What matters to Will

It used to be that grandparents would retire out of state, leaving children and grandchildren to grow and live their own lives in our District. Now, we see grandparents left behind, their children and grandchildren rushing off to find a better life elsewhere. This disturbing trend is due largely to the bad politics coming out of New York City by way of Albany. We need to come together and reverse that trend by putting people before party-politics and not saying and doing what works for Democrats and Republicans, but instead strongly saying and doing what works for our Nassau County communities and ensuring they remain a great place to call home.

Blindly voting for the letter “D” or the letter “R” just does not work. We have seen the trouble it causes for far too long now. When we just vote for a letter, career politicians always win, and we always lose. We need to take back our government by focusing on who the candidates are as people, why they are running, and their tangible solutions to pressing problems. In New York, with its entrenched Democratic majority specifically, voting Republican as a Longer Islander only ensures extreme city progressives will continue damaging our state as Republicans are perpetually outvoted and, frequently, not even in the room where the real decisions are made. We need a strong voice in that room with the courage to stand against its own party and, instead, stand with the people it represents. We will fight, we will defend what matters most to our community, and we will be that voice, no matter the personal political cost.

As crime rates rise across the country, we must actively support and reinvest in our brave men and women in law enforcement who risk their lives daily to keep us and our communities safe. Given the critical role these heroes serve, their compensation and training should match the great responsibility and risk they shoulder. Today, law enforcement officers are regularly called upon to effectively serve as psychologists, physicians, soldiers, and attorneys far more often than actually doing the job they signed up and trained for. With this reality, we are steadfastly committed to providing them with the recognition, respect, and resources necessary for the job of policing in the times we live.

Given the endless and increasingly tragic plague of school shootings around the country, many parents are understandably frightened by the simple act of sending their children to school these days. We will fiercely advocate for policies safeguarding public safety and promoting lawful, responsible gun ownership.

We are proudly among the overwhelming majority of community members that believe a government has no place in either deciding what decisions a woman may make with regard to her own body and healthcare or who consenting adults may choose to marry. These are personal, private decisions and we will fight tirelessly to protect bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, and marriage equality at all costs.

We must defend the right of parents to raise their children and educate them as they see fit. Many parents I speak with feel that their voice is not sufficiently heard and would like more input in their child's education. My vision is to see parents and educators join forces and engage in a meaningful dialogue to discover common ground that prioritizes the well-being and educational development of our children. Through partnership, open communication and mutual respect, we create an environment where parents and teachers contribute to the holistic development of our children, laying the foundation for a brighter future.

Our public schools stand as the cornerstone of our communities, nurturing the growth and development of our future generations. As an educator myself, I understand firsthand the challenges that our teachers face. Teachers are the backbone of our education system and play a pivotal role in shaping the character and aspirations of their students. By supporting our teachers, we are investing in the very foundation of our communities, ensuring that our public schools continue to be beacons of inspiration, knowledge, and community cohesion.

We will continue our very personal fight for adequate funding of Early Intervention, Special Education, and disability services. Our son Connor has required Early Intervention and Special Education services since his second birthday and our uncle, Joseph, has lived with disabilities for a lifetime spanning nearly seventy years. As a family in need of these services ourselves, we know firsthand that this is not a political, partisan, or socioeconomic issue. It is an issue affecting anyone and everyone. We also know how obtaining these services is nearly impossible, not because there are not outstanding coordinators and therapists working within these programs but because there are not enough of them and the resources they need to adequately serve all of our loved ones in need. They deserve better. We will do better.

Strong local businesses are the backbones of our communities and bring us together and we must look out for Main Street just as much as we do Wall Street. While all corporations may share that same title, we must start treating small business different from big business. It is long past due that we legally recognize the differences between the two and stop breaking the backs of small businesses with crippling regulations and instead direct them toward big businesses, especially the large insurers that consistently complicate and increase the cost of our daily lives.

The strength of our communities is directly connected to the strength of our labor unions. From teaching to trades, they ensure the highest safety, quality, and fairness while driving the continued construction of our bright future. As the rare candidate that is a proud member of two unions, we know better than most the need for leaders who prioritize the genuine issues faced by workers, rather than creating distractions and deflecting blame. We are personally invested and determined to be a strong advocate for workers' rights, fair wages, and workplace safety across various industries by building bridges between labor organizations, community members, and policymakers.