Charles D. Lavine for Assembly District 13
Assemb. Charles D. Lavine (D-Glen Cove) is running for reelection. Credit: James Escher
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As chair of the powerful Assembly Judiciary Committee, Charles D. Lavine is in the room where the action happens. In response to the outcry over the failure of an upstate district attorney to prosecute members of a Cornell University fraternity who had sex with a female student incapable of giving consent, Speaker Carl Heastie named Lavine to a working group tasked with changing what is called the "voluntary intoxication loophole."
That's because Lavine can deftly bridge complex and competing interests to get results.
This year, the Glen Cove Democrat, 79, was central to passing a bill that, if signed, will establish a Veteran Suicide Mortality Review Board within the state Health Department to analyze the factors behind what Lavine calls "the scourge" of suicides among veterans and find the best ways to intervene to save lives. On the district level, he obtained $250,000 to rehabilitate sports fields in the Roslyn school district and is seeking funding to improve the quality of drinking water.
Asked about an agenda for next session, Lavine states the concern directly: "What are we going to do about Jew hatred?" He says the new law creating 50-foot security perimeters outside houses of worship during demonstrations makes it a misdemeanor for protesters to enter that zone. Lavine says it's time for lawmakers to stand up to those "legitimizing hatred."
Republican challenger Conner Phillip Dunleavy, 31, of Glen Cove, works in public relations for Hempstead Town. He wants to eliminate state income taxes for those earning less than $50,000 individually and $100,000 for joint filers, but he also would eliminate subsidies for home solar panels and rebates for heat pump systems.
He says local police should work in tandem with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and says crime is on the increase, citing the way some items are behind locked panels in chain store pharmacies.
Lavine is a wise and influential leader in the majority Democratic caucus who also can effectively argue for suburban interests. He deserves to return to Albany.
Newsday Opinion endorses Lavine.
ENDORSEMENTS ARE DETERMINED solely by the Newsday editorial board, a team of opinion journalists focused on issues of public policy and governance. Newsday’s news division has no role in this process.
