With less than a week to go, David Weprin, Michael Simanowitz, and Marco DeSena pled their cases to a small crowd of students at St. John’s University Thursday night.
“The young people who are our future don’t take part in the political process,” Simanowitz said.
Simanowitz and his republican opponent in the 27th Assembly district race, Marco DeSena spoke to the few students that attended the forum and took questions from a panel comprised of NY1 reporter and host of “Queens News Now,” Jon Weinstein, and faculty and students from St. John’s.
Simanowitz, a Queens native, was former Assemblymember Nettie Mayersohn’s chief of staff for 15 years. The Queens College graduate also was an active member of the 107 Precinct Auxiliary Unit and served as commanding officer for the past nine years.
He said he does not support hydraulic fracturing or “hydrofracking”, the controversial drilling method that could potentially reap large quantities of natural gas from the Marcellus shale in upstate New York. He also said he supports the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk methods and the extension of rent regulation laws.
DeSena, a College Point resident, is a communications consultant and adjunct professor at Baruch College. He went to high school at St. Francis Preparatory School and received his bachelor’s in public affairs from Baruch. DeSena also worked for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008.
An enthusiastic and passionate DeSena spoke in front of about 50 students at the School of Law and emphasized that the state government should be smaller and play less of a role in addressing the needs of residents.
“We need to look at where government is the problem,” he said.
The Baruch professor also lambasted Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver, for having too much control in the statehouse.
“He is a benign dictator of the Assembly,” DeSena said.
Assemblymember David Weprin made a brief appearance, but Bob Turner, his retired cable executive opponent, decided not to show up at the last minute.
Weprin continued to emphasize his tax incentives for small businesses and infrastructure improvements to help spur job creation. He also noted the need to close corporate tax loopholes for companies that ship jobs overseas.
The former City Council member also praised the work of the man he hopes to replace: former Congressmember Anthony Wiener. Weprin said he was a great national spokesman for the party and district. If elected to the seat, he hopes to do the same.
“I’m just as passionate in my own way for the things that he [Wiener] stood for,” Weprin said.
