By Chelsea Hutt, Contributing Writer
OSWEGO, NY – It wasn’t your usual press conference. There were just a few college students, a professor, and out-of-town mayor and a handful of others.
But, she’s not your average gubernatorial candidate, either.
Kristin Davis spoke recently in Mahar Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus as the guest of the Political Science Club.
Davis proved to be an interesting and eye-opening speaker.
Her appearance is significantly different compared to the other candidates running for governor: tan skin, long blonde hair, and don’t forget her fashionable open-toe spiked heels.
She’s the candidate of the Anti-Prohibition Party and runs on a simple platform: Legalize marijuana, prostitution, gay marriage and gambling.
Many would agree her platform is certainly one of the most controversial campaigns ever seen.
Best known as “The Manhattan Madam,” Davis was responsible for exposing former Governor Eliot Spitzer for using her escort agency.
She served four months in prison for promoting prostitution..
While in prison on Riker’s Island, she found that she “had nothing to do but read.”
She found out that she was a libertarian, and believed in a very limited government.
When she got out of Riker’s, Davis tried to get a job but could not pass a credit check, due to her inability to pay on her debt while in prison.
She felt that the system was corrupt, jailing people that commit minor crimes and ruining their lives.
After talking with a few different people in the political sector, she was informed that the best way to tackle the issue would be “to run for governor.”
Davis has completed her Bachelors in business and is working on her Masters for Psychology.
She is an intelligent woman and served as vice president of a hedge fund, in charge of SEC compliance, derivative accounting and securities processing.
She claims that she entered the industry of prostitution because of the economics of it.
“It was recession proof and I’d always be making more money than men,” she said, adding she was tired of hitting the glass ceiling on large companies in the past.
“Reinventing yourself is a very hard thing to do,” Davis said.
Having never spoken publicly in her life, she had to quickly master her speaking skills in front of crowds and show her smarts at the recent candidates’ debate, she said.
Caring deeply about the issues she supports, this was not too much of a problem, she added.
She says emphatically, “there is no way to solve the problems of this state without considering radical solutions.”
Davis believes the best way to raise revenue for the state would be to “tax the services that people use the most – prostitution, marijuana, and gambling.”
She feels that other candidates “don’t do what they want to do because of fear,” as in support controversial issues or even talk about them.
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