Skelos is the obvious choice in 9th S.D.

Posted

In the race between incumbent Sen. Dean Skelos and the unseen candidate Pat Gillespie in the 9th Senate District, the choice for voters should be clear: Skelos is the man for the job.

Besides the fact that he is running against little more than a name the Democrats put on the ballot, Skelos has done a solid job for the district. He fights hard for his constituents, and, since he took over as majority leader, things have been running more smoothly in Albany. That’s not solely because of Skelos, but he is certainly a contributing factor. New York state government isn’t the laughingstock of the country that it was a few years ago.

Skelos’s voting record is in tune with the majority of his constituents: He supported the SAFE Act, which tightened controls on the purchase of firearms and ammunition, and allowed a vote on same-sex marriage to come to the floor. He supports the property tax levy cap, which may be disliked by school districts, but is helping to keep property taxes under control. And Skelos dependably brings much-needed money to the district for community services.

He has said he wants to focus on easing state mandates on schools and municipalities next term, and to help improve New York’s business climate and bring more large companies — and jobs — to the state. While we hope he will be responsible in choosing the mandates he tries to repeal, we’re confident that if Skelos is in charge, some of those much-needed jobs will come to Long Island.

The Herald urges voters to give him another term on Tuesday.