Editor’s Note: As the Nov. 8 general election approaches for U. S. President, Congress members, and state assembly and senate, KCP will ask various candidates questions about their views concerning government and the office the are intending to hold.
Republican Glenn Nocera is running against Democrat Robert “Bobby” Carroll for the 44th Assembly District seat left vacant with the retirement of longtime Assemblyman James Brennan. The district includes Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Kensington.
Nocera, who is also running on the Conservative Party line, is a born and raised Kensington native. He is a Brooklyn College Campus Police officer and for years served as the president of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club. He is currently the president of the Brooklyn Tea Party, which according to its website and Wikipedia is a movement and not a political party. It is in his role as president of the Brooklyn chapter of this movement, that KCP asked Nocera the following questions:
KCP: Besides running for the 44th AD seat, you are president of the Brooklyn Tea Party. Can you explain the political planks of the Brooklyn Tea Party?
Nocera: The Brooklyn Tea Party is about fiscal responsibility and stopping government corruption. The club was founded because many Brooklynites just got tired of being nickled and dimed to death over the daily aspects of our lives. If you looked at the increase of tolls on the bridges and tunnels or the raise of MetroCard costs, the average Brooklynite has had to spend more now than years past to travel. The recent rise of tuition of CUNY and SUNY colleges has hurt many Brooklynites. Many of us are trying to send their children through college or get more education for professional reasons. With those increases, many of us can’t afford to get the education needed to advance upward.
If you look at the recent campaign the Brooklyn Tea Party was involved in, we wanted the City Council to reverse their decision about charging an extra five cents for every plastic bag. It is an irritating fee. When someone is on a real tight budget,especially the elderly who most are on a fixed income, it then can be frustrating when you can’t afford the things you are buying because you need to be exact with your spending because of the extra cost for the bags, which is another tax on all New Yorkers . We need to try to reverse or slow down the increase of the cost of living in this city.
The Tea Party movement began following President Obama’s first inauguration leading many in the public to believe it had an obstructionist and racist agenda. Can you clear up any truths or explain misconceptions about the party regarding the rumors that it stands for no government, and is tied into some kind of extremist agenda?
To address the Brooklyn Tea Party having an extremist agenda, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our club members include people from all races and backgrounds. Having a stateless society is not what we are about. We believe the Constitution is the heart of our nation and must be adhered to.
Can you explain how, as an assemblyman, you would promote this Tea Party agenda while still being able to get things done for the district?
I would represent our district by following our Constitution and running an ethical office.
