WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - With affordability, public safety and rising energy costs weighing on Hudson Valley residents, Democratic incumbent state Sen. Pete Harckham and Republican challenger Sergio Esposito are offering competing visions for New York’s 40th Senate District ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Harckham, a South Salem resident first elected to the Senate in 2018, is seeking another term based on his legislative record, bringing state funding to local communities and efforts to provide financial relief to taxpayers.
Esposito, a Yorktown councilman and deputy supervisor, is campaigning on reducing state spending, strengthening public safety and bringing his experience in local government, business and law enforcement to Albany.
Each candidate recently sat down with Halston Media (in separate interviews) to discuss his priorities and positions on issues affecting the district.
Affordability and taxes
Both candidates identified affordability as a leading concern, although they offered different approaches to addressing it.
Harckham pointed to the state's permanent 2% property tax cap, middle-class income tax reductions and increased state education funding as measures that have helped residents.
"Six of the eight budgets I've helped negotiate, we've cut middle class taxes," Harckham said, adding that the reductions have benefited households earning up to $350,000 annually.
He also highlighted expanded property tax exemptions for seniors, veterans and first responders, along with universal school meals and the expansion of pre-kindergarten programs.
Harckham said more than $350 million in additional education aid has flowed to schools in the district during his tenure, along with approximately $40 million in discretionary grants for municipalities, first responders and nonprofit organizations.
He argued that greater state support reduces the burden on local property taxpayers by distributing educational costs across a broader tax base.
Esposito, meanwhile, criticized the growth of New York's state budget and the burden it imposes on taxpayers.
He called for reducing waste, fraud and unnecessary spending while eliminating unfunded state mandates that force municipalities to raise property taxes.
Esposito also pointed to his record in Yorktown, where he said investments in infrastructure and efforts to attract businesses have strengthened the local economy.
A small-business owner and former president of the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce, Esposito said he would bring a business perspective he believes is often missing from state government.
"I'm talking about the mom-and-pop shops, the people on Main Street," he said. "I know what they need."
Energy and environment
The candidates offered strongly differing perspectives on New York's energy policies—especially regarding the potential restarting of the shuttered Indian Point nuclear power plant, which ceased operation in 2021.
Harckham, chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, defended the state's transition toward renewable energy, arguing that solar power and battery storage represent increasingly affordable alternatives to fossil fuels.
He rejected the suggestion that New York's climate legislation is primarily responsible for rising electricity bills, instead citing natural gas prices, increased demand and the costs of upgrading an aging electrical grid.
Harckham also dismissed reopening Indian Point as economically and politically unrealistic, citing the cost of restoring nuclear generation and restrictions contained in the plant's closure agreement.
"Indian Point is not a realistic option," he said. "It's not a realistic option because all the signatories aren't going to agree to it, but it's certainly not an affordable option."
Esposito strongly disagreed, arguing that closing Indian Point contributed to higher electricity costs and reduced the region's energy supply.
He supports exploring new nuclear generation at the site, including smaller modular reactors, while also expanding natural gas production and other energy sources.
"I don't want solar. I don't want wind. I don't want hydro. I don't want nuclear. And I don't want gas. I want all of it," Esposito said, emphasizing his support for a diversified energy portfolio.
He also expressed conditional support for hydraulic fracturing where appropriate, while advocating rooftop solar installations and incentives for homeowners.
Despite their differences, both candidates acknowledged the importance of local input in energy development.
Harckham said freestanding battery storage facilities should remain subject to local zoning decisions, while Esposito criticized large solar projects that require extensive tree clearing.
Public safety and immigration
Public safety and immigration enforcement emerged as another significant dividing line.
Esposito, who serves as a Westchester County deputy sheriff, criticized New York's bail reform policies and restrictions on cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
He argued that judges need greater discretion to detain individuals accused of serious offenses and that state policies have made law enforcement more difficult.
"We need to untie the hands of law enforcement so they can do their job," Esposito said.
He also discussed the murder in Chicago of Yorktown college student Sheridan Gorman, whose family has endorsed his candidacy, and criticized policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. (Jose Medina, Gorman's alleged killer, was in the U.S. illegally and had previously been arrested for shoplifting and released from custody.)
Harckham expressed sympathy for the Gorman family but disputed Esposito's interpretation of New York's immigration policies.
He maintained that restrictions on formal cooperation agreements concern civil immigration enforcement and do not prevent cooperation in serious criminal investigations.
"Nobody wants violent criminals on the street," Harckham said. "There should be cooperation. If someone has a judicial criminal warrant [as opposed to a civil warrant] our local police should be helping."
Harckham also defended the state's gun safety legislation, including expanded background checks, restrictions on ghost guns and measures addressing firearms in domestic violence situations.
Esposito, an immigrant from Italy, said his personal experience informs a more nuanced position on immigration than voters might expect from a Republican.
He supports deporting immigrants who commit serious crimes or are subject to lawful removal orders, but also favors establishing a path toward legal status for undocumented immigrants who have lived peacefully and worked in the United States.
"We need to find some kind of middle ground here because we do have people here that came here illegally that have set up lives here now," Esposito said.
He suggested work visas and background checks as possible components of that process.
Roads and infrastructure
Both candidates agreed that deteriorating roads throughout the district require greater attention.
Harckham said he has helped secure more than $300 million in road projects since taking office, including improvements to state routes throughout Northern Westchester and Putnam counties.
He pointed to planned work on routes 118, 129 and 202 in Somers, explaining that deteriorating roadbeds, drainage systems and culverts often require extensive reconstruction rather than simple resurfacing.
Esposito called for increased state highway funding and more aggressive maintenance schedules.
He cited Yorktown's efforts to shorten its municipal road paving cycle as an example of what can be accomplished through increased investment and local leadership.
"Our roads are crumbling. State roads are in complete disrepair," Esposito said.
Experience and philosophy
Beyond individual policies, the candidates emphasized different qualifications for the position.
Harckham pointed to his legislative accomplishments, including measures addressing opioid addiction, education funding, environmental protection and gun violence.
He also emphasized constituent services, noting that his office has assisted thousands of residents and organized food drives, blood drives and overdose prevention training.
Harckham said his approach to representing the district transcends political affiliations.
"Half the municipalities I represent are Democratic, half are Republican," he said. "Everyone gets the same money. Everyone gets the same effort."
Esposito emphasized his experience as a municipal official, business owner, former chamber president and deputy sheriff.
He described himself as a moderate Republican willing to work across party lines, arguing that Albany would benefit from greater political balance.
"I believe a middle-of-the-road Republican and a middle-of-the-road Democrat have more in common than less in common," he said.
For voters, the choice centers on whether to continue Harckham's approach of expanding state investment and advancing legislative initiatives or embrace Esposito's call for tighter spending controls, expanded energy production and changes to public safety policies.
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