NY State Assembly Race: Reid, McDonough vie for assembly seat

The race for the 14th State Assembly District seat is well under way, with democratic candidate Michael Reid, challenging republican incumbent David McDonough for the seat.

Mike Reid is a career Paramedic and Volunteer Firefighter with over 30 years of experience. Presently working for Northwell Health as an EMS Educator, he began his progressively more responsible EMS positions with hospitals in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. Reid also joined the Merrick FD youth program at the age of 14. Within the Fire Service, he has served as an officer with the Merrick FD and as President of the Nassau County Firemen’s Association.

David McDonough, 79, of Merrick was first elected to the State Assembly in a Special Election held Tuesday, February 12, 2002 and was re-elected to his eighth term in November of 2014. Assemblyman McDonough is the Chairman of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Public Safety and as such is working with various agencies including the United States Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Secret Service, police and law enforcement and the courts, volunteer firefighters and emergency services, veterans and military personnel, sex offender watch and workforce issues in the correctional services.

-What can the NY assembly do to make college more affordable for young people?

David McDonough:

As a member of the Assembly Education Committee I believe that all New York State residents should have access to Higher Education and have continually worked to increase funding for SUNY and CUNY and increase the maximum TAP award to $6,570; include graduate programs eligible for TAP; and increase the household income cap for TAP awards from $80,000 to $100,000. As we all know, textbooks are an enormous expense for students and I have co-sponsored legislation that would create a task force to review the issue of textbook costs and ways to enhance the academic role and delivery of course materials. I also co-sponsored legislation that would establish college supplies as a tax deductible expense. The rising cost of higher education is coupled with huge amounts of student debt. Student loans are now second only to mortgages As the largest source of household debt. Seven million borrowers are in default, and millions more are behind on their payments. That is why I co-sponsored legislation that would provide an income tax deduction for both interest and principal amounts of student loans.

Michael Reid:

The NYS STEM Incentive Program currently provides a full SUNY tuition scholarship to the top 10 percent of students in each NYS high school if they pursue a STEM degree in an associate’s or bachelor’s degree program and agree to live in NYS and work in a STEM field in NYS for five years after graduation. I support the continuation of the program and would like to explore the possibility of expanding the eligibility to encourage more graduating seniors to this course of study. The program does not cover students looking to enter into health care related fields, such as nursing, dentistry or pharmacy. This is one of the largest growth industries in NYS. I would introduce legislation to expand the STEM program, or create a new one, to encourage students to pursue advanced degrees in health care. Building and supporting our youth is building and supporting our future.

-Tens of thousands of families are opting out of common core tests, what can state assembly do to ensure fairness in common core testing?

David McDonough:

I have long been a proponent of reforming the Common Core curriculum, having introduced legislation at the outset of the implementation of the program, to pause and revise. The Assembly Republican Conference has proposed The Next Step Education Reform Policy which includes repealing the current teacher evaluations system and empowering the board of Regents to establish a teacher evaluation system to be implemented statewide . It also included measures that would ensure all State assessments are age/developmentally appropriate and of the highest quality and importantly, included providing increased flexibility for our students by offering multiple pathways to success and for our local school districts by giving them the freedom and resources to develop curriculum locally. In addition, New York State needs to adopt the recent recommendations of the NYS Board of Regents which would reevaluate the testing to make it more grade appropriate and it is very necessary to include educators and parents in the final development of the Common Core curriculum, something that was never done from the start and was sorely needed. Teachers must be trained and fully understand the curriculum that they will be using within the new standards. We must do everything we can to ensure that our students are receiving the best education possible in the best way.

Michael Reid:

Listen to teachers and parents. Focus on quality education and student progress. Allow local schools and school boards the freedom to decide how to evaluate the performance of the teachers they employ. By now it should be clear to all involved that, while the intent may have been good, the pace which we moved to implement Common Core standards in New York was too fast. I do believe we need to have clear educational goals and standards which will prepare our kids for the world they will soon be entering. A future where Science, Technology, Engineering and Math skills are going to be in even more demand than they are today. Common Core has been suggested as the standard all schools need to benchmark on. However, it was not developed as most other industry standards are; by a panel of industry experts. It failed to develop a plan acceptable to all stakeholders. Healthcare has been using Quality Assurance and Improvement (QA/QI) for years. It relies on a variety of industry standards to measure performance. Key to QA / QI is first building a culture of safety and trust for all involved. Learning should never be punitive, neither should be testing. We need to create a culture focused on safe learning for all involved. We also need to insure that any testing done is compliant with all accommodations allowed to all students with an Individual Education Plan.

-With recent attempted terrorist attacks, what can NY assembly do to ensure public safety?

David McDonough:

As Chairman of an Assembly Task Force on Public Safety, I work with various agencies including the United States Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Secret Service, police and law enforcement and will work to continue to inform citizens of the importance of vigilance and to report to authorities any indication or suspicion of potentially dangerous situations. Simply stated, “See Something, Say Something”. We must all be aware of our surroundings. One of the most important aspects of public safety is to develop open communication between our citizens and local law enforcement officials and government. That can be accomplished through forums with various community organizations, which I have already begun, bringing together community groups and representatives from government and law enforcement to open channels of communication between the parties.

Michael Reid:

Insuring public safety must always be the number one concern for elected officials. As a career Paramedic and volunteer firefighter I have devoted a lifetime of service to public safety. As a Member of the Assembly I will continue to be a champion for our first responders, both career and volunteer. I will fight to secure funding for improved training and education opportunities for the police, fire and EMS crews who put their lives on the line every day to protect our families.

Bios:

Michael Reid:

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Age: 54

Lives in: Merrick, NY

Career: EMS Educator for Northwell Health

Political experience: never held elected office

Other: serves on the Board of Directors of the Firemen’s Association of the State of NY and was honored in 1986 as the NYS Firefighter of the Year for saving the lives of four people trapped in a fire in Freeport. He is dedicated to improving health care in NYS, and is serving in his 9th year as a member of the NYS EMS Council (SEMSCO).

David McDonough:

Party Affiliation: Republican

Age: 79

Lives in: Merrick, NY

Career: Assemblyman

Political experience: Assemblyman

Other: attended two separate week-long training sessions with the U.S. Homeland Security in New Mexico. He was a founding member of the Bellmore-Merrick Community Wellness Council, an organization working with various community, business and religious organizations to help prevent substance abuse.