By BRYON ACKERMAN
Observer-Dispatch
BARNEVELD – Richard Hanna isn’t waiting until Jan. 1 to start his transformation to congressman.
Hanna, a Republican, has spent much of his time since Tuesday’s election making phone calls – including reaching out to local officials such as Republican Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente and Democratic Utica Mayor David Roefaro, he said.
During the two months leading up to when he takes office, Hanna plans to talk with county leaders, mayors, state legislators and other officials from across the 11 counties in the 24th Congressional District, he said.
Hanna, 59 of Barneveld, also wants to meet with officials from local colleges and universities to discuss ways the institutions can cooperate, and he expects to start a tour around the district this week to hear from as many people as possible, he said.
“It’s all about bringing people together and letting people know the office belongs to all of us,” Hanna said.
On Tuesday, Hanna received about 53 percent of the vote to defeat U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, in a rematch of their tight 2008 race, which Arcuri won.
The election
When Arcuri called Hanna on election night to concede the race, the two wished each other well and pledged to help each other through the transition process, Hanna said, adding that Arcuri’s family has a long history of service to this community.
“It was a completely appropriate phone call – and gracious,” Hanna said.
Following Tuesday’s victory, Hanna was up until about 3 a.m. Wednesday and woke back up at about 5 a.m., he said, adding that short nights of sleep are something he got used to when running his Hanna Construction business.
He didn’t get much rest Wednesday night either, he said.
“I started to feel like food, water and sleep aren’t that big of a deal,” he said.
The transition
In addition to reaching out to officials in the district, Hanna already has other plans for his transition into office, he said.
He intends to keep congressional offices located in Utica, Auburn and Cortland – as Arcuri did – and he is looking into whether his budget would allow for staffing an office in Oneonta a few days a week, he said.
On Nov. 14, Hanna will travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in a training session for new congressmen, and he will go to Harvard University later in the month for a similar session, he said.
“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “I’m a quick study. There’s nothing about the process that concerns me.”
The congressman
As Hanna meets with local officials in the coming months, he wants to get down to specifics with them and discuss solutions, he said.
The main local issues are jobs and the economy, but there are some differences among the communities in the sprawling district, and he wants to fully understand the needs of each area, he said.
“This tenure I have is not going to be idle,” Hanna said. “We’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to work.”
Hanna said he expects that some of the first national-level issues to be tackled will be the Bush tax cuts, which he supports extending as long as they can be paid for; the health care legislation, which he wants to either make changes to or repeal and create a better bill; and the federal deficit, which he wants to find ways to reduce.
The Republican
A socially moderate Republican who has never hesitated to criticize the party, Hanna said he will work with officials and constituents from all parties.
After Republicans gained control of the House Tuesday and made gains in the Democratic-controlled Senate, officials from both parties will have to reach across the aisle to accomplish goals, Hanna said.
“I’m happy to be a Republican, but I’ll be happier to be a Republican if they come up with solutions,” he said.
Republicans have to realize they weren’t elected Tuesday because U.S. citizens love the Republican Party right now – they were just elected because people aren’t happy with the current direction things have been going under a Democratic Congress and Democratic President Barack Obama, he said.
“What I see is a Republican Party that knows it’s got one more chance to get it right,” Hanna said. “And they better.”
