Pulse Of The Peninsula: Dems offer better agenda for state

How often does it happen that you have no incumbent running to represent our district in the U.S. Congress, in the state Senate and in the state Assembly.
On Thursday, Oct. 6, the candidates for Senate (the seat vacated by Jack Martins), Democrat Adam Haber and Republican Elaine Phillips, and the candidates for Assembly (the seat vacated by Michelle Schimel), Democrat Anthony D’Urso and Republican Matthew Varvaro,  presented themselves in a League of Women Voters candidates forum.
Thankfully, all four candidates appear smart, earnest, qualified, and competent, bringing solid, if different, experience.
It wouldn’t be the “sky is falling” catastrophe that the Presidential campaign presents if one candidate won.
Still, we have to choose.
During the debate (given the weaknesses of the format), they sounded more similar than different. They all presented themselves as the ”outsiders” who will bring ethics and reform to government, and address property taxes.
But then you have to listen more carefully, and consider what was not mentioned.
I was enthralled with Varvaro’s sharpness, his demeanor as a rational (dare I say) seemingly moderate Republican, but he never  had to state his position on women’s reproductive rights, gun control, privatizing education.
The essence of Phillips’ campaign is based on the threat that her election will keep the Senate in Republican hands.
Elect me because ”your one vote could mean the balance in Albany and one party government — here on Long Island, just look at past history — higher taxes, with one party government controlled by NYC.”
And Varvaro’s pitch was “I won’t be someone who consistently toes the party line. There are many issues to work with Democrats, which as a Republican in the Assembly, you have to.” (Precisely the point).
All non-incumbent Republicans swear they are independent, but when they get to Albany, or Washington, they fall into the party line.
What it comes down to is who will stand up for the ideals that I hold, which happen to be most closely tracked with the Democratic party.
Despite the carefully chosen words and phrases – knowing full well they were speaking to a district that strongly supports commonsense gun regulation, women’s reproductive rights, environmental protection, climate action and a transition to an economy based on clean, renewable energy, the DREAM Act — they used the broad outlines, but not the actual policies.
I trust Tony D’Urso, who I’ve seen in local government and civic action (including his longtime work building schools and orphanages in Africa and Central America), to advance these ideals into policies, to support Gov. Cuomo who has worked to expand paid parental leave, raise the minimum wage, incentivize sustainable economic development and clean-energy solutions, to reinforce Obamacare, and to counter Cuomo’s shift toward privatizing public education. I trust him.
Haber, Phillips and Varvaro all declared how much they love the property tax cap and would like to see it enshrined in law.
I have written extensively on why the tax cap is so destructive, particularly to our schools which depend to such a large degree on property tax as their primary source of operating funds (better than 95 percent in Great Neck).
The tax cap is an assault on local control; residents already have the mechanism to reject excessive tax increases.
People complain about high property taxes, but people choose to live here (and if you look at the statistics, retirees may be leaving Long Island because their homes are too expensive, but people continue to move in for well-paying jobs). Haber (the only one who offered any creative ideas) is on the right track in talking about building our healthcare and medical research industry and tourism.
Each candidate pandered to the notion of preserving the environment but none of them talked about Long Island’s potential to be a world leader in clean, renewable energy: off-shore wind — which has the potential not only to drive down the high energy costs that we are told discourage businesses, but also has the potential to drive new industries: battery storage development, turbine manufacture.
As our state representatives in Albany, they should be clued in to where there are incentives being offered for new ideas in clean energy, economic development, mass transportation, and they should bring that information back to their villages and towns.  
So it comes down to this: whose agenda do you support?
Which party advocates for the issues and values you hold.
If climate action, women’s reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, public education, DREAM Act are what you care about, you should vote for Adam Haber for Senate and Anthony D’Urso for Assembly.