When Long Island voters go to the polls next week it would be little more than a symbolic gesture if the presidential race was the only thing on the ballot.
In New York State that race was over before it began. That’s probably why neither candidate was seen here except for the debate at Hofstra University and dinners in Manhattan with wealthy contributors.
But there are local races that remain very close and voters in Nassau County have a real chance to make an impact. Blank Slate Media has made an effort to let readers know who is running in the Congressional, state Senate and state Assembly races and what the major issues are. We hope that has been helpful.
The following are the Blank Slate Media endorsements in each of those races:
Steve Israel in the 3rd Congressional District
Rep. Steve Israel has been a fighter for the middle class. The candidate is running on the Democrat, Independent and WF lines. He is a leader in the House and he has been a strong voice for the people living in his district. We expect that will continue this in the new district boundaries.
Unlike his opponent Stephen Labate, running on the Republican, Conservative and Tax Revolt Party lines, Israel is a strong supporter of President Obama’s health care reform, Obamacare.
Labate has given his support for tort reform that would allow health insurance to cross state lines. We agree with that but Obamacare addresses many more issues relating to health care such as insuring people with pre-existing conditions who traditionally have been denied insurance coverage.
Israel, unlike the Tea Party, has taken a balanced approach to balancing the budget. He has done a good job representing Long Island in on Capitol Hill and he deserves to be sent back.
Carolyn McCarthy in the 4th Congressional District
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), running on the Democrat, Independent and Working Families party lines, first ran for Congress in 1997 as a gun-control activist in the wake of the 1993 mass shooting at the Merrilon Road LIRR station that left six people dead including her husband and left her son critically injured. She has consistently supported gun-control initiatives. Because of this she has become a target of the National Rifle Association and the Tea Party.
She believes the NRA has “petrified” many members of Congress.
But she is more than a single-issue candidate. McCarthy has promised to protect Medicare, Social Security and Obamacare.
She is opposed by Francis Becker Jr., running on the Republican and Tax Revolt party lines, and Frank Scaturro running on the Conservative line. Becker is a Tea Party ideologue who would do away with Obamacare. Scaturro, while more thoughtful candidate than Becker, differs little with him on the issues.
Our choice here wasn’t difficult.
Jack Martins in the 7th State Senate District
As a former mayor of Mineola, state Sen. Jack Martins understands the challenges facing the villages and local government in Nassau County. Martins, who is running on the Republican, Conservative and Independent party lines, has taken the lead in fighting state mandates that have become a burden for local government.
We are impressed by Martins’ willingness to cross party lines to work with his Democrat counterpart state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel on efforts that would save the county money such as going back to lever voting machines. (We hope that the county Legislature will learn a lesson from their bipartisanship.)
Martins also helped to recover millions of dollars in funds that had been promised to villages, fire districts and other governments in the county by his predecessor former state Sen. Craig Johnson. In a peevish display of sour grapes, the Senate Democrats rescinded the funds after Johnson’s defeat.
We would hope that if Martins wins a second term he will be a little less thin-skinned and understand that it is the role of the media to look closely at every candidate and elected official. We had criticized Martins for accepting funds from a LLC because of a loophole in the campaign funding law. His response was troubling.
Martins’ opponent,Daniel Ross, running on the Democrat and Working Families party lines, is a newcomer to government.
Martins is a far superior choice.
Michelle Schimel in the 16th State Assembly District
State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, running on the Democrat, Working Family and Independent party lines, seems to have been everywhere during her term of office. No community event large or small took place in her district she didn’t show up for unless she was in Albany.
For Schimel this is not a part-time job. “I’m a go-to girl in the Assembly. People who want to get things done come to me,” Schimel says. “I’m a fighter.”
She has been a leader on environmental issues, especially in her position on hydrofracking, a technology which enables natural gas producers to recover natural gas from dense shale formations. We agree with her that the jury is still out on this technology. She wants to wait until there is certainty that hydrofracking won’t cause an environmental catastrophe.
Schimel has been a strong advocate of microstamping an innovative technology that leaves microscopic markings on shell casings left behind at crime scenes when bullets are fired. This won’t stop gun violence, but it will help. Fighting for this has taken courage. Although she is backed by law-enforcement professionals, she has been strongly opposed by gun advocates.
Schimels has worked across party lines with Martins to save Nassau County from costly state mandates.
Schimel is opposed by Richard Stiek, a lawyer running on the Republican and Conservative party lines.
Stiek is a serious-minded person but he lacks Schimel’s experience in government and her proven track record.
Edward Ra in the 19th State Assembly District
State Assemblyman Edward Ra is running on the Republican, Conservative, Independent and Tax Revolt party lines in a district that is 80 percent new. Like Schimel and Martins, he has been an advocate for mandate relief and cutting the red tape that is strangling small business in New York State.
He is opposed by Gary Port, a lawyer running on the Democrat Party line. Port also seeks mandate relief. However his No. 1 cause has been taking away the zoning powers from Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, something the Legislature is likely to do.
Port accused his own party of not supporting his campaign. “The Assembly race is the Rodney Dangerfield of campaigns,” he said. “There’s just no money being pumped into local races.”
Unlike Ra, Port decided not to place campaign signs on lawns throughout the district. He said the sign strategy backfired on him in his unsuccessful race for Town of Hempstead Supervisor last year when 200 of his signs went missing within hours after they were planted.
Port seems to be making excuses in advance why he isn’t going to win.
