Name: Gary Ackerman
Age: 67
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: U.S. Congressman
Decision To Run: To continue our work in making sure the world is a better place for my grandchildren and everybody’s children and grandchildren. It is essential that we continue to confront the immense challenges facing our nation in such critical areas as jobs and the economy, education, national security and working to assist our veterans and senior citizens. In addition, our office continues to provide what is arguably the best constituent service in the nation.
Major Issues: Top issues are jobs, jobs and jobs: Continuing to work to create and retain jobs throughout the district and the region, initiating programs to spur economic growth, continuing to bring back millions of dollars for infrastructure, construction, transportation and other projects, creating incentives for business such as extending tax breaks to companies willing to bring jobs from overseas back to the United States and requiring business that accept public money to keep the jobs in the U.S., continuing to work with local communities and businesses to identify their needs.
Financial reform and consumer protection: Supported the financial reform bill while ensuring that the measure would not negatively impact on NY businesses; shepherded the renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (TRIA) through the House to ensure the rebuilding of Ground Zero and other potential targets of terrorist attacks would proceed; authored the law – as part of the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights – that prohibits credit card companies from charging customers a fee to pay their bills online or over the phone; demanded greater accountability from the Securities and Exchange Commission; pushed for changes in key financial regulations in the wake of the nation’s recession and reforming the manner in which credit rating agencies assign ratings.
Top Priority: Issues mentioned above.
Name: Patricia M. Maher
Age: 49
Party Affiliation: Democrat, 10 Year Elected Democratic Committeewoman
Occupation: Director, Development & Community Education, Not-for-Profit Health Care Foundation
Decision To Run: Washington D.C. is broken and our current Congressman has not focused on creating jobs and expanding the economy. Ackerman has been in office for 27 years, that’s long enough. Unemployment is on the rise and mimics the 1930s. The Congressional Budget Office says unemployment will remain constant for the next six years. People who have worked their entire lives are losing everything – their retirement funds, cars, homes. We have a $13 trillion debt and Washington sits on their hands and smiles.
Major Issues: I pledge to create/save jobs by expanding the economy, creating local infrastructure improvement projects that focus on our highways, bridges and tunnels, thereby enhancing our infrastructure. I will focus on attracting new industry to our area, helping small businesses stay afloat and work to save the jobs of our teachers, which will preserve education for our children. I pledge to preserve Medicare for seniors/veterans by eliminating the long-term disparity in health insurance premiums that Long Island seniors pay for the Medicare Advantage Plan and focus on the cost-of-living disparity for Veterans that disproportionately reduces their benefits. I pledge to support Israel and its policies regardless of Washington politics.
Top Priorities: Creating and saving jobs. I will make it more attractive for businesses to relocate to our area which will help increase the labor market. For those Americans working, I would propose cutting payroll taxes, the largest tax the average household pays. To help small businesses survive the economy, I would propose extending additional “seed” money to continue and encourage start-ups to sustain and create long lasting jobs.
