Assemblyman Curran hosts state budget snapshot talk

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Residents visited the Oceanside Public Library on Feb. 23, where State Assemblyman Brian Curran outlined how the upcoming 2017-18 state executive budget could affect residents living in the 21st Assembly District.

Curran, a Republican from Lynbrook, took issue with a number of budgetary mandates from the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, while siding with the governor on certain other aspects of the plan.

The assemblyman said he appreciated the $200 million earmarked in the state budget for addressing heroin abuse — an issue that he claimed has plagued his district — and was relatively content with the governor’s attempts to rein in corruption through term limits. He warned, however, of Cuomo’s proposed policies to allow same-day voter registration, early voting and automatic voter registration, and raised concerns about voter fraud.

He also took issue with Cuomo’s tendency to use budgetary items to push through legislation unrelated to fiscal issues. For example, there is a budgetary provision that seeks to raise the age of criminality to 18. As of 2017, New York and North Carolina are the only states in the union that have not done so.

Curran was approved of the governor’s tax cap legislation — which limits a school district or local municipality’s year-to-year tax levy increase to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower — and said that it was having the intended effect of keeping property taxes down. However, he acknowledged that it was only “slowing the pain” and that more would need to be done.

In regards to schools, he noted that New York’s tax cap was squeezing education budgets, but also said that in recent years, state aid has been making up the difference. Curran also said Cuomo’s tuition-free college degree program for families earning less than $100,000 did not apply to most families in his district, where he said the median income is roughly $140,000.

“He’s very open-minded,” said Sandie Schoell, vice president of Oceanside’s Board of Education. “He listens to all sides of the issues, he realizes that when you’re elected you’re not part of the party anymore. You have to listen to the people.”

Talks became heated when the health budget was discussed. Residents voiced fears that the Affordable Care Act would soon be repealed with no proposed alternative. “I am worried,” East Rockaway resident Leslie Dreifus said. “I am concerned for myself and for my family.” Dreifus, a self-employed chiropractor, said that, while far from perfect, the ACA has provided him low-cost health insurance for his family.

He, along with Daryl Altman, a medical doctor from Lynbrook, advocated for a single-payer healthcare system that other countries use. Curran calmly disagreed, saying it would either lead to state bankruptcy or diminished health care. However, he acknowledged that the ACA has worked well in New York and asked the two to wait and see what the federal government will do.

Locals at the meeting said that they appreciated the assemblyman’s time to explain aspects of the budget to them, and lauded him for finding common ground with the governor despite his party affiliation.

“I’ve got to give Brian credit for trying to be as neutral and unbiased as he was,” said Ed Scharfberg, Oceanside’s sanitation commissioner and a volunteer firefighter. “He agreed with some things the governor pushed and was against others.”

Even Dreifus, who had openly argued with the assemblyman at the meeting also gave him credit. “I don’t agree with you, assemblyman,” he admitted. “But I like you.”