Voters Guide: New York State Assembly, District 5: Douglas M. Smith
Doug Smith, Republican incumbent candidate for New York State Assembly District 5, poses for a portrait at the Suffolk County GOP convention held at the Courtyard by Marriott Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. -- slVOTE -- Credit: James Escher
DOUGLAS M. SMITH
REPUBLICAN
BACKGROUND:
- Smith, 32, of Holbrook, seeks a third full term, backed by the Conservative Party.
- He got his bachelor’s in teaching math from St. John’s College, then was hired at Sachem schools before working as chief of staff for then-Assemb. Al Graf (R-Holbrook). He also had a web design company.
- He was appointed this year to the legislature’s Commission on the Future of the Long Island Power Authority, where he plans to bring ideas on lowering electricity cost.
ISSUES:
- Expanding sewage infrastructure, possibly with a new treatment plant, are crucial to cleaning Lake Ronkonkoma’s waters and helping downtowns grow.
- He would accelerate a 10-year plan to design safety measures along Route 25, one of Long Island’s two most dangerous roads in recent years.
- He wants to continue the pandemic era’s free school lunches for every student and touts work that pushed through $11 million for security vestibules to screen visitors at the Sachem district.
- He said his lobbying helped boost funding to repave the Long Island Expressway, from $55 million to $81 million.
Watch live: Gov. Hochul state of the state address Gov. Kathy Hochul's speech will lay out her legislative agenda for the year and is expected to focus largely on affordability — a rallying cry heading into an election year.
Watch live: Gov. Hochul state of the state address Gov. Kathy Hochul's speech will lay out her legislative agenda for the year and is expected to focus largely on affordability — a rallying cry heading into an election year.
