Election 2012

14th Assembly District endorsement — McDonough

Posted

There are few elected leaders who appear to love their jobs as much as State Assemblyman David McDonough, a Republican from North Merrick. And that is one of the main reasons we are once again endorsing him.

McDonough had previously represented the 19th District. Under redistricting, he represents the 14th District.

As a Republican, McDonough is in the Assembly’s minority, which Democrats have long charged gives him little say. We have never bought into that argument. We believe McDonough has been a strong voice for the issues that matter to South Shore voters and has been creative in working to effect change in Albany.

Case in point: McDonough sought to eliminate the state’s five-year statute of limitations on rape, saying that new DNA technology makes it possible for law enforcement officials to prosecute a rape case decades after a crime has been committed. Because he was in the minority, pushing through such a bill would have been tough. So McDonough took it to the people, making his case in the media and collecting 3,000 petition signatures from residents across the South Shore. Long story short, the bill passed.

In recent years, McDonough has been focused on homeland security issues, receiving advanced FBI training, enabling him to pass along up-to-date security information to local law enforcement officials.

We liked McDonough’s opponent, John Brooks, a Democrat from Seaford. He presented detailed plans that he would set out to accomplish in Albany. And he is clearly committed to community, having served as chief of the Seaford Fire Department and as vice president of the Seaford Board of Education. Still, we did not see reason enough to unseat an accomplished legislator such as McDonough, who has forged a working partnership with one of the Senate’s most powerful voices, Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., of Merrick.

On Election Day, cast your ballot for McDonough.