Preparing for a primary battle

Democrats Anthony Eramo and Jeff Toback set to face off Sept. 13 in the 20th Assembly District

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These may be the dog days of summer, but for two Long Beach residents — Anthony Eramo and Jeff Toback — they are beginning a six-week campaign to fill voters in on their positions before the State Assembly primary on Sept. 13.

Eramo, 42, a Long Beach city councilman, and Toback, 56, a former county legislator, are battling to be the Democratic candidate to face Atlantic Beach resident Missy Miller, the Republican nominee for the 20th Assembly District seat.

The seat became vacant after Todd Kaminsky, then the 20th District assemblyman, won the April 19 special election for the Senate seat vacated by former Majority Leader Dean Skelos after his conviction on corruption charges in December.

Kaminsky, a Long Beach Democrat, narrowly defeated Republican Christopher McGrath of Hewlett Harbor. They are set for a rematch in the Nov. 8 general election.

Toback, a lawyer, said he believes his experience as a county legislator from 2000 to 2009 will help him serve the district’s constituents. “When I was in Nassau County government, I was able to do things on a big scale,” he said of his five terms. “In private practice, I’m helping people on a smaller scale. I miss the larger projects,” he added in explaining why he is running.

In 2010, Toback lost a primary challenge to longtime Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach), who has since retired.

Eramo, a Verizon field technician, has been a member of the Communications Workers of America since 1996, is a CWA Local 1104 shop steward and political coordinator and became a chief steward for Local 1106 last year. A Hurricane Sandy victim who sought assistance for his family and a Long Beach city councilman since 2013, Eramo said he believes he is well-suited to be a state legislator.

“I’ve been an advocate my whole life, and it’s the next step in my career advocating for my fellow South Shore residents,” he said. “I come out of the labor movement, and many elected officials come from wealthy backgrounds. I believe we should have a middle-class taxpayer as our advocate, and I’m very suited to be that person.”

Enacting tougher laws to ensure that drug dealers are properly punished is on Toback’s list, as well as ethics reform in the State Legislature.

“I think everyone needs to agree on a plan,” he said. “I do not believe that you make it a full-time job and double the salary. We need to get more people involved. Term limits is something that needs to be looked at, and additional reporting on outside income in a real and meaningful way.”

Keeping taxes down and balancing the services residents think they should receive is one of Eramo’s key issues, he said, along with ensuring that public schools receive proper funding. He supports the bill Kaminsky sponsored in both the Assembly and Senate calling for the stripping of pensions from state legislators who are convicted of felonies. The bill passed last year, but because it would amend the state constitution, it must be approved in two consecutive legislative terms and by voters as well in a statewide referendum.

“It’s horrible what happens with outside income — the legislators lose touch,” Eramo said. “If elected, I will have no outside income and do this full-time, as that’s what people deserve. Money gets in the way and leads people down the wrong path.” He said he needs to think more about whether to support the imposition of term limits.

Both candidates boast of being involved in financial turnarounds. Toback was a county legislator when Nassau received bond rating increases based on the Democratic-controlled Legislature’s fiscal decisions, and Eramo is part of the team rebuilding Long Beach’s finances, he said.

Campaigning throughout the district, both men are hearing from their potential constituents. “Walking door to door, I’m pleasantly surprised that people are aware that there’s a primary,” Toback said. “Though we’re both Democrats, we have stark differences, and I enjoy listening to what they have to say.”
“We’ve started knocking on doors and getting great responses,” said Eramo, who added that he has hit the street in Island Park and Oceanside so far.

Miller gets ready

As Eramo and Toback face off in a primary, Missy Miller is gearing up for the general election campaign by setting up a website, a Facebook page and other social media outlets, and she said she plans on opening campaign headquarters in the near future.

The first-time candidate said that being a councilman gives Eramo an advantage in Long Beach, as do the state, county and union endorsements he is receiving. So who does she prefer as an opponent? “If I had to give an answer today, I would probably say Toback, simply based on Eramo’s advantages in those areas,” Miller said.