Voter Guide 2010: The Candidates

Here is a final summary of the major party candidates for 2010 Election Day on Nov. 2.

New York State Governor:

D  – Andrew Cuomo– As New York Attorney General, Cuomo investigated the state pension fund, the student loan industry and Wall Street corruption. As governor, Cuomo says he will consolidate state government and focus on revitalizing New York by bringing in new jobs. Republican opponent Carl Paladino and others blame Cuomo's expansion of mortgage loans when he was secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton for fueling the housing crisis.

R  – Carl Paladino– Paladino defeated Rick Lazio and pushed out Suffolk County's own Steve Levy for the Republican nomination. The focus of Paladino's campaign is overhaul in Albany. He says he plans to declare a fiscal state of emergency and will cut the state budget by 10 to 20 percent by freezing compensation of state employees, among other budget trimming measures. Paladino, a lawyer and businessman from Buffalo, has faced controversy during the campaign, accused of sending explicit e-mails and making offensive statements towards the homosexual community.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Charles Schumer– Schumer, New York's senior senator, was elected in 1998. Prior to being elected Senator, Schumer spent nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives. His voting record includes support for measures that discourage offshoring of American jobs, the creation of the Small Business Lending Fund Program, and the health care public option (which he drafted).

R - Jay Townsend– Townsend is a businessman who formed The Townsend Group, an advertising agency based in Orange County, in 1993. He has lashed out against what he has called "the Obama spending spree" and has been an outspoken critic of the recent health care plan supported by Schumer. If elected, Townsend has said he plans to vote to repeal it.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand– Gillibrand says job creation and economic development are her highest priorities. She voted in February to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and supported measures that provide tax cuts for middle class families. She also believes in increased access to healthcare, controlling medical costs, and she supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the so-called public healthcare option. 

R - Joseph DioGuardi– DioGuardi believes government spending is out of control and is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and budget reform. He also supports increased access to healthcare and controlling medical costs, but does not believe it should be legislated. Instead he believes that it should be accomplished within the private sector.

Attorney General:

D - Eric T. Schneiderman, Democrat, Working Families party lines– Schneiderman received his Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, where he majored in English and Asian studies.  His law degree is from Harvard Law School.  He served as Deputy Sheriff in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and from there went on serve as an anti-crime, anti-drug advocate as an attorney and in the New York State Senate, getting elected in 1998.

R - Dan Donovan, Republican, Conservative party lines– A Staten Island District Attorney, Donovan received his Bachelor's degree from St. John's University, where he majored in Criminal Justice. He received his law degree from Fordham University Law School.  He was a prosecutor for eight years in Manhattan and served as a Staten Island Borough President in 2002.

State Comptroller:

D - Thomas DiNapoli, Democrat, Working Families party lines– A Nassau County resident, DiNapoli became state comptroller in 2007.  In 1972, when he was elected to the Mineola Board of Education, he was only 18 years old.  He then served in the New York State Assembly for 20 years. He has also been an adjunct professor and a manager in the telecommunications industry. DiNapoli earned his Bachelor's degree from Hofstra University with a major in History. He received his Master's degree Management and Urban Policy from The New School University.

R- Harry Wilson, Republican, Independence, Conservative party lines– Harry Wilson, a native of Johnstown, New York, has been comptroller for Goldman Sachs, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Blackstone Group, and Silver Point Capital. Wilson was the only Republican to serve on the President's Auto Task Force, where he advised both Presidents Bush and Obama on how to proceed with the overhaul of General Motors. He was opposed the corporate bailout of car company Chrysler.  Wilson is married with four children and lives in Westchester.



D - Howard Kudler– Kudler moved to Merrick 10 years ago from Queens. He has two sons with his wife, who is an attorney.  Kudler holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY-New Paltz and a master's degree from St. John's University with a certificate in international law and affairs. If elected, Kudler, who captured 38 percent of the vote in his first run for office in 2008 against Assemblyman Dave McDonough, said he will also fight to bring jobs back to Long Island and work to bring military troops home.

R - Peter King– King is a graduate of St. Francis College and the University of Notre Dame Law School. He is a lifelong resident of New York and has lived in Nassau County for more than 40 years. King and his wife, Rosemary, reside in Seaford. They have two adult children and two grandchildren. The three biggest issues facing the 3rd Congressional District, according to King, are jobs, taxes and terrorism. It is that last issue, though, that has put King in the media spotlight for years.



D - Steve Israel - Is also running on the Independence and Working Families party lines. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, said he wants to cut taxes for middle-class families and small businesses and increase the income cutoff line from $250,000 to $380,000. He also supports the clean energy bill that he says will create jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign countries for oil. He said he supports  freezing  Congressional pay and voting to end existing tax breaks for large corporations that hide their assets in offshore accounts. He also supports increasing benefits for veterans.

R - John Gomez - Is also running on the Conservative Party line. He said the "four corners" of his campaign are cutting taxes and spending, reducing bureaucracy and strengthening our national defense. He  wants to repeal "ObamaCare" and instead supports tort reform to control health-care costs, and extend the "Bush tax cuts" for everybody as well as implement a further cut on capital gains tax. And, he said, "despite all the warnings and all the attacks we are still not safe from foreign enemies who have resolved to harm us."  He also says that "the effect of releasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere is a topic of debate centering on unsubstantiated claims."


D – Larry Silverman– Silverman, who served as a watchdog for the MTA Board, believes that Albany needs a watchdog as well, this is his second run against Marcellino, who beat him in 2000. 

R – Carl Marcellino– Marcellino, the incumbent candidate, believes that "Albany needs to be put on a diet." He wants to put a cap on property taxes, repeal the MTA and provide mandate relief.

D - Charles Lavine– Born in Wisconsin, incumbent Charles Lavine is now a Glen Cove resident. He earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a J.D from New York Law School. Lavine supports the MTA tax as a means to keep LIRR and bus rates down, consolidation of courts and prisons, the right of women to make their own reproductive choices, marriage equality and no-fault divorce. He is Chair of the Jewish Association.

R - Robert Germino– Born in Rockville Centre and raised in Glen Cove, 30-year-old Robert Germino has set his sights on state political office. Germino, an Iraq War veteran, is running on the Republican ticket for the Assembly's 13th District seat against Democratic incumbent Charles Lavine. He is a Glen Cove High School graduate and he holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Hofstra University. If elected, Germino said he will call for a repeal on the MTA tax, and help grow the economy by reducing the tax burden and excessive regulations placed on job creators—the private sector of the community.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit http://www.vote411.org/pollfinder.php to find your local polling location.