Monday, January 20, 2025
David McDonough, 87, has represented the people of Assembly District 14 since 2002.
Over his years as an Assemblyman, McDonough has made his office available to those in need of guidance.
“We are a public service,” he said. “I have a big sign in my office: ‘Help someone today.’ That’s our motto.”
McDonough’s office adds a personal touch to helping community members. No matter what, he and his team offer their services.
“When we have somebody come in with any type of a problem, we make sure we can refer them to the right people,” he said.
Every year, McDonough’s office holds several community drives to deliver supplies to people in need. These drives collect toys, coats, school supplies, pet food, and most recently, hurricane relief for those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
In the Assembly, McDonough is a member of several committees that influence the quality of life in Nassau County.
“I’m on the Education Committee, the Transportation Committee, the Consumer Affairs Committee and I chair a task force on the Public Safety Committee,” he said.
McDonough’s social network extends into the federal government.
“I have friends in Congress who used to be in the Assembly, and several friends in the Senate too,” he said.
McDonough prepares for trouble by facilitating meetings between federal agencies and county administration to increase familiarity. Over his career, he has used this strategy with the FBI and Secret Service to help their operations go as smoothly as possible.
“One of my policies is to bring people together to make friends, so when they have an event, they know each other,” McDonough said.
The assemblyman knows how to reach across the aisle to make change. He worked with the Democratic-majority Legislature in Albany to pass a bill that improved safety and education in schools.
“I work with the local school boards in my district,” he said. “One of the things is about the Holocaust.”
McDonough supported a bill that required the Holocaust to be included in history curriculums, and hopes to expand the scope of those lessons to be more in-depth.
“I’m responsible for us changing the education law for over 500,000 students in high schools,” he said.
During a Herald roundtable discussion, McDonough recalled a bill he helped pass. Before it was written, private schools were not obligated to report sexual assault and other forms of abuse, as public schools were. When a girl attending a private school was sexually assaulted and the school did not disclose it, McDonough worked with Democrats to rewrite the law to make schools — public and private — obligated to report these incidents.
“Public safety is a big thing right now,” he said.
McDonough has a history of supporting local law enforcement, and has experience working with Nassau County Police Commissioner Pat Ryder.
To address safety concerns, McDonough has worked with the Nassau County Police Department to secure $200,000 for law enforcement and other safety programs, including the installation of speed cameras on the Northern State Parkway and the Long Island Expressway.
He wants to address the affordability crisis in Nassau County. He hopes to work with banks to lower the mortgage rates, correlating with the Federal Reserve’s rate cut.
“The rents are unbelievable,” McDonough said. “You can’t rent on Long Island at any decent cost.”
If he wins re-election, McDonough offers time-tested strategies that have supported Assembly District 14 for the past 22 years.
“Get it done — That’s my policy,” he said.
