Election 2016

Bogle, Solages to face off for Assembly seat

Posted

Voters in Elmont and Valley Stream may notice a fresh face knocking on doors and campaigning for votes over the next two months. Valley Stream resident Robert Bogle, 24, was nominated by the Nassau County Republican Party in May to challenge incumbent Democrat Michaelle Solages for the 22nd District seat in the State Assembly.

Bogle is the son of Robert G. Bogle, a Nassau County judge who served as Valley Stream village justice for three decades.

A 2010 graduate of Kellenberg Memorial High School, Bogle is in his final year of law school at Fordham University while he clerks at the law firm Goldberg, Miller and Rubin.

Though he is still in school and working part-time, Bogle said he decided to run for the Assembly because of the interaction he has had with people in the community. According to Bogle, many residents have become cynical about government and are looking for someone who can address their needs.

“A lot of people are jaded, and I don’t blame them for being jaded, because it’s difficult to get your issues answered a lot of the times,” Bogle said. “So if I can facilitate that and make it that much easier, I want to help.”

For Bogle, one of the biggest issues facing the community is education reform and the stress that the Common Core State Standards have created for teachers. It is his hope that New York state will abandon the federally mandated practices, but to do so, both parties would have to work together in Albany, Bogle said.

“I had some great public school teachers,” he said. “They don’t have to be told by the state how to do their job. Maybe we can give more authority to the teachers to control what happens in the classroom.”

Bogle said he also wants to see the district receive state aid for parks and other community recreation programs, which is something he believes has not been a priority for Solages. “New York City has so much representation that sometimes we get stepped on, and the idea is to bring the power back to the communities,” Bogle said. “We’re a gateway to the suburbs for a reason. We’re not the gateway to the city.”

On the issues

Solages, 31, has touted her experience and her dedication to fighting for women’s rights throughout the district. In March she hosted a forum in Westbury focusing on paid family leave. Many employers do not offer extended paid leave beyond vacation, so workers are forced to lose either money or their job when they have to tend to a sick family member. Solages campaigned with Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help pass a paid family leave bill in Albany. In April, both houses passed the legislation.

“People can take care of [their loved ones] and not have to worry about finances,” Solages said. “They can actually be with their loved one in their time of need.”

In addition to addressing some of the social issues her constituents faced, Solages also fought for property tax relief for residents. By using part of the windfall the state received in a banking settlement in 2014, homeowners benefited from tax relief, Solages said. “Property taxes are a burden on families,” she said, “so we made that first step in providing some relief.”

Perhaps the biggest issue Elmont and Valley Stream face is the development at Belmont Park. The Empire State Development has yet to decide on a proposal for developing the park’s north and south parcels.

Of the four possible plans for the south lot, the professional soccer team the New York Cosmos has offered the most ambitious. The team would build a 25,000-seat stadium, a 175-room hotel and restaurant and retail space. It also has plans for a recreation area.

Solages has been a vocal opponent of the Cosmos’ plan, and marched in rallies over the past year with other residents and political leaders calling for the state to reissue a request for proposals. According to Solages, the community did not have enough say about what type of development should come to Belmont.

“We have to be very careful with what we do there, because we have only one opportunity for economic development,” she said. “We should look at our options, and we should have something there that would really bring good-paying jobs to the area and something that the community could support.”

Bogle hasn’t committed to a plan for Belmont yet. He wants to meet with people in Elmont and Valley Stream to find out what they think about what’s best for the community. Whatever is put there should bring quality jobs to the people in the district, he said.

“I’m balancing these issues right now,” Bogle said. “I like creating jobs, but if there’s a huge community outreach and they’re saying the development there is going to hurt our local jobs and local businesses … then my opinion is going to be swayed the other way.”

Before any decision is made at Belmont, Bogle said, he wants to make sure that the plan isn’t detrimental to the people of Elmont and Valley Stream.

Earning your vote

Solages said she believes she has earned another term based on her record and her commitment to helping the people in her district.

“I’m fighting for them every day,” she said. “Every day I wake up and I say, how can I make your life better? I work 100 percent with all my energy to make sure we tackle these real issues and make sure that government is efficient and working for you.”

Bogle said he believes that millennials are underrepresented in government, and that people regard his generation with disdain. He said he hoped to change that view and show critics that he is as well versed on the issues as anyone else. He has served as a legislative intern to U.S. Rep. Peter King, State Assemblyman Brian Curran and Nassau County Legislator Fran Becker.

“With Rob’s diverse experience, he has the knowledge to make a difference for the 22nd Assembly District,” said King. “He knows the concerns of our schools, our tax dollars, our safety and getting the district’s fair share of funding from Albany.”

Though he is young and still in law school, Bogle said he should not be seen as inexperienced. “Even though I’m young, I have experience talking to people about the issues,” he said. “The vast majority of people who have met with me and seen that I’m young have been impressed by that.”

Election day is Nov. 8.

Comments about the 22nd Assembly District race? Email your letters to the editor to ssmirti@liherald.com.