Curran wants to pick up where he left off

Democrats aren’t bringing to the table concrete solutions to key issues, so Brian Curran is stepping in with plans to change that.

In his efforts to become the next Assemblyman representing a solid portion of communities within the Town of Hempstead, Curran had focused on public safety, lowering taxes, and bettering the educational system. And even if Democrats maintain control of the Assembly as expected, Curran remains optimistic he can push his agenda forward. Especially since he was doing it in Albany before.

“Getting back to being a minority member in the Assembly is tough,” Curran told reporters at a recent Herald Roundtable session. “But we were able to do things when we were able to pass the property tax cap,” calling that one of the “biggest pieces of tax legislation to hit Long Island in the last 30 or 40 years.”

But there are other issues on Long Island that still need plenty of work. Especially with one area that seems to be hitting the wallets of his neighbors hard.

“Utility costs (are) something that has to be dealt with,” Curran said. He believes that “green” legislation could ultimately be a good goal to work toward, but the current legislation in front of lawmakers addressing climate will only increase utilities costs. That includes plans from Gov. Kathy Hochul to switch only to electrical cars within the next decade or so.

“I haven’t found a scientist that said that there’s technology that’s going to allow us to have solely electric cars by 2035,” Curran said. “If there’s one out there and they have a plan to do it, I’ll be on board. But the cost associated with that is high.”

With families already dealing with high taxes and inflation, Curran doesn’t believe many of them could pay roughly $60,000 for an electric car. Tesla, Ford, and others offer electric cars for less than $50,000, while the Nissan Leaf sells for less than $30,000.

Curran also wants to make sure government oversight won’t drive utility and water bills higher.

Crime remains at the forefront of the November elections, especially New York’s cashless bail system — something Curran voted against while an Assemblyman the first time around.

“I was against it because every single law enforcement agency, along with every DEA association, came to us and said that this was a bad bill,” he said. “If you’re going to reform the system, this bill needs changes. In its current form, this would wreak havoc in the communities.”

Curran believes people who cannot afford bai can “find out what other type of collateral could be instituted to make sure that the person arrested comes back” to court.

Although he doesn’t agree on all points, Curran generally sides with Democrats that universal pre-kindergarten is a good idea.

It’s been a few years since Curran represented this area in Albany, but hopes he can return. For him, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

“It is not the same district — or at least the very same characteristics of what it used to be — where it was safe and more affordable,” he said. “There are not the same characteristics in District 21 from when I left and when I was asked to run.

“That’s the reason why I decided to do it.”