Valatie, NY – The Faso for Congress campaign today announced the endorsement of Mayor of the Village of Sidney Andy Matviak. The Mayor, an enrolled Democrat, and Congressman John Faso have worked in partnership on a variety of issues related to the Village of Sidney, including legislation to relieve homeowners of unnecessary flood premiums for homes already sold to the federal government following Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
“I’m proud to support John Faso in the race for New York’s 19th district. The Village of Sidney and the surrounding communities have numerous issues of interest pending before Congress and John has been an effective partner. He’s a staunch advocate in Congress for the Village of Sidney and I look forward to working with him to make additional progress.” – Mayor Andy Matviak, Mayor, Village of Sidney
“It is an honor to have the support of Mayor Matviak,” said Faso. “I’ve long had a productive working relationship with Andy and appreciate his willingness to work together on initiatives to aid the Village of Sidney and surrounding communities. His perspective is extremely important to me. On issues such as economic development and broadband expansion, Andy Matviak and I will continue to work together for the betterment of our communities.”
As a result of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, many homes in the Village of Sidney were damaged beyond repair. Due to the damage, most of the owners of these uninhabitable homes agreed to a buyout from FEMA. However, they are still being forced to pay for the expensive flood insurance premiums as they wait for the deals to be finalized. John authored legislation to relieve these property owners of these burdensome premiums since the homes are no longer habitable. That legislation, H.R. 5618, is pending before the House of Representatives.
Amphenol Corporation of Sidney is one of the district’s largest employers and their manufacturing facility employs over 1,000 people. The company is a major supplier of advanced parts for the Pentagon’s F-35 program, which is the next generation of American fighter jet. John specifically advocated for F-35 funding in the Defense Appropriations process and urged the Pentagon to seek improved production rates for the program. Amphenol is uniquely positioned to assist the program due to its highly advanced manufacturing capabilities. John has also supported substantial appropriations increases for Career and Technical Education Programs that would help close the skills gap. Congressman Faso and Mayor Matviak are both committed to Amphenol’s important presence in the regional economy.
In April 2018, Mayor Matviak and Congressman Faso participated in discussions with Anne Hazlett, assistant to the secretary for Rural Development at the US Department of Agriculture, about initiatives to kick start economic development and opportunity in rural communities. Among the topics were specific plans for expanding broadband access to rural New York. Additionally, the forum considered ways to combat the opioid crisis.
John Faso is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index named him as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress, ranking 18th out of 435 House members. Faso and his wife, Mary Frances, a registered nurse, are the proud parents of two children. They have lived in Kinderhook, New York, for more than three decades.