“When I took office last year, the first thing I had to do was re-establish the trust and faith of the people in my district,” said Assemblymember Mike Miller.
And, as the primary nears on Tuesday, September 14, Miller is hopeful that his vow to make himself a “full-time Assemblymember” will help him beat out Democratic opponent Nick Comaianni.
The two nearly squared off when former Assemblymember Anthony Seminerio relinquished his decades-long position and pleaded guilty in June of 2009 to charges that he took nearly $1 million from hospitals, a school and other entities for actions he undertook as a member of the State Assembly. He was sentenced to six years.
When that seat was left open, the Democratic Party made Miller its choice, and he beat out Republican Donna Marie Caltabiano.
“I am the only person running who makes this a full-time commitment,” said Miller. “The constituents deserve this.”
Miller counts helping save a senior center, fighting to restore MTA cuts and improving quality of life among his major accomplishments.
“There are a lot of satisfied constituents,” he said. “Miller gets results.”
And, like Miller, Comaianni has said, “I want to bring government back to the people and restore voter confidence in their elected officials. I am running for the New York State Assembly because I believe the highest calling of a citizen is to serve his or her fellow citizens in office as a position of trust.”
Both realize the importance of jobs, seniors and veterans.
“Honoring and taking care of our elders should always be a top priority,” said Comaianni, Community Education Council District 24 President. “During economic troubles there should never be any discussions about closing senior centers or reducing important services provided to our senior population. Instead, we should look to cut ineffective and wasteful programs so that our seniors have the services that they rely upon and deserve.”
Miller agrees.
“What I want to try to happen in my next term is to make affordable housing for seniors,” he said. “We need to do a better job for veterans and make sure they get the services they need. And we need to make sure the Aqueduct project moves along and the people from our district get hired.”
