Election 2016

Brooks, Venditto vie for 8th Senate District

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The race for the 8th State Senate District seat is under way, with candidate John Brooks challenging incumbent Michael Venditto for the seat.

Brooks, 66, is a lifelong Long Island resident, and now retired and living Seaford. He said that he’s running for the State Senate to fix aspects in the government that, in his view, are broken. The retired insurance executive also had an opportunity to work for some time in government as a risk manager. He’s been active in the Seaford community, having served on the Seaford Board of Education. He’s also been an active member of the Seaford Fire Department for more than 45 years, having served as department chief.

Venditto, 35, was elected to the State Senate in 2014 and wants to make the state government more responsive. By working in a collaborative, bipartisan manner, he said he hopes to give all New Yorkers the opportunity to succeed. He has lived all of his life on the South Shore and is chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Consumer Protection for the 2015-2016 sessions. He also served on the several committees, including Codes, Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, Higher Education and Insurance.

The 8th Senate District includes all or parts of Baldwin, Bellmore, Freeport, Merrick, Seaford, and Wantagh.

Herald: What can the State Senate do to make college more affordable for young people?

John Brooks:

One of the problems with the cost of college in the state is the fact that the state of New York has not fulfilled its obligation in the funding of the colleges that are part of our state university system. The New York State Legislature has a long history of failing to properly fund education at all levels. Today we fund for statewide public education just $24.2 billion and leave most of the burden of funding education to the homeowners in the local communities. This holds true for the funding of college, which is also where homeowners are again asked to fund for their local community colleges as part of the residential property-tax bill.

New York must fulfill its obligation to provide the required financial assistance to our colleges and universities. We must change the way we fund public education, moving away from the excessive burden that has been placed on homeowners by ending the use of property taxes to fund required educational programs and services, and moving to a program that funds the full cost of education taking into consideration regional cost factors across the state at the state level. Only when we fund education statewide making use of a program that truly takes into consideration the economic and financial conditions of those funding education can we ensure equality in education in this state funded by an equitable means based on financial ability.

Michael Venditto:

A higher education is needed in order to compete for many good-paying jobs. I understand this. That is why I worked to obtain major new investments in New York’s higher education system. This included increased funding for tuition assistance, support for community colleges and public and private universities across our state.

This year funding for the Tuition Assistance Program was increased to a funding of more than $1 billion, helping thousands of young New Yorkers afford a college education. We also made it easier to save to pay for a higher education. By expanding contribution options to the state’s popular 529 Savings Program by allowing direct deposit of income tax returns into your child’s 529 account.

The Legislature also increased base aid for community colleges. This represented a nearly $20 million increase for SUNY and CUNY community colleges combined.

What also should be noted, that at a time when college tuition is skyrocketing nationally, we were able to prevent a proposed tuition increase for SUNY and CUNY.

Herald: Tens of thousands of families are opting out of Common Core tests. What can the State Senate do to ensure fairness in Common Core testing?

John Brooks:

Parents have elected to opt out of their children participating in these tests have truly acted in the best interest of both their students and the educational system in this country. The manner in which these tests have been established in the way these tests are being used is improper, making the tests invalid. The objective of these tests should be to examine how well the students are performing based on the educational material they should be dealing with at a given grade level.

Many school districts across this country have seen a significant number of immigrant students placed in these districts who come to our country with very limited educational backgrounds and no working knowledge of the English language. The federal government, which administers immigration, has placed the burden of funding the education of these children solely on the backs of the local community to which they have been relocated. It is time for the federal government to provide the funding needed to educate these children and assist in making them productive residents of this country. The Common Core tests now in use serve no real purpose other than to be used as a tool to point the fingers of blame on our educational system to others rather than recognize the massive failure of government when it comes to educating our children.

Michael Venditto:

I have been opposed to the failed Common Core rollout here in New York state. The damage done by the State Education Department and the Board of Regents has had a dramatic and profound negative impact on education in our state. The Common Core standards were first adopted in 2010 and finalized in 2011 by the New York State Board of Regents, not by the State Legislature. Clearly something must be done, and done quickly, because it is our children who are being hurt most by these standards.

Currently the Board of Regents has imposed a four-year moratorium on the use of test results for teacher evaluations. I strongly support this move. However, more needs to be done. That is why I supported a law that would require SED to release all test questions annually. More importantly, this law also required the SED to review all the Common Core Standards.

While there is still a great deal to do, we cannot ignore how far we have come since the disastrous beginnings of the Common Core.

Herald: With recent attempted terrorist attacks, what can the Senate do to ensure public safety?

John Brooks:

It is very unfortunate that when it comes to terrorism that we are seeing an increase in activity on what can be defined as soft targets. We are also seeing an increase of homegrown terrorists who are striking out and communities across the country. We must recognize that the federal government must serve as the primary agency in the prevention of terrorism. We must ensure that first-responders at every level receive the needed training and safety equipment to allow them to responsibly respond to a terrorist event.

At the state level, we should ensure that every police department and fire department in the state of New York receives the needed training and equipment to allow them to safely deal with the terroristic event in their community. The federal government must ensure that local police and safety agencies are actively involved in the monitoring of potential terrorist situations. The federal government must be actively communicating with and training these agencies in the proper response methods as the type of terrorist events changes or become known.

Here in New York we must recognize that we have many locations and facilities that could be considered prime targets of terrorists. We, as a state, should take great pride in how we have been able to respond to these tragic events in the past and give great thanks to the many heroes of this state who service first-responders.

Michael Venditto:

The recent terrorist attacks, both at home and abroad, provide important reminders of the tragic consequences of terrorism. New York knows all too well the pain, outrage and unspeakable loss by these acts of violence.

The Senate passed legislation that would create a registry for those convicted of a state or federal crime of terrorism. This registry would aid in the monitoring of those individuals who have proven through their past actions that they would commit an act of terrorism.

I also supported a bill that would increase criminal penalties for soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism. One of the biggest sources of funding for terrorist organizations is through money laundering and credit card fraud. This bill would help deter those who financially support terrorism. However, I believe that to truly combat terrorism we need to act together. We need to work with law enforcement, and give them the help they need to keep us all safe. “If you see something, say something” is more than a slogan. It is a rule by which we all should live.

BIOs:

John Brooks:

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Age: 66

Lives in: Seaford

Career: Retired insurance executive

Political experience: Risk manager

Other: Served on the Seaford Board of Education; an active member of the Seaford Fire Department, served as department chief.

Michael Venditto:

Party Affiliation: Republican

Age: 35

Lives in: Massapequa

Career: Previously a Nassau County legislator

Political experience: Incumbent senator; chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Consumer Protection.

Other: Serves on the Codes, Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, Higher Education, Insurance, Judiciary, Labor and Libraries committees, and the bipartisan Joint Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction.