Ryan Cronin is looking to unseat Sen. Hannon

Garden City resident Ryan Cronin launched his campaign for New York State 6th Senate district in November and was endorsed by the Nassau County Democratic Party last month. He is challenging the incumbent, Kemp Hannon, who has been in the state legislature since 1977.

Cronin, who graduated from Chaminade High School, grew up in Hempstead, West Hempstead and Garden City. He attended Loyola College in Maryland and received his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Last week, Cronin sat down with the Herald and answered a few pressing questions that effect his potential constituents.

What are the top issues that you care about?

Well, the top issue is the local economy in Nassau County. Young people are leaving Nassau County faster than the rest of the country. Other regions of the country are in debt migration of 4 percent of those 25-34; we are losing double digits in the past ten years. The reason is, people don’t think they can get a job, and if they can get a job, they can’t afford a home. If they can afford a home, they won’t be able to afford the taxes. It’s that cost of living and the obstacles to living here that are forcing people out.

I’m the young person in the demographic in his early 30s who, I very much want to raise my family here; I tend to raise my family here, and I want to make sure that I can do it. I want to make sure my friends can afford to do it, but there are critical issues we have to address right now, and they’re all economic.

What do you want to do to change that?

There are a number of things that we can do. First and foremost, we need to elect leaders who are going to address every policy that they’re faced with, every bill they’re faced with through understanding that we need to preserve the local economy.