Candidate running for congress, Antonio Delgado, left, speaks with residents at the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie on Saturday. (The Leader-Herald/Briana O'Hara)

CANAJOHARIE — Democratic Congressional candidate Antonio Delgado hosted a town hall at the Arkell Museum on Saturday to meet with the residents and discuss a line of issues including health care, education and economic growth.

“As I have traveled across this district, I have made it a point to have these town halls in every county before the election,” Delgado said. “I think it’s important to set an example and we here at every town hall I’ve been to, can set an example to ourselves and to our country about how to have true, healthy values.”

He said there is a culture of divisiveness in the political climate which has made it complicated to solve problems such as the health care crisis, the climate crisis, wage stagnation, income equality and gender equality.

“What are we going to do to solve these problems if we do not come together and recognize that we share one future?” Delgado asked.

Delgado — who is running for the 19th Congressional District, which includes all of Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties, and parts of Broome, Dutchess, Montgomery and Rensselaer counties — grew up in a working family in Schenectady. His parents worked for General Electric and worked their way up to middle class, Delgado said.

He attended Colgate University in Hamilton where he graduated and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. He also went on to law school, where he met his wife, Lacey.

He said his parents believed in the concept of the American Dream.

“[They] believed a bit more, no matter where you start, your race, your class, your gender, if you work hard, play by the rules, you’ve got a good shot,” Delgado said. “Back then, you did have a better shot. This country was number one in the world in upward mobility when I was growing up. Now we’re dead last.”

He said growing up he had a 50/50 chance to live a better quality of life, but now it’s about 30 percent.

“We’re going in the wrong direction,” Delgado said.

He said the opportunities that were once here, are not what they once use to be. He said the focus on school is not what it nearly use to be.

He said out of the three debates held on the presidential level, not one question was asked about education.

“The gateway to opportunity. We’re not talking about it anymore unless we’re talking about vouchers, or God forbid, arming our teachers,” Delgado said. “That’s the only time we talk about school in this country. Think about that.”

He said due to the lack of discussion on education, and all the focus on the economy, the economy has doubled in size in the past four years and wages have remained stagnant.

“How is that so? How is it that people have been working harder for 40 some-odd years now, but wages aren’t going anywhere, even though health care is going up, even though housing is going up, schooling, everything is going up except wages,” Delgado said.

He said during those years, there have been attacks on labor and inequality has emerged over time.

He said to think political leaders would recognize these trends and fight for better wages, invest in the future, create jobs from the ground up, possibly invest in infrastructure to incentivize economic growth in the more rural parts of the country, think creatively about how to really manufacture economic growth.

“Instead, we get people who say ‘let’s take health care away from you’ for a tax break for a wealthy few,” Delgado said. “Instead we get a tax bill on the backs of working middle class folks for a tax break for a wealthy few.”

Delgado said there are two-thirds of people living paycheck to paycheck.

“How do we break through that divisiveness,” Delgado said.

He said there are a lot of firsts happening across the country because a lot of people are excited about the prospect of a new way.

“I’m a candidate along with another set of candidates across this country who’s excited to be a part of that,” Delgado said. “To fight to expand health care for everybody, not take it away. To fight to invest in our infrastructure.”

He wants to invest in schools again to give students the skills needed to succeed in the competitive work place.

“You have someone in front of you who’s determined to do the work, bring the work, roll up the sleeves and work,” Delgado said. “I’m not beholden to any party leadership, I’m not beholden to the outside money. I’m beholden to you and I’m only going to be accountable to you. You have got an opportunity right now to vote for that. To vote for a real accountability. A powerful concept we have to restore that in our democracy if our democracy is going to have a chance in this environment.”