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Tim Allers is a “regular guy” from New Haven who is running for New York State Assembly’s 120th District Seat (currently held by Will Barclay, who is retiring at the end of this term).
Allers graduated from Mexico High School, then received a degree in geology from SUNY Oswego before getting a masters in construction management from SUNY ESF. He’s spent time managing construction sites across the country, including the construction of SUNY Oswego’s very own Richard S. Shineman Center.
So, why is he making the jump into politics? “This is my favorite place in the world to be,” he told iHeart Oswego. He spoke of feeling, in decades past, that the district has been “underrepresented and left behind” by politicians who didn’t fight for the interests of the area as a whole and how that left him wanting to “find a better way forward.”
On poverty and child hunger, Allers spoke of the need to fully staff the Department of Social Services to better support families—an ongoing issue in Oswego County—and the need to fight for living wages no matter the work, so that no one who is working full-time is living in poverty.
Allers pointed to the importance of a stronger economy in reducing child hunger and making it possible for families to thrive here. We need to “make better use of the resources available to our region” to spur that much-needed economic growth, starting with the district’s strong recreation base (fishing in the summer, snow sports in the winter, and hiking year-round), to better support the families who live and work here.
“What are we doing to encourage people to stay, and show gratitude to those who do?” he asked. “Other than having [new facilities] here, how will we protect the people here?”
When questioned on his stance about Flock and other AI-enabled cameras, Allers’ answer was simple: “It has the potential to cause more problems than it solves.” He cited examples of AI “misbehaving” and skirting the rules of its programming, in addition to issues of accuracy, as reasons for the government to be incredibly cautious of these cameras.
From there, the conversation moved to data centers and the importance of “doing it smart” after the moratorium on new data centers expires: ensuring the businesses behind these facilities are paying their share to revamp aging infrastructure; requiring closed-loop cooling systems to reduce water usage; and having a plan in place for decommissioning sites that accounts for recycling and reusing the water. “Residents have to pay twice with facilities like that,” he said. “Many times, the decommissioning process is completely forgotten about when calculating the cost of having that facility, but it should always be included as part of the negotiations.” He spoke of the importance of protecting residents not just in the short term, but the long term.
As for business development in general, the candidate spoke of making more use of the district’s natural infrastructure and of listening to what the people who live here want: “We have access to Lake Ontario and the river system [for shipping and manufacturing]… but it all depends on what the community wants.” He stressed several times that his personal stance isn’t as important as the views of the wider district: “My job is to be the voice of the district, whether that aligns precisely with my own views or not.”
“We spend a lot of time demonizing each other,” he added, “when instead, we should talk about how we contribute to our communities and consider whether we are asking the right questions of the folks who are driving the economy.”
On education, Allers noted the importance of critical thinking, rather than the ability to regurgitate information for a test. “The idea behind education is to learn how to think, and AI in particular has the potential to stunt that development in schools.” He also spoke of the importance of offering more opportunities for students to participate in apprenticeships and other pathways towards entering the trades.
In terms of guns, Allers emphasized the importance of these freedoms to the CNY lifestyle. “The Second Amendment is important. I don’t think anyone’s against a background check, but some of the restrictions on ammo purchases seem overbearing,” he said.
“School shootings don’t have to be a side effect of having guns,” he asserted. Exploring required service work is an option that may help prevent the radicalization of males between the ages of 18 and 25—by far the largest demographic behind school shootings. “No [gun owner] wants their name on a federal registry or to have their guns taken away,” he said. “We should [instead] be having a bigger conversation about the issue and looking out for the community.”
Tim Allers is running for the New York State Assembly seat in the 120th District, which covers Oswego County, southern Jefferson County, and northern Cayuga County. For information about Tim’s stance on other issues or to contact him, visit his campaign website. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd, with early voting from October 24th to November 1st. New York residents can safely check their voter registration here.
