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Mostly Cloudy Curran, Thomas vie for assembly seat
Two newcomers call for fiscal responsibility
The two candidates who are seeking to become the next representative of the 14th Assembly District agree on one thing — that their first order of business, if elected, would be to improve the fiscal health of New York state. The race pits Lynbrook Mayor Brian Curran, a Republican, against Democrat Dermond Thomas.
The seat is currently held by Bob Barra, who is not seeking re-election after serving the district for the past decade.
Curran said that as an assemblyman, he would look to reduce spending and the size of state government. “The experience that I have as mayor in the last four years is that I have been able to reduce discretionary spending on the village level, and I practice what I preach,” he said, citing an increase in the number and quality of village services.
Curran added that he has spent two years as legislative counsel to the State Assembly, where he addressed constituents’ concerns and drafted legislation on their behalf. “I know state government,” he said, “and I know how it works.”
Thomas, who moved to Valley Stream three years ago and describes himself as a “political outsider,” said that he would look for ways to consolidate state agencies to avoid a duplication of services, and that his experience with mergers could come in handy in the Assembly. “I know how to create efficiency,” he said. “And I have no problem with sitting in a room and examining documents. I will find countless ways to fill in the deficit.”
Curran said that a job in the Assembly would be a great opportunity to help local communities with funding. He said he wants to follow the lead of Barra and his predecessor, Jim Darcy, in bringing state aid funding to schools and local municipalities.
Thomas agreed that Long Island is not getting its fair share of state funding. He said that school districts in other areas of the state get a greater percentage of funding through state aid, rather than property taxes, and noted that Long Island is only getting 2.3 percent of the state’s allocation of Race to the Top money.
