Candidate Questionnaire: Steve Stern For NY Assembly District 10
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Election Day is right around the corner, and voters will choose between incumbent Democratic state Assemblyman Steve Stern and Republican challenger Aamir Sultan in the general election on Nov. 5 for New York State Assembly District 10.The 10th Assembly District covers Huntington, South Huntington, Huntington Station, Huntington Bay, Cold Spring Harbor, Lloyd Harbor, Dix Hills, West Hills, Melville, and part of East Farmingdale.Name: Steve SternCampaign website: www.stevesternforassembly.comCity or town of residence: HuntingtonOffice sought: New York State Assembly, 10th DistrictParty affiliation: DemocratEducation: B.A. Tulane University; J.D. Western Michigan University Occupation: AttorneyFamily: Wife Meredith and two sonsDoes anyone in your family work in politics or government? NoAge: 56Previous public office, appointive or elective:Suffolk County Legislator, 16th Legislative District (1/1/2006-12/31/2017)New York State Assemblyman, 10th Assembly District (4/30/2018-present)Why are you seeking this office?I am seeking re-election to build on a record of accomplishment in delivering real results for our community, particularly during these challenging times.What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?I am proud of my record of service to our community during my six terms in the Suffolk County Legislature and through three terms in the New York State Assembly. I have a proven track record of accomplishment, including passing six bills during my first six weeks in the Assembly and several historic initiatives in the Legislature that were the very first of their kind in NY state and in the nation. I have always worked cooperatively with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver real results that have made my neighbors proud.What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?Protecting our tax dollars, protecting our waterways, and protecting the safety of our suburban streets and our quality of life. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?During my tenure in the Assembly, I have worked hard to:Protect Long Island homeowners by making the New York State property tax cap permanent and securing a property tax rebate credit for STAR and Enhanced STAR.Ensure that our local schools received historic funding, including for mental health and special needs, by bringing home our fair share.Preserve our environment by securing funds to help Long Island communities protect our precious drinking water.Pass common sense legislative initiatives that keep guns out of the wrong hands, secure our schools and keep our children and teachers safe.Deliver record support for our local small businesses and economic development on Long Island.Secure funding for our local law enforcement to fight crime, prosecute violent gangs, crack down on the fentanyl epidemic and keep our streets safe.Voted to codify Roe v. Wade into New York State law and safeguard the right to access abortion services.What problems facing your district would you look to solve if you are elected/re-elected?Providing Safety, Affordability and Opportunity for our families.Cancer is a prominent health issue for Long Islanders and is a leading cause of death for children. What measures would you take to help lower cancer rates and bolster research in the field?New York State is taking a leading role in the fight against cancer. We recently passed a number of bills cracking down on toxic PFAS “forever chemicals,” including phasing out PFAS in firefighting foam and paper-based food packaging and banning it in apparel and carpets. But we can’t stop there - a series of bills are still pending that will ban these toxic chemicals in a variety of household and personal care items. New York also became the first state in the nation to adopt new regulations to reduce the presence of 1,4-dioxane in household cleansing, personal care, and cosmetic products. 1,4-Dioxane is a toxic industrial chemical commonly associated with consumer products such as laundry detergent and shampoo. It has been found in groundwater at sites throughout the state, particularly in Long Island’s sole source aquifer.Finally, I recently supported legislation requiring the Department of Health to study cancer clusters throughout New York State, which will help bolster research and preventative measures to reduce higher-than-normal cancer rates in local communities.What would you do to help small businesses struggling with inflation and the cost of goods needed to manufacture their products?Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy and I support several initiatives to move forward with a business-friendly agenda on Long Island including:Increasing the corporate tax threshold by $100,000 for businesses and farms that employ at least one person and lowering the rate from 6.5% to 4%, which would save small businesses $300,000,000 statewide.Allowing small businesses with 25 or fewer employees and an annual net income of less than $250,000 to make contributions into a small business tax-deferred savings account to which the monies in such account may be withdrawn tax free during times of specified economic hardship, for the purpose of job retention or creation.Creating a New York State Innovation Voucher Program to provide direct funding to eligible small businesses with dollar-for-dollar matching funds to acquire expertise from our outstanding local colleges and universities, government laboratories and public research institutes and facilitate innovation and job creation in New York State.Water quality is critical to the region. What plans do you have to help improve water quality and keep it safe for generations?Our Long Island environment is facing unprecedented threats. That’s why I am working hard to protect the water we drink and our precious environment, now and for generations to come. I am proud of my efforts to provide vital funding for our local clean water infrastructure, including $22 million for sewers in Huntington Station. I also protected our children from the devastating effects of lead poisoning contamination by ensuring the safety of our drinking water in schools. Finally, I supported new regulations to reduce the presence of the toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane to protect our precious sole-source aquifer.In recognition of my strong commitment to our environment, I received a perfect 100% rating from the Environmental Advocates of New York and the highest rating for any Long Island member of the Assembly from the New York League of Conservation Voters.How can the immigration crisis be addressed at the federal and local level? Can federal and local officials work together? The best way to address the immigration crisis is for Congress to pass the bipartisan legislative proposal that would increase the number of border police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, and officers and judges to process claims of legal asylum. This would both stem the tide of illegal border crossings and greatly reduce the backlog of asylum claims. What can be done about inflation, which some say can be attributed to price gouging?We are all feeling the impact of taxes and inflation at the pump, at the supermarket, or as small-business owners. I know how these challenges affect our daily lives. That’s why I have been working hard to deliver real, meaningful results for our community. I fought against the impacts of inflation by accelerating the phase-in of middle-class tax cuts, making the New York state property tax cap permanent and securing a property tax rebate credit for STAR and Enhanced STAR. I will continue to bring home our fair share from Albany to help reduce our cost of living and make Long Island more affordable.The median cost of renting on Long Island falls between $2,000 and $3,100. How can more affordable housing options be created?I strongly agree that we need to build additional housing, particularly for our young adults and older neighbors. I support an incentive-based approach to provide meaningful assistance for those areas of our state that are certified as Pro-Housing Communities. I also support the use of more state-owned land for housing, and I recently introduced legislation to supplement this effort by making it easier for localities to obtain state-owned land, at either reduced or no cost, in exchange for constructing affordable housing. Finally, I supported legislation establishing the Homeowner Protection Program to provide free legal services and housing counseling to help New Yorkers facing threats to remain in their homes.What is your stance on SALT (State and Local Tax Relief)?I strongly support the bi-partisan efforts of our Long Island congressional delegation to eliminate the unfair and inequitable $10,000 cap on SALT. What needs to be done to keep Long Island streets safe from crime?Keeping our families and neighborhoods safe is always my top priority. That’s why I secured critical funding for our local law enforcement, including state-of-the art technology for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office to assist in the prosecution of violent gangs and crack down on gun violence as well as mobile license plate readers for the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments to apprehend dangerous criminals and keep our neighborhood streets safe. I strongly opposed bail reform, authored legislation to provide judges with the power to detain dangerous criminals in jail and led the successful fight to add back numerous crimes that are again bail eligible. I also sponsored and passed strong, common-sense legislation to keep guns out of the wrong hands, raised the minimum age to purchase semi automatic weapons from 18 to 21 and implemented more extensive training requirements and background checks to help keep all of us safe. Finally, I stand strong with our local law enforcement and am proud to be endorsed by every major law enforcement union on Long Island.The DWI/DWAI rate is escalating island wide. What measures can you fight for, to address the escalating addiction crisis?I support a two-pronged approach to address the addiction crisis. First, we need additional funding for treatment and support services, which is essential to transforming our system of care to meet the needs of those who are struggling with addiction. Second, we need to go after the dealers who are supplying these deadly drugs. To that end, I worked with our Suffolk County District Attorney to introduce a historic package of legislation to combat drug crimes and the Fentanyl epidemic. These initiatives will help provide the families of overdose victims with critical resources, hold drug dealers accountable for the true cost of their crimes, and give district attorneys the ability to crack down on criminals with a new “Death by Dealer” statute. These efforts will impact the rising tide of overdose deaths that are ravaging our communities and taking too many lives.What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?Knock on as many doors as possible, especially during non-election years, because that's where the best ideas come from and how you learn about the people you are privileged to represent. Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?My neighbors know I am exactly the kind of representative to best serve our community and reflect our suburban values, particularly during these challenging times.The article Candidate Questionnaire: Steve Stern For NY Assembly District 10 appeared first on Huntington, NY Patch.
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