I'll work with anyone to ensure that people don't just get by, but have the best lives possible, regardless of political affiliation”

Blake Gendebien

BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

North Country Congressional Candidate Blake Gendebien says lowering costs, protecting rural health care, supporting agriculture and small businesses, and maintaining a strong presence in the North Country would be among his priorities if elected to Congress.

Gendebien, a Democrat, is running against Republican Anthony Constantino for the 21st Congressional District seat now held by Elise Stefanik in the Nov. 3 general election. The district includes St. Lawrence County and stretches across much of northern and upstate New York.

He is a Lisbon dairy farmer making his first run for Congress. He and his wife, Carmen, also founded the Jules of Life Foundation, which provides financial and other assistance to families of children with pediatric cancer.

In an interview with North Country This Week, Gendebien said his campaign is focused on issues he hears about from seniors, veterans, farmers, union members, small-business owners and families across the district.

He said he wants to support working families, farmers and small-business owners while addressing the challenges facing rural communities.

Groceries and Gas Prices

Gendebien said the cost of food and fuel is a major concern for rural families and farmers, who often have to travel long distances for work, shopping and other necessities.

As a dairy farmer, he said he has seen increases in the cost of diesel, fertilizer, electricity, labor and other farm inputs.

He said farm diesel was approaching $5 a gallon in the spring and that his farm uses thousands of gallons annually. At the pumps, road diesel has exceeded $6 per gallon. Higher transportation and production costs eventually move through the supply chain and can contribute to higher grocery prices, he said.

Gendebien said Congress should avoid unnecessary international conflicts that can affect energy prices. He pointed to turmoil involving the Strait of Hormuz and the potential effect on fuel costs.

He also said labor shortages contribute to higher costs.

Gendebien supports the Ag Workforce Modernization Act, which would provide a multi-year guest-worker program. He said the program should be expanded to address year-round agricultural work, including livestock operations and food processing.

The H-2A program is designed primarily around seasonal agricultural work, he said, while dairy farms and food-processing operations need workers throughout the year.

Gendebien said housing is also part of the labor problem in rural communities. He said state, private and federal resources should be used to increase housing opportunities for workers.

“If we don't have housing, we can't have the workforce,” he said.

He said rural economic development should also include opportunities for young people graduating from BOCES programs and others entering the trades or starting businesses.

He said options often reserved for students seeking higher education should be broadened to better serve all sectors of the workforce. Gendebien supports low-interest loans and programs that could help younger people take over existing businesses from retiring owners. He said this could help preserve local businesses while giving young workers a path to ownership. 

He also pointed to Massena’s existing infrastructure, including rail, natural gas, electricity and the St. Lawrence Seaway, as an opportunity for economic development.

Gendebien said the region should look for industries that can use that infrastructure rather than building entirely new systems.

He cited industrial growth in places such as Rome and Plattsburgh as examples of what could happen when communities attract new investment.

Gendebien expects data centers to become a larger part of the economy but said communities should protect their water, land and other resources when considering those projects.

He also supports solar development on rooftops and non-tillable land while protecting productive farmland.

Healthcare

Gendebien said rural health care would be one of his priorities in Congress. As a starting point, he supports bringing back enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.

He said some families drop health insurance because they cannot afford the premiums and that restoring the subsidies could help keep people insured.

He also opposes Medicaid cuts that he said would put additional pressure on rural hospitals.

Gendebien pointed to Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and Adirondack Medical Center as examples of hospitals that serve large rural areas.

He said Medicaid plays a significant role in maternity care, citing a figure of 46% for Medicaid's share of maternity care.

Gendebien said he would support rolling back Medicaid cuts and restoring ACA subsidies. He is also open to considering a public option and broader discussions about expanding Medicare or moving toward a single-payer system.

He said he would advocate for rural hospitals by speaking directly with nurses and patients at facilities such as Claxton-Hepburn and Adirondack Medical Center.

Gendebien also said emergency medical services should be treated as an essential service.

He recalled a conversation with the Lisbon Fire Department in which he learned that roughly four out of five calls involved health emergencies. He said the aging population and long distances on rural roads make emergency medical services especially important in the North Country.

Gendebien also spoke about his own family’s experience with the rural health care system.

His mother suffered a stroke, he said, and Claxton-Hepburn did not have the bed or resources needed to provide her care. Hospitals in Watertown and Syracuse also could not provide what was needed, he said, and his mother eventually had to be taken to Albany, nearly five hours away.

Gendebien credited local fire departments, EMS providers and rescue squads with providing the initial care.

Gendebien said rural health care is not only a medical issue but also an economic one because communities need hospitals, emergency services and health care workers to remain viable.

Agriculture

Gendebien said farmers are dealing with higher costs for fuel, labor, electricity, interest, insurance and other necessities while milk prices have not kept pace.

He said those pressures are particularly difficult for smaller dairy farms, which can face pressure to expand simply to remain competitive.

Gendebien said federal programs should provide more support to struggling and smaller farms.

He also said Congress needs to pass a farm bill and provide farmers with better risk-management tools and predictability.

Gendebien has testified before a House or Senate agriculture and forestry committee about milk pricing on behalf of dairy farmers, according to the interview.

He said trade disputes and tariffs can create additional costs for farmers.

He cited a tractor engine repair kit from England that was subject to a tariff and said equipment used in egg processing had also become hundreds of thousands of dollars more expensive because of tariffs.

Gendebien said Congress should assert its authority over tariffs.

He also returned to the issue of land use and renewable energy, saying productive farmland should remain available for agriculture.

He said farmers who keep productive land in agriculture should have access to programs or compensation that recognize the value of preserving that land for food production.

Border and Immigration

Gendebien said the northern border is important to the local economy and that border crossings should be open around the clock and fully staffed.

He said the region also needs to address human trafficking and other security concerns while maintaining a workable relationship with Canada.

Gendebien said he wants stronger face-to-face communication with officials in Ontario and Quebec as St. Lawrence County’s relationship with its northern neighbors is vital to the local economy.

As a farmer, he said he buys corn and soybeans from Ontario and Quebec and has also purchased equipment from Canada.

He said tariffs can increase costs for farmers and other businesses on both sides of the border.

Gendebien cited the example of a neighbor who purchased a combine that was originally manufactured in the United States. While the combine itself was not subject to a tariff, he said an attachment for the machine was increasing the cost.

He said a member of Congress from the district should be directly involved in conversations with Canadian officials and repair damaged relationships that have a disproportionate impact on border communities like Ogdensburg and Massena.

On immigration more broadly, Gendebien said the United States should secure the border, deport violent criminals while providing due process and create a more streamlined legal process for workers.

He also described northern border crossings during freezing weather as a humanitarian concern.

Asked whether he supports Gov. Kathy Hochul’s ban on local participation in the federal 287(g) immigration-enforcement program, Gendebien said local law enforcement agencies near the border should be able to communicate and share information with federal authorities, with trust and due process and within the law.

When pressed on whether he supported 287(g), Gendebien did not give a simple yes-or-no endorsement of the program.

He said he does not want immigration enforcement handled through ad hoc local or county arrangements. Instead, he said Congress should pursue comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform.

Gendebien said that reform should include securing the border, deporting violent criminals while providing due process and creating a legal pathway for workers.

He said a blanket ban on communication between local and federal authorities is not the answer and that considerations should be made with the proximity to the border in mind.

Committed to District

Gendebien said he wants to be a representative who spends significant time in the district rather than one who only visits during election campaigns.

He said the Adirondack Park and surrounding communities are an important part of what makes the region unique and that the district needs a representative who understands its rural communities.

He also said he would work with people on both sides of the political aisle.

“I'll work with anyone to ensure that people don't just get by, but have the best lives possible, regardless of political affiliation,” he said.

If elected, Gendebien said he plans to establish an office in St. Lawrence County and hold constituent meetings locally.

He said constituent services would be a major part of his congressional operation, with district offices where residents can bring problems and seek help navigating federal agencies.

Gendebien said he wants those offices to be effective and focused on solving problems for residents.

“That will be the culture of my campaign and my candidacy,” he said.

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