The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, reporter Isabella Schoonover interviewed Republican Santos Lopez, who is running to represent New York’s 103rd Assembly District, which covers Woodstock, Saugerties, Hurley, Olive, and other parts of Ulster County including the city of Kingston, against Democratic incumbent Sarahana Shrestha, who took office in 2023.

Lopez, 59, has lived in Saugerties for 21 years. He immigrated to the United States from the Philippines at age 5 and, after becoming a citizen, served in the U.S. Navy for six years.

His professional background includes work as chief marketing officer for Orange County Choppers and a civilian position as chief of advertising and public affairs for the U.S. Army in Albany. He previously ran for Ulster County Legislature District 2 in 2015, losing to Chris Allen.

Lopez has three children and two grandchildren. Outside work, he enjoys riding motorcycles, off-roading in his Jeep, and playing video games.

The following has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.

What is the single most important issue facing District 103 right now, and what specific steps will you take as a member of the state assembly to address that issue?

Lopez: Well, my personal aim right now is trying to build the economy in our region, because I remember the Hudson Valley when IBM was here and when IBM was not here, so I could see the economic prosperity between what it was then and now, and how we can fix those things.

We need to attract more companies, more industries into the region. And I think my working in hospitality, working with Orange County Choppers, I’ve done several car shows in the region, bringing tourism to the region, I could bring out something different instead of nothing to the region.

You know, let’s think diversity. Not just put-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket. Diversify. Take our strengths, our weaknesses, and identify those. If we can bring more jobs to the area, that’s what we have to do.

How do you plan to bring those jobs to the region?

Lopez: How many companies are leaving New York State because of overregulation, over-taxes, not enough power infrastructure for certain projects? They’re going someplace else. They’re taking the path of least resistance, which is, to me, the easiest.

If you’re going to put up property up here, build a factory, how are you going to do that with the cost of property up here? You’re going to go to another state that you can afford to build something in. So, let’s make something affordable and work with the state legislature to make something affordable to draw those companies back.

What is your position on New York’s current spending and budget priorities, and where do you think the state should prioritize taxpayer spending?

Lopez: One of the other priorities is energy. The energy bills are so high. Why are you putting all your eggs in one basket when it comes to green energy and other things? Why not diversify, put a little bit of everything?

There’s a lot of rivers, streams. Why not more hydroelectric and smaller-scale? Solar farms, where you’re putting them in the farmland, that doesn’t make sense to me. Why can’t you put them on highways? Why can’t you put them on rooftops of malls? Why can’t you do something else other than farmland that you could use to eat?

So a lot of things are not making sense. I guess we got to go back to basics. Do a SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. What are New York State’s? What are you spending your money on? And then identify those and say, Hey, let’s change this. That’s what I want to do.

And then illegal immigration. That’s another hot topic.

To spend less or to spend more on?

Lopez: Less on illegal immigration. Look, as a legal immigrant myself. Why do certain people, certain groups get a head-of-line privilege? Why does my family have to wait in the Philippines for a visa? And some people are just crossing in and you’re giving them everything. I’m like, okay, that’s not cool. I mean, my solution to that is use the door, use the border, because as you know, I worked with our armed forces and the military, and bad guys do exist. You know a country without borders isn’t a country.

What do you see as a more perfect immigration system? What do you see New York doing differently than what it is doing now?

Lopez: And then if there’s somebody coming who wants to come here to truly work as a migrant worker, go through the door, but make it easier for that person to get in. He’s a farmer from wherever, and the immigration process is so difficult to get in. Make it easier for that person to get in, but at least you’re using the door. That’s why we have to work with our federal government to make it easier to go through the door.

How do you plan to improve communication, transparency, and accountability within the state assembly?

Lopez: With my office, I’m going to make sure every bill is out there so people can actually look at what I’m voting on.

I want to be fiscally responsible as well. If I get a raise this year, why should I get a raise if the tax dollars are in a deficit? I’ll take whatever it is now.

I don’t mind putting out there how I want to vote. But I want to vote fiscally responsible.

You know, I’m living the American dream. As a kid from the Philippines, now I’m traveling the world. I’ve worked in the industry of tourism, working with Orange County Choppers. I’ve done some amazing things. That’s why I want to give back because it wasn’t given to me. I had to work at it.

In District 103, more than 50% of renters and nearly 30% of homeowners spend 30% or more of their income on housing. So, what role should the state play in improving access to affordable housing in rural communities?

Lopez: Well, a lot of rural communities right now too, they price themselves out of the area. Let’s just use my home for example. I bought it for $150,000-ish, right? Now they want to assess it at $300,000 to $400,000. How is a person working at Starbucks going to afford a $400,000 home in an average neighborhood? That doesn’t make any sense. So we need to build more affordable housing.

I have a crazy wild idea. I want to call it a mall-borhood. Take like a Sears, build apartments in it, or put tiny homes in it, and call it a mall-borhood, and reopen some of the stores. That’s actually pretty cool. You know, I’m pretty creative. That’s one of the things I wouldn’t mind looking at, and creating little neighborhoods that are nearby that could be affordable to do that.

What experience or connections would you bring in order to push your ideas forward?

Lopez: I have a lot of connections in the private sector, from businesses to current legislators up there now. I made a lot of friends with industry leaders that I would just reach out to and say, “Hey, I got a hairbrain idea. Is this kind of cool? What do you think, to bring affordable housing nearby?”

There’s excess property in the state books. Let’s identify some of those. Why can’t we? Look at your assets, look at your strengths, look at your weaknesses, look at your opportunities, and look at the threats, and let’s build something together and just use common sense.

Voters across the political spectrum report dissatisfaction with the current healthcare system, including access to providers in rural communities. How do you plan to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for your constituents? Do you support any current legislative proposals to improve access?

Lopez: We do have a program, Medicare and Medicaid. You just have to qualify for it, and you have to do certain things. People who are legally here should be allowed to use that, but we cannot sustain giving it to everybody on the planet. And there is a system already in place.

We have to look at the Medicare reimbursements and things like that, but we already have it. We just have to use what’s in our system and identify what’s good, what’s bad. Why aren’t there healthcare facilities? Why don’t we have enough? Why is that? Why are companies leaving? Why are hospitals leaving? Why are they closing? You have to look at those as well and look at the whole bigger picture.

Do you think the system that exists is working?

Lopez: It’s working, but is it great? No. So, is there room for improvement? There will be room for improvement. But I think the key to our healthcare system is controlled spending, and a lot of it is insurance companies. You have to figure out, why is an aspirin $200 in the emergency room? Why is the cost so high? And I do the same aspirin in another country, and it’s at a tenth of the cost. So we have to identify those costs.

You should have basic healthcare, but not universal for everybody at the same time.

What is your position on the state’s current approach to renewable energy? How would you balance the state’s climate goals with concerns about land use and local control?

Lopez: Again, way too much on some of that green stuff. Like the farmers, you are putting solar farms on farms that should be used for farming. I am totally against that perspective.

We need to diversify our power.

We could use our natural gas that we could be tapping into.

We have nuclear reactors. Other countries are using it.

Just think creatively. You know, that’s what I think. Use technology to our advantage.

What do you think about BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) developments?

Lopez: With the BESS and the batteries, what they want to use there with the lithium ion, there’s a lot better technology that could be used for that. I am totally against the way it’s sitting right now. If you look there’s actually sodium batteries. There’s actually different batteries that you can use, other than the lithium ions.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. That’s all I’m saying. Just diversify that energy. Look at some of the smart choices.

Look at some of their newer technologies. Balance out our grid that way.

Why do you identify with your political party, and how would that affiliation inform your approach to government?

Lopez: Well, I’ve always been a Republican, and I’m also fiscally conservative, and then my spouse is actually a Democrat. It doesn’t matter. It’s just how I feel. And when I look at issues, I don’t look at them as Democrat or Republican issues. I look at them as American issues.

And if we’re looking at decision-making, I’m going to look at it as, what’s the problem? Let’s identify that problem. What are the solutions that we can do to solve that problem?

What is your vision for the future of the 103rd district?

Lopez: My vision is some place where my kids can grow up and have fun. I love riding motorcycles. I love toys. I love fishing. I love camping. I love this area. I love skiing. I love watching my grandkids and kids ski. I love that, where everybody can work together, but at the same time, be safe.

We’re just going to communicate, keep the open dialogue between everybody, and put the needs of New York State together and the Hudson Valley region.

Let’s identify companies that would fit in the old IBM locations. Let’s identify those companies that are willing to work here. Let’s identify those issues and really bring them back.

Where do you propose those companies relocate?

Lopez: The 103rd Assembly District! I think in terms of development. I mean, if you look at the Hudson Valley as a whole, look at TechCity right here, that could be one spot here.

So even if we develop some of those areas outside the 103rd, and the 103rd becomes the bedroom community for Poughkeepsie because everybody worked for IBM at that point, why not? Let’s develop those that are that are working, and then you commute in. If it’s Orange County, because they’re doing such really good jobs with the industry that’s going in there, and they’re commuting from Saugerties, hey, great! Let’s do that. Let’s help each other as a whole, work as a team. Don’t just look at the micro. Let’s look at the macro, and look at the whole picture.

Isabella Schoonover is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Woodstock, Saugerties, Hurley, and surrounding Ulster County communities. Send correspondence to isabella@theoverlooknews.com.