Steve Stern for Assembly District 10

Incumbent Steve Stern, a Democrat from Dix Hills, served for 12 years in the Suffolk County Legislature and ran for Congress before being elected to the Assembly seat in 2018 in a special election. Stern, who turns 58 next week, seeks his fifth full term.

Conversations with constituents tend to come around to property taxes, he said, adding that there have to be "more layers of relief" beyond the current state cap on local taxes. He said he'd like to see STAR exemptions expanded to include first-time homebuyers and escalating exemptions for senior citizens as they age.

The Democratic conference, he said, is moving to establish a select committee on school funding. Given the perpetual concern about rising property taxes, Stern defends the current state tax cap as assuring accountability because voter approval is required when school districts seek to raise taxes above the 2% cap.

Stern agrees with the sentiment that uniform statewide guidelines are needed for the safe operation of e-bikes both for riders and pedestrians. He prioritizes the continued expansion of sewers in the district and funding a community center for Huntington Station at the former state armory. Stern also want the state to accelerate its efforts to track and prevent veterans' suicides.

Stern's Republican opponent, Tiffany L. LeGrow, 46, of Huntington, is not actively campaigning.

Newsday Opinion endorses Stern.