Democratic State Rep. Phyllis Kahn wasn’t particularly worried Tuesday night about winning her 13th term to the State Legislature.
Kahn, who represents District 59B, which includes the West Bank Campus, sailed to an easy victory over Republican challenger Tom Gromacki and Reform Party candidate Alan Shilepsky.
“I think people have been satisfied with my record and what I’ve done, and I think I’ve connected well with the voters in this district — and the results will show that.”
Neither Gromacki nor Shilepsky presented much of a challenge, Kahn said.
“Anyone who thinks the prime issue is to bring God and Christ to campus is … totally out of touch with the district,” she said of Gromacki. Kahn said Shilepsky is “basically just a disgruntled guy.”
Among the major issues Kahn has pledged to help solve during her new term are the University’s tenure battle and the controversial steam plant renovation. She also said she hopes to influence the upcoming Board of Regents elections and the search for a successor to University President Nils Hasselmo.
Kahn has called on the regents to resign en masse because of what she says is their bungling of the tenure issue. She said a vacant board would be better than the current board.
“Worse than (the regents’) lack of leadership has been their leadership,” she said.
— Joel Sawyer