Meir Fischer, the Democratic candidate in the State Assembly’s 20th District, is focusing his campaign on addressing overdevelopment, strengthening security at houses of worship and improving education for students in both public and private schools.
Fischer, 24, a lifelong Cedarhurst resident and a private chef, said his age is an important part of what he would bring to Albany.
“I’m a 24-year-old running to bring a young voice to Albany,” he said. “I feel we’re too focused on a different generation.”
Fischer said he decided to run because he believes residents need stronger representation in Albany, and because he wants to address issues that directly affect them. One of his primary concerns is development in the Five Towns, which he said has reached a point where residents are struggling to find decent housing.
“We have overdevelopment happening, affiliated with the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point where I get calls saying, ‘We have nowhere to live in the community.’”
Development, he said, should include housing options for seniors, rather than primarily bringing younger residents and families into an already crowded area. “We need elderly housing,” Fischer said, “and we need to find a way to ensure it's going to the elderly, and not young couples who are going to overpopulate the community before we're ready for it.”
Education is another of his priorities. Having come from the private-school system, he said he wants to see state support for both public and private schools without one coming at the expense of the other. “We’ve got to balance both public schools and the private schools,” he said. “We can’t have public schools benefit while the private schools get incurred.”
Education, Fischer said, is particularly important in communities such as Long Beach, where residents have raised concerns about the future of their schools. “I think the public schools are important,” he said. “I agree with the people in Long Beach that they have one of the best public school [districts] in the state.”
On another topic, he said that security concerns extend beyond synagogues and should apply to mosques, churches and other houses of worship. “Everyone needs to feel safe, no matter what religion they are,” he said. “We need to fix that division we have.”
Fischer said he would look for ways to improve security at schools and other public places while maintaining appropriate boundaries. “I think we need to find a way to provide some sort of security,” he said, “but, you understand, security is not police. A security guard is not a police officer, never will be.”
His approach to public safety, he said, would include listening to residents across the district rather than focusing solely on the Five Towns. “I need to get outside there if I need to be welcomed outside by these houses of worship,” he said. “Whether it’s a mosque, anything — even for me, a Conservative synagogue or Reform, and I’m from Judaism, is also just as important, not just Orthodox.”
Ultimately, Fischer said, he wants district residents to judge him by his willingness to work on issues rather than by his age, religion or political affiliation.
“We need someone who’s not focused on Republican, Democrat, but someone who’s focused on right or wrong,” he said. “We need to focus on what’s right, no matter who says it.”
