Candidates weigh in on issues

Douglas L. Hoffman, the Conservatives' candidate in the 23rd Congressional District, said Thursday that he would vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the federal policy that prohibits homosexuals from being open about their sexual orientation while serving in the military.

"No one should be persecuted or prosecuted based on their beliefs," he said. "As an Army veteran, I served honorably with many different people."

Mr. Hoffman's position mirrors that of President Barack Obama, who also has advocated for repealing the 16-year-old policy. U.S. Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher, D-Calif., has introduced a bill that would replace "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" with a nondiscrimination policy. The bill has 168 co-sponsors and could be discussed in the next session of Congress.

William L. Owens, the Democrats' congressional candidate, punted when asked if he would vote to repeal.

"My basic belief is that everyone is entitled to the full range of civil rights," the former Air Force captain said. "(But) you have to get input from everyone who is involved. And there's a number of constituencies in that group. I don't have enough information or enough input at this point to really be able to make a decision."

Mr. Owens said district residents were talking about the policy during his campaign travels.

But, Mr. Hoffman said, "there are more important topics for voters in this district — how we're going to come out of this economy and create jobs."

The congressional district is home to Fort Drum, an Army post that includes 17,000 soldiers and about 15,000 dependents.

Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, the Republican Party's congressional candidate, has suspended her campaign to tend to her ill father and was not taking questions Thursday.

U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Murphy, D-Pa., who is pushing the bill in the House Armed Services Committee, has said more than 13,000 service members have been discharged because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The congressman said it has cost $1.3 billion to prosecute and pursue separations and recruit and train new, replacement troops.

A repeal appears to have gained traction with the American public, if not military personnel.

Seventy-five percent of Americans polled by the Washington Post in July 2008 said openly gay people should be allowed to serve in the military. That number is up from 62 percent who felt similarly in 2001 and 44 percent in 1993, the paper reported.

However, a 2006 Zogby International Poll of 545 military personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan found 37 percent of respondents believed that gays should not be allowed to serve openly. Twenty-eighty percent believed they should and 32 percent did not have an opinion either way.

In a related issue, Mr. Owens said same-sex couples who want to marry should be entitled to the same "civil rights and equitable treatment" as married couples.

But he added: "From a purely religious perspective, I have some trouble with the word 'marriage.'"

The Democratic candidate said he considered marriage to be a "states' rights issue," although Mr. Obama campaigned on repealing the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The act also allowed one state not to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state.

Mr. Hoffman said he would vote to uphold laws that define marriage as being between a woman and a man. But the candidate supported civil unions for same-sex couples, saying: "Any two people should be able to enter into any legal contract."

Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Owens offered no opinion on how they would vote on the Employee Non-Discrimination Act of 2009, which prohibits private sector companies from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. The bill, as currently written, exempts the military as well as small businesses and religious organizations.

Mr. Owens reiterated his support for civil rights equality, but said he would have to study bills such as the Employee Non-Discrimination Act to "make sure that they were fair and balanced in their approach."