Philip R. Ramos for Assembly District 6

Philip R. Ramos, 70, of Bay Shore, was first elected to the chamber in 2002 and has risen to the position of deputy speaker, giving him a powerful perch from which to advocate for his district. 

Lately, he rightly used it to criticize the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents around local schools and to get passed legislation that prohibits public property such as fire departments from being used as staging areas for immigration enforcement.

While meeting with the editorial board, Ramos, the dean of the Long Island delegation of Assembly members, touted a "historic" amount of school aid delivered to area schools, especially to the Brentwood district. The Democrat said that money keeps taxes down for residents who otherwise would have to pay more in school taxes to cover the cost of education. Ramos, who defines his job as making sure "his community gets a piece of the pie," noted how food insecurity is now reaching some middle class families.

Ramos, who served for two decades in the Suffolk County Police Department, has been pushing a bill that would require police officers to report the misconduct of fellow officers and make it a crime for failing to report. He also wants the state police superintendent to establish uniform protocol for how an investigation should take place when a police officer shoots a civilian. 

Dennis J. Barravecchio, 74, of Central Islip, who is running on the Republican line, is not actively campaigning.

Newsday Opinion endorses Ramos.