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: Maurice Hinchey

Party: Democrat

Seeking: New York's 22nd Congressional District. The district includes all or parts of Tompkins, Tioga, Broome, Dutchess, Delaware, Sullivan, Ulster and Orange counties. The district ranges from the Hudson River, through the Catskills, across the Southern Tier and up to the Finger Lakes. Its cities include Binghamton, Ithaca, Middletown, Kingston, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie.

Opponent: Republican George Phillips, a community college and high school teacher in the Binghamton area. He previously worked as a high-level congressional aide for U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey -- then (2001) chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and vice chairman of the House International Relations Committee.

BACKGROUND

Age: 70

Education: B.S., political science and English, SUNY New Paltz, 1968; M.A., English, SUNY New Paltz, 1970; advanced graduate work, public administration and economics, SUNY Albany.

Employment: Currently serving his eighth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Hinchey is a member of the appropriations and natural resources committees and the bicameral Joint Economic Committee. Prior to coming to Congress in 1993, Hinchey served 18 years in the New York State Assembly, including 14 years as Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Conservation.

QUOTES

On alternative and renewable energy research: "That's an issue that I'm focused on very, very closely. As a result of that focus, we were able to set up a not-for-profit corporation here in the 22nd district called the Solar Energy Consortium."

On the federal bailout: "I tried to promote reducing the $700 billion to $300 billion and dividing it equally between the bailout and a $150 billion dollar investment internally in the country, arguing that would be a much more significant way to deal with the economic problems that we were confronting."

On global climate change: "Unless we deal with that, future generations will find themselves in a dire set of circumstances. And among other things, they're going to look back at us and say, 'What in God's name was wrong with those people, and why didn't they deal with this in a sensible way, when they had all the evidence that this was happening?' "

On the impact of "green" technology: "It will generate substantial amounts jobs for us. It's going to create a new Industrial Revolution. And that's what we need."

On economic reform: "As this economy recovers -- and there's no reason to believe that it won't, unless we are completely irresponsible -- then there will be change. … At some point, this whole situation has got to be developed in a more effective way."

On the need to invest in infrastructure: "Historically, for every dollar you invest in the infrastructure -- things like bridges, roads, mass transportation, sewer treatment plants, water supply facilities -- you get back about $1.59. I mean, that's a huge return investment. And it creates a whole bunch of jobs. And it restimulates the economy of cities, particularly the older cities here in the eastern part of the country."