Voter Guide 2010: The Candidates

Here is a final summary of the major party candidates for 2010 Election Day on Nov. 2.

New York State Governor:

D  – Andrew Cuomo– As New York Attorney General, Cuomo investigated the state pension fund, the student loan industry and Wall Street corruption. As governor, Cuomo says he will consolidate state government and focus on revitalizing New York by bringing in new jobs. Republican opponent Carl Paladino and others blame Cuomo's expansion of mortgage loans when he was secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton for fueling the housing crisis.

R  – Carl Paladino– Paladino defeated Rick Lazio and pushed out Suffolk County's own Steve Levy for the Republican nomination. The focus of Paladino's campaign is overhaul in Albany. He says he plans to declare a fiscal state of emergency and will cut the state budget by 10 to 20 percent by freezing compensation of state employees, among other budget trimming measures. Paladino, a lawyer and businessman from Buffalo, has faced controversy during the campaign, accused of sending explicit e-mails and making offensive statements towards the homosexual community.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Charles Schumer– Schumer, New York's senior senator, was elected in 1998. Prior to being elected Senator, Schumer spent nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives. His voting record includes support for measures that discourage offshoring of American jobs, the creation of the Small Business Lending Fund Program, and the health care public option (which he drafted).

R - Jay Townsend– Townsend is a businessman who formed The Townsend Group, an advertising agency based in Orange County, in 1993. He has lashed out against what he has called "the Obama spending spree" and has been an outspoken critic of the recent health care plan supported by Schumer. If elected, Townsend has said he plans to vote to repeal it.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand– Gillibrand says job creation and economic development are her highest priorities. She voted in February to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and supported measures that provide tax cuts for middle class families. She also believes in increased access to healthcare, controlling medical costs, and she supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the so-called public healthcare option. 

R - Joseph DioGuardi– DioGuardi believes government spending is out of control and is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and budget reform. He also supports increased access to healthcare and controlling medical costs, but does not believe it should be legislated. Instead he believes that it should be accomplished within the private sector.

Attorney General:

D - Eric T. Schneiderman, Democrat, Working Families party lines– Schneiderman received his Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, where he majored in English and Asian studies.  His law degree is from Harvard Law School.  He served as Deputy Sheriff in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and from there went on serve as an anti-crime, anti-drug advocate as an attorney and in the New York State Senate, getting elected in 1998.

R - Dan Donovan, Republican, Conservative party lines– A Staten Island District Attorney, Donovan received his Bachelor's degree from St. John's University, where he majored in Criminal Justice. He received his law degree from Fordham University Law School.  He was a prosecutor for eight years in Manhattan and served as a Staten Island Borough President in 2002.

State Comptroller:

D - Thomas DiNapoli, Democrat, Working Families party lines– A Nassau County resident, DiNapoli became state comptroller in 2007.  In 1972, when he was elected to the Mineola Board of Education, he was only 18 years old.  He then served in the New York State Assembly for 20 years. He has also been an adjunct professor and a manager in the telecommunications industry. DiNapoli earned his Bachelor's degree from Hofstra University with a major in History. He received his Master's degree Management and Urban Policy from The New School University.

R- Harry Wilson, Republican, Independence, Conservative party lines– Harry Wilson, a native of Johnstown, New York, has been comptroller for Goldman Sachs, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Blackstone Group, and Silver Point Capital. Wilson was the only Republican to serve on the President's Auto Task Force, where he advised both Presidents Bush and Obama on how to proceed with the overhaul of General Motors. He was opposed the corporate bailout of car company Chrysler.  Wilson is married with four children and lives in Westchester.

U.S. Representative (5th Congressional District):

D – Gary Ackerman will also appear on the Independence and Working Families party line. He has served in Congress since 1983. Ackerman is running on a platform of ending discrimination, improving public education while lowering costs to students, and advocating for consumer protection in the financial market. He believes in affordable and quality health-care coverage for all Americans and increased funding for all Americans. He is a graduate of Queens college. A former teacher, Ackerman is also the founder of a Queens newspaper. He resides in Roslyn Heights with his wife, and they have three grown children and four grandchildren.

R – James Milano is the Republican and Conservative candidate. He is running on a platform of repealing and replacing the current health care law and decreasing taxes. He believes that legal immigration has enhanced the nation, but illegal immigration strains its economy and social fabric. He attended Stony Brook University, and received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. A resident of Oyster Bay, Milano is the father of four, and a practicing physician at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn.

T - Elizabeth Berney is running on a platform of tax relief, cutting wasteful spending, strengthening national security and fighting terrorism. She also aims to achieve energy independence and supports consumer and children's safety. She is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Chicago Law School. She has served as an attorney for more than 30 years. A Great Neck resident, she is the mother of three adult children, and grandmother of two.

New York State Senate (7th District):

R – Jack Martins – Martins is the current Mayor and lifetime resident of the village of Mineola. First elected as Mayor of the village in 2003, he has touted his fiscal plan to bring the village of Mineola out of a $33 million debt, reducing it to about $20 million. In 2008 Martins unsuccessfully ran against Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy for New York's Fourth Congressional District. Martins is currently listed as a vice president of J & A Contracting, a family-owned business based in Bohemia. He currently lives in Mineola with his wife and four daughters.

D – Craig Johnson – Johnson was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 2007. Currently serving his second term, Johnson chairs the Senate Committee on Investigation and Government Operations, a committee charged with the oversight of the workings of state government, and holds a seat on the MTA Capital Program Review Board. Prior to his election, Craig Johnson served for seven years as a member of the Nassau County Legislature and the youngest-ever chairman of the Finance Committee. Johnson is of Counsel with the law firm of Jaspan Schlesinger Hoffman LLP in Garden City and a resident of Port Washington along with his wife and three children.

New York State Assembly (16th District): 

 D - Michelle Schimel will also appear on the Independence and Working Families party line. She is serving her second term in the New York State Assembly. She is running on a platform of finance and ethics reform in the state legislature, environmental protection, anti-crime, government efficiency and transparency and healthcare reform to reduce costs and improve care. She is an advocate for public education and the health and well-being of veterans. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Schimel has served as town clerk for North Hempstead, a physical therapist and certified wound care specialist at North Shore-LIJ and was a small business owner of a fashion accessories firm. She lives in Great Neck with her husband, and has two sons. 

R - Scott Diamond is also the Conservative candidate. He currently serves as a paralegal for a private contracting company with the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. He believes that the legislature is out of touch with the needs of its constituents, and wants to bring new leadership to Albany. He does not support the idea of career politics, and sees his role as an advocate for the community he represents. He is a graduate of the College of Staten Island with a BA in Political Science. Married since 2003, he resides in Mineola. He has no children but plans to adopt.

Receiver of Taxes:

D - Charles Berman is also running on the Independence and Working Families party lines. He is currently serving as receiver of taxes, a position he was appointed to in January. He was also appointed to this position in 2003, and in 2004 was appointed to serve as assistant to the chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors. Prior to public service, Berman was executive vice president of Berman Agency, a family-owned insurance brokerage firm. A resident of Roslyn Heights, Berman and his wife are the parents of three children.

R - Jeff Bass is also running on the Conservative party line. Bass is a strategic business advisor who also serves as chairman of Long Island Capital Alliance. He also serves on the board of trustees for the Village of Great Neck. Bass is a resident of Great Neck, is married and has two children and one grandchild.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit vote411.org/pollfinder.php to find your local polling location.