Abundance New York 2026 State Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
Devin Lander
State Senate, District 43
- Please briefly describe your background and why you are running for this office.
- Born and raised in Steuben County—one of the most rural counties in New York—I am the product of a working-class family. Growing up, I was taught the values that define our community: hard work, resilience, and looking out for one another.
As a proud graduate of our public school system, I earned my high school diploma from Wayland-Cohocton Central School and went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in American history from SUNY Plattsburgh. To support my family, I worked full-time in the hospitality industry while attending graduate school at SUNY Albany, where I earned my master’s degree in public history. I know firsthand the dedication it takes to balance work, family, and the pursuit of a better future.
My career has been defined by public service and a deep understanding of how our state works:
In the State Assembly: I served as the Legislative and Policy Director for the chairs of both the Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee and the Governmental Operations Committee, mastering the inner workings of state government.
In the Non-Profit Sector: As the Executive Director of the Museum Association of New York (MANY), I successfully grew our membership and guided the organization to lasting financial stability, championing our state's cultural institutions.
As State Historian: Serving as New York’s 16th State Historian, I have spent years collaborating with local historians, teachers, and agencies to protect and promote our shared heritage.
Now, I am running for the State Senate to bring common sense, pragmatic solutions, and real results to our region. - How are you differentiated from your opponent(s)? What does your path to victory look like?
- My opponent is a Republican who votes 95% in line with the Conservative Party. He is a member of the minority party in the Senate who cannot or will not deliver resources to our district. I am a Democrat and WFP endorsed candidate who will push back against the disastrous policies of the Trump administration and ensure that our district has a seat at the table in Albany. I will be able to bring resources back for our schools and communities that will improve our quality of life in the face of continued threats from billionaire oligarchs who currently control Washington DC.
My path to victory is quite simple: Once voters are made aware how the incumbent votes and how little he has done for the district, our poll shows that they move squarely into voting for me. Our job is to get that message acrossed and ensure that we are getting out the vote.
- — DEMOCRACY AND DELIVERY —
- Respecting the Democratic Process. We believe in a democracy that delivers, and that includes maintaining a commitment to democratic norms. New York should not take steps to limit access to the ballot. The legitimacy of free and fair elections should not be subverted, and their results should not be challenged after being audited and/or upheld in the courts.
- Agree
- Increasing Focus on Outcomes: New York should revisit and update outdated rules on hiring, procurement, and approvals for infrastructure changes to ensure our protocols are aligned with our values—and should focus on actual outcomes achieved rather than money spent.
- Agree
- Civil Service Reform: New York should make it easier for the government to hire the staff they need by making exams more job-relevant, allowing work experience to count instead of degrees, and enabling temporary appointments. (See agenda item #2)
- While I agree that the process for hiring civil servants should be updated and improved and am fine making exams more relevant and allowing work experience to count instead of degrees, I oppose temporary appointments. As a PEF steward, I believe that all public workers should have the dignity of a stable, well paying job with benefits. Gig work doesn't work.
- Capital Project Procurement Reform: New York State should give NYC more procurement flexibility (such as expanded challenge-based procurement and "other transaction authority" style contracting) in order to speed up the delivery of capital projects.(See agenda item #4)
- Agree
- City Charter Reform: New York City voters should approve “COGE” ballot questions 1-4 to accelerate nonprofit contracts, building permits, outdoor dining application review, and bike lane creation.
- Agree
- — HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS —
- Expanding Housing: Addressing the housing affordability crisis requires increasing production of all kinds of housing, including market-rate units, across all neighborhoods and municipalities.
- Agree
- Transit Oriented Development: New York should allow for more housing to be built near existing transit stations including near commuter rail stations, even if that requires changing zoning. (See agenda items #8 and #9)
- Agree
- Property Tax Reform: New York state should reform the property tax system to be fairer, especially for renters; easier to understand; and more progressive. (See agenda item #11)
- Agree
- Homelessness/Expedited permanent supportive housing: Addressing the homelessness crisis requires a housing-first solution such as expedited permanent supportive housing for those in need, because shelters are not a permanent solution. (See agenda item #12)
- Agree
- Build Code Reform: New York, at the city and state level, should embrace building code and licensing reforms (e.g., smaller elevator size requirements, modular construction, mass timber) that make it cheaper to build housing while maintaining safety. (See agenda items #15-17)
- Agree
- — HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS —
- Reducing Car Dependency: New York should aspire to reduce the number of cars on the road and vehicle miles traveled, by expanding access to high-quality, affordable, and safe public transit and micro-mobility.
- Agree
- Transit Cost Containment: New York should act in a coordinated fashion to reduce the cost of building new transit projects, including reducing the size of stations and allowing the temporary disruption of street traffic to more quickly complete projects. (See agenda item #19)
- Agree
- Busway Expansion: New York City should: 1) expand the number of busways (routes where private cars are banned); and 2) eventually pursue bus rapid transit lines to increase bus speeds throughout the city. (See agenda item #20)
- Agree
- Parking: New York City should charge more for parking and reduce or eliminate free street parking, and should eliminate parking mandates for new homes. (See agenda items #18 and #26)
- Agree
- — CLEAN ENERGY AND RESILIENCY —
- Abundant Clean Energy: New York should prioritize private and public sector construction of new renewable energy, grid electrification and transmission upgrades, and resiliency infrastructure to meet our climate goals and adapt our infrastructure for the future.
- Agree
- Solar Energy: New York State should preempt local regulations that effectively ban solar projects by establishing a ceiling on restrictions and should streamline solar permitting by adopting automated systems in order to enable more solar energy. (See agenda items #32 & #33)
- I believe that the process should be streamlined as much as possible, but it needs to be balanced with local control, which has long been a hallmark of NYS law.
- New Energy Development: Beyond solar, New York should expand its nuclear energy capacity—including by building new reactors and extending the life of existing plants—and advance geothermal projects in order to hit the goal of 100% zero-emission electricity generation by 2040. (See agenda items #39 & #40)
- Nuclear needs to be done safely and cost efficiently. And there must be a real, and safe, plan for the nuclear waste.
- Resiliency Authority: The State should create and empower a public authority to address New York's resilience needs led by a Chief Resilience Officer and guided by a collaborative statewide resilience plan that prioritizes protecting socially vulnerable communities. (See agenda item #37)
- Agree
- — RECORD AND PRIORITIES —
- Abundance Examples from Your Work: Please describe a specific example from your record (legislative, professional, or community work) where you championed a project or policy that is aligned with our agenda. What obstacles did you overcome, and what was the outcome?
- When I worked for Assemblyman Steve Englebright I helped shepherd both the solar net metering bill and the bisphenol A ban bill to being passed and signed into law. Both bills were complex pieces of legislation that required educating legislators and stakeholders alike and the BPA ban bill received heavy opposition from the Chemical Council. We were able to overcome the obstacles by remaining focused on the science and and convincing leadership (including in the Republican-controlled State Senate) that the bills were important for the residents of the state.
- Legislative Priorities: If elected (or re-elected), what are your top three priorities? Please be specific about the policies you would advance and what you hope to achieve.
- Supporting Working Families--I will support policies and budget priorities that benefit all workers. We need real policies that deal with the high cost of living, access to quality healthcare, stagnant wages, lack of benefits, childcare costs, and other issues that weigh on all of us.
Education: I know firsthand that an educated and trained population can meet the demands of the modern world head-on. It starts with ensuring that our public schools are fully funded. We also need to realize that after high school there is often further education and experience that is needed, be it in trade schools, apprenticeship programs, or college. I will support all pathways to success.
Infrastructure Improvements-- It might not be a flashy topic, but the reality is that our district’s infrastructure is aging and in need of serious updates. When elected, I will work to ensure that long needed infrastructure improvements happen so that Upstate residents can thrive.