U.S. Navy Commander John Plumb is a candidate for New York’s 23rd Congressional District.

He held an event Wednesday afternoon at the Chemung County Democratic Committee tackling the opioid epidemic in rural communities.

“The people in this community, not just here in Chemung County, but across the Southern Tier would be lucky to have John represent them in Congress,” Jason Henry, his campaign manager, said.

Plumb is running against Tom Reed, the current Representative for the district.

During his event he laid out his plan for battling the opioid crisis.

His five main points include changing the approach to pain management, finding an effective way to treat overdoses, increasing access for not only treatment but recovery as well, tougher crackdowns on illegal drugs, and launching an aggressive campaign.

Plumb gives his take on tackling illegal distribution.

“Part of it is understanding that because rural law enforcement has to cover large distances, some dealers may be using roads in our rural communities to do their distribution networks, and if we had a better way to target that, including the help from federal government to make sure we understood what those routes were, that may be a good way to help slow the spread of heroin,” Plumb said.

He adds that he wants to increase the number of treatment facilities, and when it comes to overdoses he’d like to boost the availability of medications that reverse the effects, and bring support to rural first responders.

Plumb explains what differentiates him from Reed.

“My life has been dedicated to serving the country, both in the military and in the federal government, and I believe Tom Reed’s life has been dedicated to serving himself,” Plumb said. “We need people that want results and understand that those are far more important than playing politics with the lives of our constituents.”

Neither candidates faced opposition during the primaries over the summer. The general election takes place Nov. 8.