Voter's 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

Eric T. Schneiderman (D), 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.

Dan Donovan (R), 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

Thomas DiNapoli (D), 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.

Harry Wilson (R), 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 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. Kudler was in favor of the 2009 federal stimulus package and Wall Street bailout, and he is to the left of Obama on the healthcare issue.  He favors a single-payer system similar to those in Canada and the United Kingdom. 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 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, currently residing in Seaford. The three biggest issues facing the 3rd Congressional District, according to King, are jobs, taxes and terrorism. King was first elected to Congress in 1992. If he is re-elected and the Republicans take back control of the House, as many are predicting, King will once again become chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. King has been a vocal opponent of the new health care law, arguing that it will put a "real burden" on small businesses. King also wants to cut federal spending and extend the Bush tax cuts, including to those in higher tax brackets, and he is in favor of extending the tax cuts, which will expire on Jan. 1 if Congress does not act.

New York State Senate Sixth District

D - Francesca Carlow - Carlow and her husband have lived in the 6th senatorial district for more than 25 years and have two children. She served as president of the Plainview/Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce for seven years and continues to serve as an active board member. Carlow is currently second vice president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce and has been on its board of directors for five years. She said she is running to serve the interests of the people and touts her campaign as a "grassroots movement to give Long Islanders the opportunity to take back their government."

R - Kemp Hannon - Hannon, who lives in Garden City with his wife and twin daughters, has served the 6th senatorial district since 1989 and is also an attorney in private practice with the law firm of Farrell Fritz, PC. The Boston College, Fordham Law School and Chaminade High School graduate is the ranking member of the Senate Standing Committee on Health and is secretary of the Senate Conference. During his 20-plus year tenure, Hannon spearheaded the establishment of the Senate Medicaid Task Force, led the health committee of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) and serves on NCSL's Health Policy forum, among other service. Before serving in the Senate, he was minority leader pro tempore in the Assembly.

New York State Assembly 12th District

D - Kevin Gorman - Kevin Gorman has never held an elected office, despite running for Hempstead Town Supervisor, Hempstead Town Clerk and the Nassau County Legislature. He is a former small business owner and currently works for the Nassau County Board of Elections as Help America Vote act coordinator. Gorman believes the MTA tax is unfair and that we need to consolidate the various state agencies and commissions to provide cost savings and keep taxes down. He would like to reform and streamline the state government and make it easier for local school districts to operate with Albany. Gorman wants to end unfunded state mandates and believes that if the state forces local districts to do something, it is the state's responsibility to pay for it.

R - Joseph Saladino - Lifelong Massapequa resident and Republican incumbent Saladino has held the 12th District's seat since 2004. Prior to this he served as director of operations for the Town of Oyster Bay. Saladino has served the Massapequa Kiwanis Club for 16 years, once named Kiwanian of the year. He wrote the Property Taxpayer's Protection Act, which decreases property taxes on businesses and homeowners by stopping unfunded mandates, capping spending and forcing New York state to drive more state aid to schools.

New York State Assembly 19th District

D - John Brooks - Brooks is a lifelong Seaford resident and longtime civic leader in the community. He is an insurance industry executive with a focus on corporate and government risk management.  He has previously served as chief of the Seaford Fire Department and vice president of the Seaford Board of Education. In his long career in the insurance industry, Brooks has held a number of senior management positions with GEICO, U.S. Capital Insurance Company and Teacher's Insurance Plan. Brooks also recently served as Nassau County's first-ever director of risk management, where he helped produce risk related savings and loss avoidance costs of more than $84 million. He also was appointed as Nassau County's first-ever representative on the New York Health Insurance Plan Participating Agency Advisory Council after leading a successful effort to drive down rate increases for government and school district employees. 

R - David McDonough - McDonough is seeking his sixth term representing the 19th Assembly District. He is the ranking minority member on the Assembly Transportation Committee and also serves on the Assembly Banks, Consumer Affairs, Education, Health, and Veterans' Affairs Committees. He is also Chairman of the Minority Task Force on Sex Offender Watch, the Minority Task Force on Crimes in our Community, the Minority Task Force on Medicaid Waste, Fraud and Abuse, and the Minority Task Force for Successful Schools. He is a member of the Legislative Commission on Critical Transportation Choices. He is the past president of the Nassau County Council of Chambers of Commerce and from 1994 to 1998, served four terms as president of the Merrick Chamber of Commerce. He was also an original member of the Development Committee for the Merrick Downtown Revitalization project and was a founding member of the Bellmore-Merrick Community Wellness Council. 

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.