** **Lawn Signs will be delivered.** --- ## About URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/about # About Joe President/CEO, Advanced Innovative Solutions Strategic Planning Manager, FCA Assembly Engineer Engineering Delegate (National Negotiations) State C.A.P. Chairman (UAW, NY) Local Union President ## From the Factory Floor to Strategic Leadership Joe is not a career politician. He is an **engineer, labor leader, volunteer firefighter, local public servant and a term limits** candidate who has spent decades fixing complex problems and standing up for working people. He knows Upstate communities need more than slogans and broken promises. They need leadership that understands jobs, taxes, emergency services, infrastructure, and the pressures facing families every day. Joe is running for Assembly to bring practical judgment, fiscal discipline, and a steady voice for Wayne County and Webster. #### Proven Leadership ###### Meet Joe! ## Working class roots, world class experience Joe and his Mother**Dear Neighbors,** I am honored to introduce myself as a candidate for the New York State Assembly in District 130. I am the proud son of Italian immigrants who came to the United States when I was six years old in search of opportunity and a better life. My parents taught me the value of hard work, personal responsibility, and perseverance. My father started as a barber before opening his own shop, and my mother worked long hours as a punch press operator. After school, I would go to my father’s barbershop to shine shoes and sweep floors. That small shop taught me the importance of showing up, earning respect, and taking pride in honest work. Joe and his granddaughtersAt 18, just before graduation, I was forced to leave home. Instead of giving up, I went to work, opened Lamanna’s Auto, and studied for my GED at Holy Family Church in Camillus, NY. That experience shaped who I am. It taught me resilience, humility, and what it means to build something from the ground up. Over time, I worked my way up through Chrysler and later Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, now Stellantis, serving in engineering, quality, manufacturing, management, and strategic planning roles. My work took me across the country and around the world, where I helped improve strategic goals and business initiatives by improving efficiency, processes, supply chains and budgeting. After 34 years, I retired in 2018 after overseeing major projects and programs. While working full time, I earned degrees in Engineering and Political Science, along with a Master of Business Administration. I am also the founder and president of Advanced Innovative Solutions; an engineering consulting firm focused on solving complex technical challenges. Throughout my career, I also served in leadership roles with several UAW locals, representing engineering, clerical, and administrative professionals. As a union steward, chairman, president, and Community Action Program Chairman, I helped negotiate labor agreements, advocate for workers, and work with local, state, and federal officials on legislative advocacy that strengthen communities and protect American jobs. Joe at UAW negotiationsPublic service has always been personal to me. As a volunteer firefighter, I serve alongside my neighbors to help protect lives and property. I also serve on the Williamson Town Planning Board, Board of Assessment Review, and as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. These roles have shown me how important local decisions are to families, neighborhoods, farms, small businesses, and the future of our communities. My wife, Suzie, and I are both originally from Syracuse where we met in the early 2000s; we have four adult children and six grandchildren. For the past decade, we have proudly called District 130 home. We were drawn here by the rural character, strong communities, and the beauty of Lake Ontario. I believe District 130’s strength comes from the people who keep it running: farmers, small business owners, teachers, first responders, town workers, mechanics, construction crews, nurses, and retirees. You are the backbone of this district, and you deserve a representative who respects your work and listens to your voice. I am not a career politician. I am a problem solver with real-world experience, a record of service, and a deep commitment to this community. I am running to protect the character of our towns, support responsible development, strengthen our economy, and make sure Wayne County and Webster is heard in Albany. Joe and his wife SuzieWith your support, I will make sure District 130 is neither forgotten nor left behind by Albany. Together, we can build a stronger, more prosperous, and more united future for our communities. With hope and determination, *Joe* **Your candidate for NYS Assembly District 130** **Born** Categories can be edited in the sidebar **Raised** Put where you grew up here **Married** Put year here **Children** List children and maybe their ages **Party** Put party here **Education** Put degree and school here Salary Increases Pensions improved Health care protected $250 million new work ## Bargaining for America Joe was involved in the historic negotiations for workers on the national bargaining committee - his advocacy led to a contract that delivered on health care, economic gains, and workers' rights. #### Accomplishments & Results ## Lamanna Family, Friends & Hobbies #### A path beyond polarization. --- ## Priorities URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/priorities ## What I Believe District 130 deserves someone who shows up with a backbone and a clear sense of what they stand for. So here it is, plain and simple. **Pro-Constitution.** All of it. Not just the parts that are politically convenient this week. The First Amendment, the Second Amendment, due process, equal protection - the whole document. The Constitution isn't a menu you order from. It's the foundation everything else rests on, and I'll defend it that way. **Pro-rule of law.** Nobody is above it. Not a politician in Albany. Not a corporation with a good lobbyist. Not anyone. When the law applies to everyone equally, communities like ours are safer, fairer, and stronger. The moment we start making exceptions for the powerful, we lose everything that makes this country worth fighting for. **Pro-working family.** The family running a farm in Williamson. The nurse driving 40 minutes to Newark-Wayne. The welder who went through BOCES and built a life here without a college degree. These are the people this district is made of, and every decision I make in Albany runs through one question: does this make their life better or harder? **Pro-local control.** The people closest to a problem almost always understand it better than someone in a state office building 250 miles away. I'll fight to keep decision-making in the hands of towns, villages, and counties — not handed over to Albany bureaucracies that have never set foot here. **Pro-free press and open government.** Democracy only works when people know what their government is actually doing. I'll vote for transparency, support a free press, and publish my own record openly — because sunlight is the best accountability tool there is. **Pro-environment, pro-common sense.** I believe in clean water, clean air, and protecting the Lake Ontario shoreline and farmland that define this district. I also believe environmental policy has to work for the people who live on that land, not just for the people who vacation near it. **Pro-veteran.** This district sent people to serve. We owe them healthcare, housing, mental health support, and the respect of actually funding those commitments instead of just putting a bumper sticker on a truck. **Pro-small business.** The hardware store in Palmyra. The diner in Lyons. The florist and gift shop in Webster. The farm stands on Route 31. The independent restaurants facing labor, food, and utility costs. These businesses are the economic backbone of this district, and I'll fight every regulation, every mandate, and every tax that makes it harder for them to stay open. **Pro-dignity.** Every person in this district — regardless of where they were born, what they look like, or how they vote — deserves to be treated with basic human dignity. That's not a political position. That's just being a decent person. **Pro-truth.** I won't tell you what you want to hear if it isn't true. I won't promise what I can't deliver. And when I'm wrong, I'll say so. **Pro- term limits.** I've committed to serve only two terms and signed a pledge to that effect. ###### LEARN MORE ABOUT ## JOE'S TOP PRIORITIES ###### Affordability **You Shouldn't Have to Choose Between Groceries and Gas** The cost of living in Wayne County and Webster hits people in ways that Albany barely notices. Property taxes are crushing families. And here's something that shouldn't be possible: Wayne County is the fifth largest agricultural producing county in the state, generating over $104 million in fresh fruits, vegetables, livestock, and milk - and yet residents in parts of this district have nowhere nearby to buy groceries. That is a failure of policy. - I'll push for expanded property tax relief through STAR and ENHANCE STAR that actually reflects what rural homeowners pay — not formulas designed around Westchester County. - I'll sponsor legislation directing the state's Food Access Expansion Grant Program, which provides infrastructure funding for supermarkets, food cooperatives, and permanent farm stands in underserved regions, specifically into Wayne County. We will recruit a grocery store. Period. [New York Governor](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/during-hunger-action-month-governor-hochul-announces-more-500-million-dedicated-increase-food) - I'll push for a state-granted mobile market circuit - trucks that hit Sodus, Wolcott, Rose, Butler, and other food-sparse corners of this district every single week, accepting SNAP and EBT. The technology and the model already exist. The will to fund it is what's been missing. - I will oppose every unfunded state mandate that lands on Webster and Wayne County towns without a dollar attached. Those mandates are a hidden tax on every family in this district, and I'll vote no and make noise every time one comes through. - Most homes here heat with propane or oil, not natural gas. I'll fight for HEAP increases that reflect the real cost of staying warm in a rural district, not some statewide average that doesn't match what people are actually paying. ###### ECONOMIC GROWTH **We Grow the Food. We Can Grow Our Economy** People in this district have been clear: jobs have disappeared, towns that used to thrive no longer do, and families doing everything right are still struggling. This is what I hear at every diner and every community meeting. [Waynetimes](https://waynetimes.com/news/new-yorks-130th-assembly-seat-draws-interest-as-manktelow-announces-he-wont-seek-reelection/) - I'll create a Farm-to-Shelf Pipeline for Wayne County. We produce over $104 million in fresh agricultural products every year and some of that produce ends up in stores in New York City before it ends up on shelves 10 miles from the farm. I'll sponsor a direct farm-to-retailer matching program connecting Wayne County growers to grocery chains, school cafeterias, and regional hospital food services — with streamlined contracts and reduced distribution barriers. Produce local, buy local. That's not a slogan — that's an economic development strategy. - I'll invest in Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES trade pathways. Not every student in this district is going to a four-year college, and there is nothing wrong with that. I want every kid in Williamson, Palmyra, and Newark to have a direct, funded pathway into welding, electrical work, HVAC, plumbing, automotive, and healthcare trades. I'll push for dedicated state funding to expand BOCES enrollment capacity and modernize facilities so those programs can serve more students. - I will demand that broadband gets treated as infrastructure in this district, not a bonus. Webster has it. Wolcott and Rose don't. That gap is an economic wall. I'll push for ConnectALL funding prioritization in District 130 and I won't let Albany treat rural broadband like a nice-to-have. - I'll champion agri-tourism tax credits for farms along Lake Ontario — orchards, pick-your-own operations, vineyards, and event venues. Keeping tourism dollars local, with local families, on local land, is economic development that actually fits this district. - I'll make sure Webster gets the smart investment it needs with preservation of open space and parks - while making equally loud demands for Wayne County. I'm not picking one over the other. Both sides of this district will have a fierce advocate in Albany. ###### PUBLIC SAFTY **You Deserve to Feel Safe Where You Live, Work, and Sleep** Public safety in a rural district like this one isn't just about crime. It's about whether a fire truck shows up. Whether an ambulance gets to you in time. Whether the deputy covering a 200 square mile stretch of Wayne County or the Town of Webster has what he or she needs to do the job. Albany tends to write public safety policy with New York City in mind...and rural counties like ours get left scrambling. That ends with me. - **I'll secure equipment and technology grants for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.** The state has distributed $127 million in law enforcement technology grants — and I will make sure Wayne County gets its fair share and not just whatever's left after downstate agencies take their cut. Body cameras, modern dispatch systems, and communication equipment are not extras when you're covering a county this large and this rural. [ny](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/safer-streets-governor-hochul-highlights-101-million-investment-law-enforcement-technology) - **I'll fight for a real solution to the volunteer fire and EMS staffing collapse.** New York State has lost between 30 and 40 percent of its volunteer firefighter workforce since 2000, with some departments down to barely enough members to keep operations going. Fire commissioners want the tools to keep community fire departments serving and saving lives...including the ability to offer nominal pay for volunteers, something already offered in New Jersey and Connecticut. I'll push that legislation through and stop letting Albany delay it another session. [WBNG](https://www.wbng.com/2026/05/14/inside-new-yorks-volunteer-firefighter-shortage/)[CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/long-island-volunteer-firefighter-shortage/) - **I'll take the opioid and fentanyl crisis seriously with real infrastructure, not press releases.** Trafficking networks are active throughout this region. Investigations have uncovered fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine distribution networks throughout Central New York. Wayne County and Webster has a public health response...but not enough of one. I'll fight every budget cycle for treatment capacity, recovery housing, peer support workers, and naloxone access, and make sure our law enforcement has the resources to disrupt supply chains at the source. [New York State Attorney General](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-announces-takedown-central-new-york-fentanyl) - **I'll create non-police crisis response options that actually work.** Not every 911 call needs a deputy with a gun. Some need a mental health professional or a peer counselor. The state has already begun funding Daniel's Law pilot programs for non-police, peer-led crisis response teams for mental health and substance use emergencies. I'll fight to expand those programs into rural counties like ours...so law enforcement can focus on what only law enforcement can do, and people in crisis get the right kind of help. [New York State Senate](https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/state-senate-passes-2026-27-budget) - **I'll expand domestic violence victim services and fight for law enforcement mental health support.** Rural domestic violence victims often have nowhere safe to go in a county with limited shelter capacity. I'll push for local funding and resources. And I'll back expanded mental health support for our officers and deputies, because the people keeping us safe carry a weight that doesn't just disappear at the end of a shift. Federal funding has been secured to expand mental health services for law enforcement in rural areas of New York, and I'll make sure Wayne County and Webster aren't left out of that pipeline. ###### INFRASTRUCTURE **Don't Tell Me There's No Money For Upstate Finger Lakes Region** The Lake Ontario flooding crisis of 2017 showed exactly what happens when water levels are mismanaged - villages like Sodus Point and Fair Haven faced going underwater. The Army Corps of Engineers data showed lake levels significantly above long-term averages. That was not a natural disaster. That was a policy failure. And it can happen again if we don't do something. - I'll fight for permanent Lake Ontario flood protection funding at the state level and keep relentless pressure on the federal government and the International Joint Commission to do their job. Sodus Point and Fair Haven cannot be sacrificed every time the IJC gets this wrong. - I'll secure real DOT capital funding for rural roads in Wayne County and Webster. These roads carry heavy farm equipment year-round and take a beating that the DOT capital plan does not adequately account for. I'll be in every budget negotiation making that case. - Between 2019 and 2022, New York lost 17.5% of its certified EMS practitioners, and rural communities face far greater distances between patients and hospitals. The system is a patchwork where EMS response is at the mercy of time of day, proximity of an ambulance, and the availability of staff. I will not wait for someone in Galen or Savannah to die waiting for an ambulance before I act. I'll push for a rural EMS stabilization fund, a real increase in the volunteer tax credit from $200 to at least $2,500, and state baseline funding so local municipalities aren't carrying this alone. - I'll fight for Environmental Facilities Corporation funding to modernize aging water and sewer systems in smaller Wayne County towns and Webster before they fail. - I'll protect local highway department budgets from Albany's budget ax. Those crews are what keeps this district moving. When state aid gets cut, they're the first to feel it...and I'll be the loudest voice in the room opposing those cuts. ###### HEALTHCARE **Closing a Maternity Ward Is Not a Solution, It's a Crisis** After more than 70 years of delivering babies in Wayne County, Rochester Regional Health has begun the state approval process to close inpatient labor and delivery services at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital...the only hospital in the entire county. If approved, most patients would be redirected to Rochester General Hospital, roughly 35 miles away. For some rural residents, travel times could exceed 45 minutes, particularly during winter weather or emergencies. That's not a transition. That's a maternal healthcare desert in the making. [Finger Lakes Daily News](https://www.fingerlakesdailynews.com/local/newark-wayne-hospital-seeks-closure-of-maternity-unit/)[FingerLakes1](https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2026/05/30/newark-wayne-birthing-center-closure-faces-growing-opposition-as-state-review-begins/) The closure sparked immediate concern throughout Wayne County, prompted calls from elected officials for state intervention, and left many residents wondering what comes next. I will use my seat in Albany to intervene in the DOH review process directly, demand a full rural impact analysis, and pursue legislation that requires hospitals serving rural counties to maintain essential obstetric services or face real funding consequences. This fight is not over. [Finger Lakes Times](https://www.fltimes.com/opinion/in-focus-newark-wayne-ending-birthing-services-is-a-warning-sign-for-the-finger-lakes/article_eeb55446-b864-418f-81db-e92c8653d168.html) - I'll fight the Newark-Wayne maternity closure with every tool available to me - in the DOH process, on the Assembly floor, and in the press. Newark-Wayne is the only hospital in Wayne County. That is not a convenience. It is a lifeline, and I will treat it like one. [News10NBC](https://www.whec.com/local/newark-wayne-community-hospital-announces-closure-of-labor-and-delivery-unit-this-year/) - I'll push for permanent telehealth reimbursement parity and state investment in telehealth access hubs inside BOCES facilities, libraries, and community centers - so residents without reliable broadband still have a path to care. - I'll fund opioid recovery infrastructure in Wayne County and Webster every budget cycle. Not just crisis response - treatment beds, recovery housing, and peer support that keeps people alive and rebuilds families. - I'll back state legislation to cap routine outpatient pricing and require genuine price transparency. When you have no choice but to use Newark-Wayne, you shouldn't be surprised by an outrageous bill three months later. - I'll push for state mental health funding targeted at rural districts for youth, for veterans, and for families with nowhere nearby to turn. ###### Accountability **Corruption in Albany - This Is Where We Fight!** Albany has a corruption problem. It has a transparency problem. And it has a habit of treating rural upstate districts like they don't matter until election season. That stops with me. - I'll publish a real-time public dashboard - every vote I cast, every lobbyist meeting I take, every donor who gives to my campaign. Not because I'm forced to. Because the people in Lyons and Webster have a right to know whose interests are being served in that chamber. - I'll co-sponsor legislation to create a truly independent ethics commission with subpoena power and public reporting - not a review board stacked with Albany insiders who protect their own. - I'll demand public, line-item disclosure of how state money gets allocated by region. Right now, downstate interests dominate budget negotiations and rural districts like ours get whatever's left. I want every taxpayer in this district to be able to look up exactly what came back home from Albany under my watch. - I'll hold monthly open town halls in person - in Lyons, Sodus, Webster, Newark, Wolcott, and Williamson. Not on Zoom. In a room, face to face, answering real questions. If I can't explain a vote to the people back home, I shouldn't be casting it. - I'll break the "message bill" racket. Albany is full of legislation introduced to make members look productive that was never meant to pass. I'll keep a public running tally of what I've introduced versus what I've actually moved - and I'll name the performative politics that keeps rural communities stuck while Albany pats itself on the back. This district grows food that feeds the state. Its families built the region's economy with their hands. They deserve an assembly member who shows up and actually fights - not just shows up. ###### ON THE ISSUES ## Where I Stand ###### IMMIGRATION **This Is Personal, and I Won't Pretend Otherwise** Let me be honest with you about something that almost nobody in Albany wants to say out loud: the farms in this district could not function without immigrant labor. That is a fact. New York farmers have said plainly that the Hispanic labor force is it — that it's not like when you could get kids in the neighborhood to work on a farm anymore. Even lifelong Republicans in agriculture are raising the alarm about the impact of immigration enforcement on farms and workers, because when ICE sweeps come through, even people with legal papers get caught up in it, and you can have dairy farms milking 3,000 cows suddenly unable to operate. [Nystateofpolitics](https://nystateofpolitics.com/state-of-politics/new-york/politics/2025/08/29/ny-farmers-concerned-immigration-issues) Right here in Wayne County at Wafler Farms in Wolcott, migrant apple workers on H-2A visas from Jamaica spent years fighting for a union contract — and they won it, making it only the second such farm union contract in upstate New York history. These are not faceless people. They are workers who have been coming to this county for years, harvesting the crops that make Wayne County's $104 million agricultural economy possible. Here is where I stand: I support a legal, functional, reliable agricultural guest worker system. The H-2A program is broken — too slow, too expensive for farmers, and too insecure for workers. I'll push Albany to advocate loudly to the federal government for H-2A reform that works for small and mid-size farms, not just large corporate operations. I'll also fight to make sure state labor protections for farmworkers are enforced — not gutted. These workers deserve dignity. The farmers who depend on them deserve a system that actually works. Right now, nobody has either. On broader immigration enforcement: I believe in legal pathways and secure borders. But I also believe that blunt enforcement that sweeps through a farm at harvest time, disrupts legal workers, and leaves crops rotting in the field is not smart policy. It's not good for farmers, it's not good for workers, and it's not good for this district. I'll say that clearly, even when it's uncomfortable. ###### ENERGY **Common Sense** I believe in a clean energy future. I believe we have an obligation to be good stewards and protect our environment. But I also believe that the way Albany is currently pursuing renewable energy is deeply unfair to rural upstate communities like ours, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise just to stay in good standing with downstate interests. Opponents of the state's current approach have argued that developers intentionally target rural towns upstate to avoid difficult regulatory processes and the higher expenses of larger cities — that unspoiled land is cheaper and faster to build on than constructing solar over highways or on top of existing buildings. That is exactly what is happening. Albany is siting massive solar and wind projects on productive Wayne County farmland while Manhattan buildings and Long Island rooftops sit untouched. [NEWS10 ABC](https://www.news10.com/capitol/solar-wind-infrastructure-controversy/) The Office of Renewable Energy Siting has broad authority to overrule local decision-making on where these projects go — and that has raised serious concerns among local residents, local governments, and environmental stakeholders, particularly in rural upstate regions where most of these projects are being placed. [New York State Senate](https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/thomas-f-omara/omara-senate-colleagues-seek-accountability-states) I will not let Wayne County become the sacrifice zone for the state's energy goals. Here's what I'll fight for instead: First, local communities must have a real voice in siting decisions. If a town board says no to a solar project on prime farmland, that answer deserves respect — not a state override. I'll push to reform ORES so local governments are genuine partners, not obstacles to be steamrolled. Second, the state's own energy plan has a "Sun and Soil" initiative that's supposed to support opportunities for both clean energy growth and sustained use of productive farmland — and I'll push hard to make that real rather than a footnote. Agrivoltaics — solar panels co-existing with working agriculture — is a real option that doesn't sacrifice one for the other. That's the model I'll champion. [New York Governor](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-unveils-ratepayer-protection-plan-hold-energy-companies-accountable-and-ensure) Third, rooftop solar on homes, businesses, schools, and warehouses should be the priority — not converting Wayne County orchards into solar fields. I'll push for aggressive rooftop solar incentives that put panels where people already are. Fourth, I'll support nuclear as part of the baseload conversation. The state's energy plan acknowledges that we need firm zero-emission resources like nuclear to anchor the grid as demand grows. I'm not going to pretend wind and solar alone can keep the lights on reliably in upstate New York. I'll be honest about that. [New York Governor](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-unveils-ratepayer-protection-plan-hold-energy-companies-accountable-and-ensure) Energy transition yes. Farmland destruction no. Those two things are not the same. ###### TAXES **This State Takes Too Much** New York has the highest combined state and local tax burden in the country. And the people who feel it most aren't the hedge fund managers on the Upper East Side — they're the families in Palmyra and Newark who are watching their property tax bills eat up a bigger and bigger piece of their income every year. I'll fight for a permanent property tax cap with real teeth. I'll fight against the income tax creep that drives working and middle-class families out of this state entirely. And I'll be loud about the fact that when the state talks about "revenue," what they mean is your money — money that families in this district earned doing real work, and that they deserve to keep more of. The outmigration problem in Wayne County is not just about jobs. It's about people running the numbers and deciding they can live better somewhere else. Every policy I fight for in Albany will have one test: does this make it easier or harder for a family to stay in District 130? If it makes it harder, I'm voting no. ###### Education **Parents Deserve a Voice, and Our Schools Deserve Real Funding** The school districts in Wayne County and Webster are as different as night and day in terms of resources. Webster schools are relatively well-funded. Some Wayne County districts are stretched thin. Foundation Aid has historically shortchanged rural upstate districts while directing more to downstate ones, and that's a fight I'll carry into every budget negotiation. I believe parents should have options, not fewer. Right now, every student's local education funding flows directly to their district public school whether they're taking up a seat there or not. In a district where the nearest school may be the only school, school choice looks different than it does in New York City. What I care about most is that every school in this district has what it needs to be excellent. If the school is excellent, families don't need to flee it. [Empire Center for Public Policy](https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/do-ny-families-have-school-choice/) I also believe parents have a right to know what their children are being taught. They should to be genuine partners in their child's education. I'll support legislation that increases curriculum transparency and gives parents real standing in education decisions. I'll continue to fight to expand BOCES trade pathways as an education option that rivals any four-year degree in terms of life outcomes for the students in this district. These are the issues people argue about at the kitchen table. They deserve a straight answer, not a talking point. Here's where I am on all of them. --- ## Endorsements URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/endorsements # Endorsements ###### We are strongly supporting ## Joe Lamanna for NYS Assembly #### NY WFP ###### #### IAM&AW ###### #### Planned Parenthood ###### #### United Auto Workers ###### #### Forward New York ###### **Joe is the only candidate that will be also be on the Independent line** ## Local organizations and leaders are standing together! ##### NY Working Families ##### International Association of Machinists District 65 ##### Planned Parenthood Empire State Votes ##### United Auto Workers Region 9 ##### Common Sense - Independent Line ###### joe is supported by respected voices from across our communities ## Get Involved. Speak Up. Join Us. **Add your name as an endorser and stand with Team Lamanna.** --- ## Why I'm Running URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/why # Why I'm Running # Something is broken, and you feel it right here at home. You feel it when a full day of work still does not stretch far enough. When property taxes keep climbing but classrooms are stretched thin. When young people leave because they cannot afford to stay, and seniors on fixed incomes watch costs rise without end. **This is not about left versus right. It is about people who work for a living versus a system that keeps tilting toward the very top.** While families in Wayne County and Webster balance groceries, heating bills, and gas just to get to work, a small group at the top keeps rewriting the rules to benefit themselves. They keep us arguing with each other so we stop asking why the deck is stacked against us. They use outrage to divide neighbors who actually want the same things: good schools, affordable healthcare, safe communities, and a fair shot for our kids. As long as we are pointing fingers at each other, no one is holding the powerful accountable. Interview with co-founder of Good Conflict**That divide is intentional. And it is working.** **But upstate New York has never backed down from a fight — and neither have I.** As an elected union president, my job was not rhetoric. It was results. I negotiated to protect wages, healthcare, and retirement security. I defended workers facing unfair discipline. I fought for safer workplaces and fair schedules so families could plan their lives with dignity. That experience taught me something simple: when working people are not at the table, working people lose. We are underdogs, and we know it. But this district was built by farmers, tradespeople, small business owners, and families who show up for each other. When we stand together as neighbors - not as labels - we are stronger than any political machine. And that unity is exactly what scares them. I am running to bring practical judgment and accountability back to this district. Not to divide neighbors or chase headlines, but to make sure the people who keep this community running are never again treated as an afterthought. #### In upstate New York, this has happened before... In the early 1800s, farmers, laborers, and canal workers were told the economy was not their concern. Decisions were made by powerful interests in Albany and New York City. Profits flowed one way. Risk flowed the other. ##### But something changed when working people pushed back. Local farmers, merchants, and laborers pushed for public investment instead of private control. The result was the **Erie Canal**, which ran directly through Wayne County towns like Palmyra and Lyons. It broke monopolies, lowered costs, and gave working people access to markets they had never had before. Later, the Finger Lakes became a center of reform movements that asked the same basic question in different ways. Who gets a voice? Who sets the rules? Who benefits from the system? From labor organizing to the push for broader civic participation, change here never came from the top handing it down. It came from neighbors insisting on fairness. When corporations grew so powerful they bent the rules in their favor, a New Yorker named **Theodore Roosevelt** took them on in the NYS Assembly. He believed concentrated power was a threat to democracy, whether it sat in government or in boardrooms. He used public authority to restore balance. That is the NY I know and want for my neigbors and family. #### Not chaos. Not political division. #### Every major step forward here came when ordinary people refused to accept a system that only worked for the few and insisted it work for the many. That moment always looks uncomfortable to those at the top. And it always feels overdue to everyone else. But that instinct is still right. And it is still necessary to **Uplift Upstate!** --- ## Media URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/media # Media ###### campaign media ## The 130 Tour Over the next 130 Days, we will visit all of 130th District, which comprises 130,000 people! --- ## Volunteer URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/volunteer # Volunteer ###### Sign up to ## Get Involved **Do you want to make Upstate NY a better place to live, work and play? It takes a "village" and we need your help to make history!** **Join Team Lamanna and let's get to work! We can't wait to see you!** --- ## Contact URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/contact # Contact ###### reach out ## We’ll respond asap! Feel Free to reach out to us with questions, comments, concerns or ideas. We want to hear from you! **General Inquiries:** [info@electlamanna.com](mailto:info@electlamanna.com) --- ## Donate URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/donate ## We need your support! We wish we didn't have to ask for money but it takes a lot of resources to run for public office. Volunteers have come together to support our grassroots movement, which gives a seat at the table to all who live, work, and enjoy District 130. You can [click the links below](https://secure.actblue.com/donate/joseph-lamanna-1), and it will take you to our secure donation site electronically, or checks can be mailed to: **Friends of Joseph Lamanna** **PO Box 307** **Williamson, NY 14589** Donate Here ## We’re grateful for your donations! ## How New York’s Public Matching System Works #### NYS Assembly Campaigns New York’s Public Campaign Finance Program is designed to amplify small, local donations. ##### The Matching Formula (Assembly Races) For eligible donations between $5 and $250: - **First $50** of a contribution is matched at **12 to 1** - **Next $100** is matched at **9 to 1** - **Next $100** is matched at **8 to 1** Only the first $250 of a contribution is matchable. ##### What That Means in Real Numbers #### $10 Donation - Public Match: $120 - Total to Campaign: $130 #### $25 Donation - Public Match: $300 - Total to Campaign: $325 #### $50 Donation - Public Match: $600 - Total to Campaign: $650 #### $75 Donation - First $50 at 12:1 = $600 - Next $25 at 9:1 = $225 - Public Match: $825 - Total to Campaign: $900 #### $100 Donation - First $50 at 12:1 = $600 - Next $50 at 9:1 = $450 - Public Match: $1,050 - Total to Campaign: $1,150 #### $250 Donation - First $50 at 12:1 = $600 - Next $100 at 9:1 = $900 - Next $100 at 8:1 = $800 - Public Match: $2,300 - Total to Campaign: $2,550 ##### Why This Matters - Small donors have real power - Local residents carry more weight than large outside donors - Grassroots campaigns can compete - Every dollar from a district resident goes further ##### Important Notes - Donor must live in the district - Donation must be within the eligible match range - Candidate must qualify and comply with all program rules - Matching funds are capped per election cycle Contribution rules: In accordance with NYS Campaign Finance Laws, an individual can donate a maximum of $1,050. Must be a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident (i.e., green card holder). Must be at least eighteen years old. The address I have provided is my residential address and not a P.O. Box. I certify that this contribution is being made from my personal funds, is not being reimbursed in any manner, and is not being made as a loan to the committee. For any contributor whose single contribution OR total contributions in the cycle reach $100 or more, employment information, in addition to their basic identity information, is required under NYS Campaign Finance Laws. Who CANNOT donate: Corporations, LLCs, PACs, Lobbyists, Foreign nationals, Independent expenditure committees --- ## News: Water Quality and Lake Ontario - Clean Water Is Not a Political Issue. It's a Survival Issue. URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/news/water-quality-and-lake-ontario-clean-water-is-not-a-political-issue-its-a-survival-issue This district sits on the shore of one of the greatest freshwater resources on the planet. Lake Ontario is not a backdrop. It's a drinking water source, an economic engine for fishing and tourism, a defining feature of life in Sodus Point, Fair Haven, and Williamson. And right now it's under pressure from multiple directions. Lake Ontario experiences a combination of excess nutrients in nearshore areas and nutrient decline in open waters. Too much phosphorus in the nearshore causes excessive algae growth, while low levels offshore affect the entire food web. Phosphorus from fertilizers, detergents, and organic waste promotes algal blooms that deplete oxygen in the water and harm aquatic life. Stormwater runoff carries oil, grease, salt, and pollutants directly into waterways. [Canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/canada-water-agency/freshwater-ecosystem-initiatives/great-lakes/great-lakes-protection/taking-action-protect/preventing-toxic-nuisance-algae.html)[Green Venture](https://www.greenventure.ca/blog_water_pollution_in_lake_ontario) We've seen what happens when this goes wrong. In 2014, a toxic algal bloom shut down the drinking water supply for half a million people in Toledo, Ohio — a Lake Erie community not very different from ours. That's not a distant cautionary tale. That's the direction we're heading if we ignore the warning signs. Here's what I'll do: I'll push for a dedicated state fund for agricultural runoff reduction in Lake Ontario shoreline counties. The phosphorus coming off farm fields is a major driver of nearshore algae problems, and we can address it through incentivized cover cropping, buffer zone programs, and smarter fertilizer timing — without putting farmers out of business. I'll bring farmers and environmentalists to the same table and find the middle ground. I'll advocate for upgrades to municipal stormwater systems in Wayne County towns. When it rains hard in Sodus or Williamson, what runs off the streets goes somewhere. Right now in too many places, it goes straight to the lake. I'll fight to keep the IJC accountable not just for water levels but for water quality, and I'll push for state investment in water quality monitoring infrastructure along the Wayne County shoreline so we catch problems early instead of after the damage is done. And I'll make sure the state's Clean Water Infrastructure Act dollars actually reach rural counties like ours — because too often that money gets captured by larger municipalities with more lobbyists and better grant writers. **If you want to link an external news source,** open up the accordion for this item on the sidebar and switch the Post Publishing Setting to “Custom Link”. --- ## News: Tariffs and Trade - Our Farmers Didn't Start This Trade War, but They're Paying for It URL: https://www.electlamanna.com/news/tariffs-and-trade-our-farmers-didnt-start-this-trade-war-but-theyre-paying-for-it Let me be direct: the federal government's tariff policies are hitting the farms of Wayne County hard. The New York Farm Bureau has been clear — they oppose tariffs. Canola meal that feeds dairy cows comes from Canada and is now more expensive. Farm equipment parts cross the border multiple times before reaching a farm, and each crossing adds tariff costs. Energy costs are going up. And a 25 percent tariff on aluminum has a potentially devastating impact on farming operations that depend on it for equipment and infrastructure. [Nystateofpolitics](https://nystateofpolitics.com/state-of-politics/new-york/news/2025/03/13/new-york-farm-bureau--tariffs-on-ag-will-impact-farmers-and-consumers-) New York's dairy and apple farms are grappling with rising costs, tariffs, and fluctuating market prices all at the same time. These farms are not corporations with hedging desks and financial cushions. They are family operations where a bad year means a real conversation about whether to sell the land. [Nystateofpolitics](https://nystateofpolitics.com/state-of-politics/new-york/news/2025/08/25/new-york-farm-economy) Here's where I'll put my energy at the state level: I'll push for a state agricultural emergency relief fund that can be activated quickly when federal trade policy creates sudden cost shocks — not a slow-moving grant program that arrives after the damage is done. I'll advocate for state-level buy-local procurement policies that guarantee Wayne County farms a percentage of state institutional purchasing — schools, prisons, hospitals, state facilities. When federal export markets dry up, the state should be absorbing some of that production. I'll work to expand the farm-to-shelf pipeline I've already proposed so that local distribution infrastructure is strong enough that Wayne County farmers aren't entirely dependent on volatile export markets to survive a bad trade year. I'll fight to make crop insurance and disaster assistance programs easier to access for small and mid-size farms that don't have the staff to navigate complex federal paperwork. And I'll be loud in Albany about the fact that trade wars have consequences for real people in real places — and that the people growing food in Wayne County deserve to have that said out loud by someone who represents them. **If you want to link an external news source,** open up the accordion for this item on the sidebar and switch the Post Publishing Setting to “Custom Link”. --- ## Footer [Contact](mailto:Info@electlamanna.com)** Us** **Friends of Joseph Lamanna** **PO Box 307** **Williamson, NY 14589** © 2026 Friends of Joseph Lamanna. All rights reserved. [Terms of Use](/fc62b8c3-ca59-4567-9c01-e6cebd2b1fac#block-66e7b10b-78d2-42f2-a626-71f6605f4213) | [Privacy Policy](/7ad5f6a8-b457-4797-a719-c2172d3db335#block-be33bebc-b2c5-41db-ae9c-4afeb821af72)