Politics & Government

RVC Resident to Challenge Curran for Assembly Seat

Jeff Friedman hopes to find alternatives to funding local schools.

Though the election for the 14th Assembly District seat won't begin heating up for a few months, a Rockville Centre resident has said he will throw his hat into the political ring and challenge two-year incumbent Brian Curran.

Jeff Friedman, 43, and a self-proclaimed citizen activist, said he has spent the last several years in Albany fighting for Long Island and learning the ins and outs of state government. He said he was "instrumental" in helping pass marriage equality legislation and believes the time is now for him to help his fellow Long Islanders.

"I have started to understand the power struggle [in Albany]," Friedman said of the time he's spent upstate. "The timing is right now. I have some solutions that can work well with Democrats and Republicans to get effective change for Long Island residents."

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Friedman, who will run as a Democrat, is a non-practicing attorney who's worked at numerous law firms in the real estate and bank regulatory law field. He said property and school taxes are two of his biggest issues, and a new solution needs to be found to fund schools.

"The tax cap is a great statement, but we have to get to the bottom of what the issue is," he said. "The issue is how the education system creates high taxes, especially school taxes, and that issue has to be addressed."

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Friedman explained that school districts have to find new ways to consolidate costs with neighboring schools, but change can only come from the lawmakers upstate. "I asked Dr. [William] Johnson and he said it's Groundhog's Day all over again," Friedman said. "The schools are getting less money from Albany and we're cutting. What functions can be merged together?"

He added that Johnson told him there are opportunities for additional savings through consolidation, but merging services with districts can only happen with legislation from Albany.

When asked why voters should choose him over Curran, Friedman said he will address the issues he feels Curran has neglected during his time in office. "Truth is Brian hailed that he got the property tax pushed through," Friedman said. "I don't think he had much play in that. His own village [Lynbrook] voted to override the tax cap. Let's talk taxes and reduce them and how we fund schools."

He explained that the questions Long Islanders need answers to have long been ignored, and he will fight to get those answers. "We all want to hear those questions answered," Friedman said. "We can effectively keep autonomy, but reduce overhead, which is a major point to reduce property taxes."

The 14th Assembly encompasses Rockville Centre, South Hempstead, Valley Stream, Lynbrook and pieces of Baldwin, Oceanside, East Rockaway, Malverne and North Lynbrook.


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