Herald Endorsement

In the 21st Assembly District, re-elect Brian Curran

Posted

In a close call, the Herald endorses Brian Curran over Judy Griffin in the 21st Assembly District race.

Both candidates are passionate and knowledgeable about the issues facing the district, and they both genuinely care about their communities, but Curran has a slight edge.

Curran is active in the communities that he is responsible for and has advocated in Albany on behalf of residents. Despite having a full-time job as an insurance attorney, Curran has shown a strong drive and dedication to serving the community.

He has actively fought the exorbitant rate hikes imposed by New York American Water, hosting discussion forums to raise awareness of the issue. He has vowed to continue to investigate his constituents’ complaints about their water bills. He has also fought hard to push the Long Island Rail Road to modernize stations that need upgrades and fix its poor on-time performance.

Stopping corruption is also important to Curran. In addition to serving as the ranking Republican on the Assembly Ethics Committee for eight years, he co-sponsored a bill that would create a new commission to investigate corruption in state government. It would also charge any public servant who turned a blind eye to corruption with a crime.

Curran has also taken a no-tolerance stance toward opioid dealers, pushing for stricter laws for those caught distributing drugs. He also wants to create counseling centers for those who are addicted.

Griffin is a strong candidate. Her role as director of community outreach for State Sen. Todd Kaminsky gives her keen insight into residents’ concerns. Griffin is an education activist and was a leader in the opt-out movement against state standardized tests. She is also an advocate for women’s rights, desires stronger gun safety measures and is a proponent of using overdose-mapping technologies to crack down on dealers.

It is refreshing to have two worthy candidates vying for this position, and we hope the trend continues in the future. We encourage voters to elect Curran on Tuesday.