Keep McKevitt in the 17th Assembly District

Tom McKevitt is realistic. With many state agencies cut to the bone and education funding for local school districts already cut, McKevitt, an incumbent Republican is focused on one area of the budget — one-third of it, in fact.

That is the Medicaid program, which is rife with fraud, abuse and errors and has saddled the state with billions of dollars of its debt. McKevitt proposes sticking with one central state Medicaid office in Albany, rather than continuing to operate that one plus 56 others. He also wants Medicaid experts to set reimbursement rates, rather than lawmakers with special interests. Taking politics out of a struggling system would certainly improve.

As for pensions, McKevitt’s ideas are pretty simple. Revoke the pensions of convicted felons and put a stop to those who are “spiking” them — working overtime at every opportunity — in their final years of their careers.

Given the anemic job market, we like McKevitt’s idea of making the most of the high-quality SUNY system to generate careers and commerce.

McKevitt sees firsthand how much power the majority party and its leadership have in the Assembly. He wants to see things change, no matter what party is in charge. We were impressed that he said he would be in favor of independent redistricting, even if it meant that his job would be phased out. Seventeen school districts for one representative just do not make sense.

McKevitt told us that there are two choices: fight or quit. He vowed that he would keep fighting to make the state more appealing to businesses and the young New Yorkers that continue to leave in droves.

We like his realistic approach. His ideas have substance. With his roots in the community and his rich knowledge of law and policy, we believe McKevitt deserves another term, and we endorse him in Tuesday’s election.

His opponent, Tom Devaney, has the requisite qualities to serve in elective office. He already is a public servant — a volunteer firefighter and medic. Like McKevitt, Devaney continues to live in the hometown, offering a deeply rooted perspective that his potential constituents can relate to.

But we don’t see a compelling reason to give him the nod over McKevitt. We are confident that the incumbent’s realistic approach will make positive waves in a tumultuous Legislature.