Politics & Government

5th Assembly District Candidates Focus On LI's Cost Of Living

Each said they would work to bring down taxes for local residents.

The upset of incumbent Ginny Fields by Ken Mangan in the Democratic Party primary for the 5th State Assembly District back in September turned what was expected to be a two person race into a three person contest.

With Mangan carrying the flag for the Democratic party on Election Day, he will face Republican/Conservative Al Graf and Fields, who despite an initial pledge to support the winner of the Democratic primary, changed her mind and is running on the Working Families and Independence Party lines.

And as residents of the 5th Assembly District — which includes the communities of Bayport, Sayville, West Sayville, along with parts of Bohemia, Centereach, Farmingville, Holtsville, Selden among others — work to decide which candidate would best represent them in Albany for the next two years, each said they are focused on finding ways to make life more affordable for those living on Long Island.

Find out what's happening in Sachemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I have three grown children and I want to sit with my children for Thanksgiving on Long Island and not travel to see them in other states because they can't afford to live here," said Graf. "We are the most over-taxed and over-regulated state in the country."

Mangan echoed the statements of his Republican opponent saying he wants to see his four daughters live on Long Island and "enjoy everything that has been afforded to me here." He said his first plan of action, if elected, would be to stop penalizing homeowners by raising their taxes after they have completed home improvements.

Find out what's happening in Sachemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"If you do home improvements, you raise the value of your home and your neighbor's home and the community," he said. "So many young couples bought a starter home and can't afford to move on to the next level of housing. If they instead expand, they are hiring local plumbers, carpenters and stimulating the economy. We should reward them and not increase their taxes for five years."

Fields also stressed her concern about the impact the cost of living is having on families in the 5th Assembly District and is running for another term in Albany on a record she said shows that she has led by example and supported the best interest of those residing in her district.

"I directly helped lower property taxes by bringing in $98 million in additional school aid in the six years I have been in Albany," said Fields. "I voted against the budget that was the highest budget in the history of New York. I don't vote with my party – I vote for my constituents."

While the three candidates each stressed the importance of finding ways to make Long Island a more affordable place to live, the challenge for each of them once elected will be making that a reality given the budget deficit faced by the state.

Graf feels that the problems faced by the state today will not be solved with the current administration "just throwing taxpayer dollars at the problem." He said his experience as a town supervisor in an upstate community affords him the knowledge he needs to "dig into the budget and cut services that we no longer provide."

If elected, Graf said he plans to reach out to other elected officials across New York State to ban together and help each other. "When I was upstate, we organized 110 towns and villages to support each other," he recalled. "We were all financially supporting New York City and not seeing any of the money. We need to form a coalition."

He also believes that problems can be solved by elected officials who are not focused on a career choice, but interested in working to make things better. "It is amazing how much you can get done if you don't care about who gets the credit," said Graf. "I am more interested in results than credit."

Mangan, like Graf, feels that forming an alliance is important to tackle the important issues of the day. "We need a Long Island alliance in order to get things done," he said. "My personality is such that I bring people together and I plan on doing that in the Assembly too. I have dedicated myself to the community and those in need and now it is time to help our state."

Fields said that she has many "innovative and gutsy" ideas for addressing the issue of taxes, but doesn't want to discuss them on the campaign trail as her opponents "copy the ideas."

"When a bill comes up that is an unfunded mandate, I vote against that," she said. "If it is a raise in taxes I vote against it and I have been doing that for six years."

Another priority item for Fields, she said, is protecting the small businesses. She did not support the bill to sell wine in grocery stores and also voted against the MTA tax, which she said is a "horrible tax for Long Islanders since a majority are not using the train."

For additional information about the candidates, visit their websites.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here