Zeldin, Gershon Face Off In Heated Debate

NORTH FORK, NY — With Election Day less than two weeks away, Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican who is running for his second term representing the 1st Congressional District, and his opponent, businessman and Democrat Perry Gershon, faced off at a debate hosted by the Mattituck Chamber of Commerce Wednesday night.

The event, held at The Vineyards in Aquebogue, also featured a debate between candidates in the Second Assembly District, incumbent Anthony Palumbo, a Republican, and Rona Smith, a Democrat. Although incumbent New York State Senator Ken LaValle, a Republican, was slated to debate opponent Greg Fischer, a Democrat, LaValle was unable to attend so Fischer answered questions solo.

Those debates will follow in a separate post.

The event, moderated by Jeff Strong of Strong's Marina, began with opening comments.

Although Zeldin and Gershon appeared at an earlier event, hosted by the New York League of Conservation Voters, Citizen's Campaign for the Environment, Save the Sound and Defend H2O, focused on environmental issues, it was the first time they faced off directly to questions on the North Fork.

Gershon said he decided to run because he was concerned with the country. Referencing health care, he said there's a need to preserve coverage for pre-existing conditions. "The Affordable Care Act took us a long way. . . we need to strengthen and preserve it," he said.

Gershon also advocated a move to a single payer system. He also said there's a need to protect the environment, to "undo" policy decisions that have hurt the environment "and do it fast." Pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, he said, "set ourselves back."

Gershon also said there's a critical need to invest in the economy and infrastructure to "grow wages" on Long Island.

"We need to control the poison dialogue in Washington," he said. "We shouldn't be worrying about politicians having pipe bombs in their homes. It's not the American way."

Zeldin began by focusing on positive: "There's a lot that's going right," he said, including employment highs, the ongoing battle to defeat MS-13, and borders being secured.

Every day, he said, Americans should wake up and ask themselves, "What else can we do to help our veterans? What can we do today to combat the opioid epidemic?"

Locally, he referenced successes, including President Donald Trump's signing of a bill reauthorizing the EPA's five-year Long Island Sound program, to the tune of $65 million per year. He highlighted efforts to stop Connecticut's dumping of dredge spoils into the Long Island Sound and efforts to protect Plum Island from sale and preserve the parcel. He also discussed tax credits for preservation, a fully funded national estuary program — there are two national estuaries, of the 28 nationwide, on the East End, including the Long Island Sound and the Peconic Estuary, Zeldin said. He also spotlighted a fully funded National Sea Grant as another battle he's fought for the district. And he discussed upcoming hearings with the Federal Aviation Administration to discuss helicopter noise and an all-water route.

"We should wake up tomorrow and say, 'What can we do to make our quality of life better?'" Zeldin said.

Strong began by asking about the current polarization of parties and what both candidates would do to build bipartisan bridges.

"I'm not going to try to be all things to all people," Zeldin said, adding that on the floor of the House of Representatives, while many believe there is a "duel to the death, it doesn't happen like that." Instead, he said, representatives are talking to each other, co-sponsoring legislation, working together.

He discussed his campaign promise in 2014 to introduce a legislative proposal to opt out of Common Core without penalty from the federal government.

"Partisanship isn't going to get eliminated in the legislature or Congress come January," Zeldin said, but he said many times that on Nov. 7, elected officials and Americans have a responsibility to work together.

Gershon said he believes much of what is happening in Washington is led "by the President of the United States. He is dividing our nation and that's a problem for us, going forward. Donald Trump talks about Red America versus Blue America. . .at the end of the day, we're one country."

There's a need, he said, to change voting patterns, especially in Congress, where the votes have been consistently along party lines. "We need to find a way to write major laws together," Gershon said, adding that if elected, he will focus on working together and bi-partisan efforts. "I alone cannot do it but if we elect individuals to find bridges, it will help." He said there's a need for new leadership and said he does not support Nancy Pelosi because he believes she is "too partisan. We need new, younger blood, a non-partisan approach, to bring us back together," Gershon said.

Zeldin fired back that his opponent had, in the past, said "Nancy Pelosi was doing a great job." He also said Gershon had used Adolf Hitler and the execution of Jews as a reason for his run for office, mentioning a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. "I'm one of two Jewish members of Congress," Zeldin said. "I happen to be a board member of that Holocaust Museum," he added, stating that his opponent's bringing Nazi Germany into the dialogue "is not a strong start."

Gershon countered: "Listen to what I say. Don't listen to what Lee says I say." He added: "I'm here to make NY1 better. I'm not here talking about Donald Trump. Lee is dying to shift the dialogue because he doesn't want to talk about health care, the environment, arming teachers. He's deflecting."

Zeldin fired back: "Interesting for a guy who said he's not here to talk about Trump. That's the one word he's actually used the most so far in the debate."

Climate change

When asked about climate change, Gershon said it is "absolutely real. . one of the scariest threats to us here on Long Island. We need to take measures before global temperatures go up even further. We need to reverse the course."

Pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, he added, "was an absolutely terrible move. It set the tone that the United States was becoming a rogue nation. That's not what we are all about."

There's a need to reduce carbon emissions and promote solar, wind technology and electric vehicles, "not support the burning of more coal and oil," Gershon said. "The Trump policy which Lee Zeldin voted for is pushing us in the wrong direction, away from renewables. We need to focus on renewables if we're going to do something about climate change."

Zeldin said everyone in America is entitled to clean air and water, and said there's a need to pursue "clean and green" energy solutions. "We have outdated plants delivering energy on Long Island," he said, which are "economically and environmentally inefficient." He pointed out that Shea Stadium was torn down for a smarter alternative.

Zeldin said he supported Trump's decision about the Paris Accord. "We were making a unilateral compromise on our own end for this ambitious, and you can argue, unattainable goal set by the President unilaterally", with no debate, no vote, Zeldin said. "The President was entering into a deal where countries that were the worst polluters of the environment in the world were agreeing to put more carbon in the atmosphere and agreeing to emit more of what we were agreeing to emit less of."

Zeldin noted that the nation is seeing a 25-year low on emissions and a low on ozone; he added that offshore wind alternatives have great potential.

However, he said, there are other factors, and offshore wind proposals can also equate to "telling commercial fishermen to fly a kite."

Gun control

When asked about banning automatic, high powered rifles after the tragedy in Parkland, Zeldin said automatic weapons are already illegal. When it comes to semi-automatic weapons, he said, "Do I support a ban across the board? Absolutely not."

He said he opposes the The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, known as the NY Safe Act.

Gershon said more needs to be done for gun safety. "We need to pass common sense gun reform," he said, including mandatory background checks without loopholes. He said teachers should not be armed, a semi-automatic weapons ban that expired in 2014 should be re-examined, and that he believes the NY Safe Act should be expanded nationally.

On the issue of concealed carry reciprocity, Gershon said, "It's not just bad, it's dangerous." He said he didn't know why anyone would want the threat of those weapons on the Long Island Rail Road. "Maybe you take more money from the gun lobby than any other House Representative. Whose interests are you really representing? I'm not taking money from corporate PACs, I'm here to represent you," Gershon said.

"My opponent took that position after depositing a check from a corporate PAC," Zeldin said. He said he believes the NY Safe Act should not be nationalized. "An armed intruder at 3 a.m. will not be worrying about not putting an eighth round in because the NY Safe Act says so," he said — the Act says only seven rounds can be put in a 10-round magazine.

Federal deficit

Gershon said he would not support cuts to Medicare or Social Security to reduce the federal deficit, pointing to a Republican Congress and President that passed a "massive tax cut." Seniors, he said, have earned their benefits and they cannot be cut; the age cannot be raised, he said. "It's disturbing that Lee Zeldin is running a TV commercial saying he wants to bankrupt Medicare. That's absurd. . . We must keep it strong and solvent," expanding benefits.

Zeldin said the words "expanding benefits were key and said his opponent advocates giving Medicare "to everybody, including people who are not in the country legally, regardless of their legal status. That’s how you end up bankrupting Medicare."

He said there must be a "commitment" regarding Social Security and Medicare for seniors that must be "one hundred percent honored and protected. . . We can't keep kicking the can down the road."

He added that he is not supporting cuts to Social Security or Medicare, "I never have."

Asked about keeping the East End agricultural economy vibrant and immigration, Zeldin said he supports a new H2C program proposed and said North Fork farmers unable to fill positions means a negative impact on agriculture, tourism and the hospitality industry. "It's about raising the cap for a legal wok force and getting approvals earlier in the process," he said.

"I support legal immigration. I oppose illegal immigration. I support ICE. I oppose sanctuary cities," Zeldin said.

He added that wants to see ICE working with local law enforcement to combat MS-13, drug, sex and human trafficking; he says there's a need for strong border security and interior enforcement and for an end to the catch and release. Zeldin also said there's a need for a long-term DACA solution.

Most of all, he said, "If you want to do something big on immigration, we have to have everyone work together. . and willing to compromise to get it done."

Gershon said in 2000, President George Bush's administration had comprehensive immigration reform, the "Gang of Eight,"but the House of Representatives didn't put it through.

Gershon advocated for a clean DACA bill for Dreamers, and ICE to do its job but work with the community. "Immigrants should not be in the shadows," he said; if they were not, MS-13 would not flourish and labor problems would be less.

Violence in the nation

When asked about violence in the nation, Gershon said, "Tone down the rhetoric. All politicians, regardless of party, should be working to lower the acrimony and the toxic discord. It starts with the President and goes to the members of Congress."

"Between now and Nov. 6 our country is not going to unite, but on Nov. 7, you need to," Zeldin said.

He referenced an instance where a staffer was nearly run over and threats that Trump and Zeldin supporters "should be assassinated . . . You settle your scores at the ballot box. It does not get settled in physical confrontation," Zeldin said. "On Nov. 7, we need to do a better job of uniting. That is the best way to solve this scourge of political violence that's come across our country."

In his closing statement, Gershon said, "We need to move forward," and advance in health care, the environment, gun control — and to grow wages. "Women’s rights are under attack right now. It's unfortunate but Roe vs. Wade is suddenly in question. That’s not right."

He said the goal and vision was to protect the environment, "care about climate change," focus on gun safety and grow wages on Long Island.

"Close your eyes and picture the country you want in January and regardless of what you visualize, spend the next 13 days fighting for it," Zeldin said. "On Nov. 7, we need to do a better job of working together."

Photos by Lisa Finn.