About this series:

Several state Senate and Congressional candidates have been invited by Cornell's Office of Government and Community Relations to meet with faculty and staff at a series of informal luncheons on campus. The Chronicle will publish profiles of these candidates leading up to the Nov. 4 election.

Candidate: Michael Arcuri

Party: Democratic

Seeking: Re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 24th District, which includes all or parts of Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Oneida, Ontario, Otsego, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins counties.

Opponent: Richard Hanna

BACKGROUND

Age: 49

Education: B.A., history and economics, State University of New York at Albany, 1981; J.D., New York University Law School, 1984.

Past employment: Private law practice, district attorney of Oneida County

QUOTES

On the guest worker issue: "We need a common-sense approach to immigration that includes patrolling our borders, preventing illegal activity and upholding our laws. This means a reliable and legal way for local farmers to hire the workers they need to keep our agricultural economy on track. I am a co-sponsor of the AgJobs Act that will ensure that our farmers can legally hire foreign workers if a domestic labor supply doesn't exist. We can't let crops rot on the vine because farmers can't find workers here at home. Agriculture is New York state's top industry, and I'm working hard to protect farmers."

On earmarks: "I am proud to have worked with my colleagues from New York to secure over $5 million in congressionally directed funding for construction of a grape genetics research facility adjacent to the New York State Agriculture Experiment Station in Geneva and ongoing apple and grape research programs at Cornell University. Vineyards are a major source of economic growth as local businesses as well as centers of regional tourism. The grape and apple industries are vital parts of our local economy and federal funding will invest in critical research to keep crops healthy and increase yields. I am pleased to bring taxpayer dollars back home to help upstate farmers and support national agricultural research going on in our very own laboratories and Universities."

On economic development for food and agriculture:

"To best represent the area farmers in the Farm Bill, I listened to farmers and hosted agricultural forums across this district, and I am proud to report that the Farm Bill, signed into law, addresses the needs of upstate farmers and communities by helping dairy farms and improving specialty crop programs for vineyards and orchards. I successfully improved the MILC program -- the safety net for dairy farms -- which will now take into account rising feed costs in triggering price support. For the first time fruit and vegetable producers have their own place in the Farm Bill and will benefit from more than $1.3 billion for new programs. Family farms are squeezed by skyrocketing fuel prices, and I will continue to work in Congress to help local family farms stay in business."

On education and specifically No Child Left Behind:

"Education funding is a state issue, but if the federal government wants to regulate it, it cannot keep passing down unfunded mandates to states and localities. …. The federal government must finally step up to the plate and fund programs like No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Act sufficiently so local school districts can prosper and local students receive the best possible education."