Incumbent Kaminsky vs. challenger McGrath

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State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) defeated Republican challenger Chris McGrath of Hewlett Harbor by 886 votes in a tightly contested special election in April. Kaminsky was then the assemblyman representing the 20th A.D.

The initial electoral battle to fill the seat left vacant after Dean Skelos’s conviction on corruption charges was rife with charges and counter-charges by both candidates. The campaign this time around has been quieter, but the election is no less important, as the balance of power in the State Senate remains in play, and critical issues such as ethics reform, Common Core and job creation are still on voters’ minds. Green Party candidate Laurence S. Hirsh, a North Woodmere resident, is also running for the seat.

The Herald asked the two major-party candidates about the issues vital to the residents of the 9th District, which includes Long Beach, Lido Beach, Point Lookout, Atlantic Beach, Island Park, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, South Hempstead, Baldwin, West Hempstead, Malverne, Lynbrook, East Rockaway, Valley Stream, Hewlett, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere and Inwood.

Herald: The special election in April was close. Are you doing anything different during this campaign to sway voters? 

Chris McGrath: I haven’t changed who I am or what I believe, but we are working even harder to meet people, listen to their concerns and communicate our vision for Nassau County’s future. People need to understand the stakes of turning our entire state government over to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his allies in the State Senate. We need balance and accountability, and someone who will fight to ensure we are getting our fair share from Albany. I will provide that. My opponent, who has been a reliable vote for the New York City Democrats, won’t.

Todd Kaminsky:  I’m focused on my pledge to fight for Long Islanders and campaigning on my record of results. I promised to hold the line on taxes, fund our public schools and clean up the mess of corruption in Albany, and I’ve kept my promise. As a legislator, I voted against over 175 new taxes and delivered a historic $4 billion middle class tax cut. I secured an over $20 million increase in funding for southwest Nassau schools, fought to end the reign of Common Core in our schools and successfully eliminated the gap elimination adjustment. Finally, we broke through the logjam in Albany and passed legislation to ban pensions from convicted public officials.

Herald: Ethics reform remains at the forefront of issues related to the State Legislature. What do you believe would be the best way to help ensure that fewer legislators are tempted to be corrupt?

McGrath: Three things will make a big difference and begin to restore the public trust in elected officials. One, we need to strip away the taxpayer-funded pension of any politician who commits a felony. Two, we must enact term limits for legislators to ensure new blood and fresh ideas, and keep any politician from growing too big or too powerful. I strongly support term limits, and will make passage a priority if I am elected. 

And three, I would fight to enact recall legislation so the public can get rid of legislators who aren’t committed to working to create a more effective and more ethical state government. Whether it’s being associated with a top de Blasio campaign confidant who is now part of a federal probe, or supporting Sheldon Silver as speaker of the Assembly, even after being aware he was under federal investigation, the fact is, my opponent has managed to entangle himself with those involved in scandal after Albany scandal.

Kaminsky: As a former federal corruption prosecutor, I know we must be aggressive in our fight to clean up Albany, and I have a plan to do it. I’m proud that we finally voted to prevent convicted politicians from receiving taxpayer-funded pensions, but we can’t stop there. We must immediately ban legislators from receiving outside income so they only serve the public and not their personal financial interests. I don’t have another job. I support closing the campaign finance loophole to prevent special interests from buying our elections and term limits. Lastly, we need to empower local district attorneys with the tools they need to go after corruption on the local level.

Herald: New Common Core standards have been drafted. How would you like to see these educational standards be improved?

McGrath: From the very start, the Common Core learning standards have been a complete and total disaster. They have forced teachers to teach to the test, and led to over-testing and anxiety in our classrooms. I support high standards that allow our kids to be college- and career-ready, but I don’t support allowing Common Core to continue for another minute. Rather than let our children’s education be controlled by faceless bureaucrats in Albany and Washington, I support a swift return to more parental involvement and local control. In addition, teacher evaluations should never be based on test scores, and state mandates should be paid by the state and not local school districts.

Kaminsky: The new standards do not fully address the problem because they lack parent and teacher buy-in. Real change will only come when done in a grass-roots manner, not from the top down. We must abolish this one-size-fits-all idea on our children’s education, once and for all. Common Core has created barriers to a quality education by making it harder to learn and harder to teach, while burdening students and schools with difficult tests that fail to adequately measure learning, and continues to harm students with special needs. I’ve introduced legislation to decouple teacher evaluations from the tests, and will continue to push to reduce test-taking and increase testing transparency.

Herald: Much is made of the direction of the state’s economy. How do you plan to help create jobs that would allow your constituents to remain on Long Island?

McGrath: More needs to be done to give our hardworking taxpayers and their families the ability to stay and live here on Long Island, surrounded by their family, friends and loved ones. We need to start by making it more affordable for them to make ends meet by further reducing property taxes, and making sure the state continues to provide a record level of support for our schools. Targeted state investments that allow companies to grow and thrive would give middle class people a better shot at attaining good-paying jobs so they can provide for their families. 

In addition, making the property tax cap permanent would send a strong message that Long Island and all of New York is serious about creating and retaining jobs. I would be remiss if I didn’t emphasize how critical it is to make smart investments in our vital infrastructure, including our roadways and bridges, which can also go a long way to spurring economic activity locally.

Kaminsky: Long Island’s economy is directly tied to its affordability, and it’s our job to ensure our suburb remains a place that middle class families can live and raise a family. That’s why holding the line on taxes is my top priority. I voted against over 175 tax increases, and support extending the property tax cap, because Long Islanders are overtaxed and underserved by our state government and already pay more than their fair share. But Albany can still do more to grow our economy by rebuilding local infrastructure, improving transit options to and from New York City, and investing in research-and-development jobs.