Voters Guide: NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY, District 19: Edward P. Ra

EDWARD P. RA

REPUBLICAN

BACKGROUND:

• Ra, 40, of Garden City South, is an attorney seeking a seventh term, with the backing of the Conservative Party. 
• He had worked as a deputy town attorney in Hempstead Town and as a legal aide for the New York State attorney general. 
• He graduated from Loyola College, St. John’s University School of Law and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. 

ISSUES:

• To cut crime and address bail reform, he would pursue the “proper balance and input” through more judicial discretion and identifying patterns of violations and charges that should be eligible for bail.
• He is concerned the latest state budget relies too much on nonrecurring federal, pandemic funds, saying he would watch spending and build up the state’s reserves to guarantee money for newly-approved programs. 
• He would restore the state comptroller’s powers to oversee certain contracts, saying transparency and ethics are necessary in light of a recent controversy over a pandemic-related contract.
• With cost of living rising, he’s proud of fighting to raise the income eligibility maximum from just under $30,000 to $58,000 for seniors and the disabled seeking property tax exemptions.