Long Island Assembly races: Focus on two open seats

Democrats in the State Assembly have an opportunity on Election Day to expand their 63-seat margin by winning a vacant seat on Nassau’s South Shore, while Republicans are trying to expand their Long Island delegation by picking off an open seat on the North Shore.

Control of the Assembly is likely not in jeopardy with 105 lawmakers conferencing with Democrats statewide and 42 with the GOP.

On Long Island, where Republicans have a 13-8 edge over Democrats — including one Independence Party member who caucuses with Democrats— the two open seats, including one that’s vacant, have attracted the most attention.

In the 20th Assembly District, which was vacated in April when Democrat Todd Kaminsky won a special election for State Senate, Long Beach City Councilman Anthony Eramo faces Republican Melissa Miller, an Atlantic Beach mother who gained notoriety advocating to legalize medical marijuana to help her son, who has a severe form of epilepsy. Joseph Naham, a surveyor for Empower Solar, is running on the Green Party line.

The district has 40,360 Democrats, 32,395 Republicans and 21,802 voters not affiliated with a major party, according to the State Board of Elections.

Eramo, 42, a Verizon field technician and chief steward of Communications Workers of America Local 1106, wants more funding to storm-harden the district and would push for legislation forgiving taxes paid by homeowners who drained their 401K accounts to pay for Superstorm Sandy-related repairs.

Miller, 52, a first-time candidate, plans to expand state disability programs and coverage of the Conservative Care Act, New York’s medical marijuana law, to include more patients.

Naham, 33, of Long Beach, is focused on improving the environment and the Bay Park sewage treatment plant.

In the 16th District, Democrat Anthony D’Urso, a former North Hempstead Town councilman, faces Republican Matt Varvaro, an aide to former Gov. George Pataki’s presidential campaign. Assemb. Michelle Schimel (D-Port Washington) is not running for re-election.

The district has 39,012 registered Democrats, 26,763 Republicans and 25,975 voters not affiliated with either major party.

The candidates agree on reforming Common Core and the need to combat heroin abuse on Long Island.

On ethics, Durso, 77, of Port Washington, supports a ban on outside income for state lawmakers. Varvaro, 25, also of Port Washington, wants term limits for state lawmakers and would overhaul the state contracting and grant process.

In Suffolk’s 11th District, Assemb. Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Wyandanch) is seeking a second term against Republican Shawn Cullinane, Lindenhurst’s clerk and treasurer.

Democrats have a roughly two-to-one voter registration advantage in the district, with nearly 19,000 voters unaffiliated with either major party, according to state Elections data.

Jean-Pierre, 32, is an advocate for affordable housing and property tax relief for Sandy victims. Cullinane, 63, who won a GOP write-in primary, wants more state funding to develop the district’s downtowns and to combat gang violence.

Following are the races for state Assembly in Nassau and Suffolk counties:

--1st District

Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (D, WF, I, WE)

Heather C. Collins (R)

-- 2nd District

Michael L. Conroy (D)

Anthony H. Palumbo (R, C, I, Ref.)

--3rd District

Gregory D. Schoen (D)

Dean Murray (R, C, I, Ref.)

--4th District

Steven Englebright (D, WF, I)

Steven Weissbard (R, C)

-- 5th District

Deborah L. Slinkosky (D)

Alfred C. Graf (R, C, I, Ref.)

James Smith (L)

--6th District

Philip Ramos (D, WF, I)

-- 7th District

Nicholas R. Gambini (D)

Andrew R. Garbarino (R, C, I, Ref.)

--8th District

Richard S. Macellaro (D)

Michael J. Fitzpatrick (R, C, I, Ref.)

--9th District

Brendan J. Cunningham (D)

Joseph S. Saladino (R, C, I, Ref., Tax Revolt)

--10th District

Edwin Perez (D)

Chad A. Lupinacci (R, C, I, Ref.)

--11th District

Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D, WF, I, Ref.)

Shawn Cullinane (R).

--12th District

Spencer B. Rumsey (D)

Andrew P. Raia (R, C, I, Ref.)

--13th District

Charles D. Lavine (D, WF, WE)

Jeffrey S. Vitale (R, C, Ref.)

Jeffery J. Peress (G)

--14th District

Michael F. Reid (D, WF, WE)

David G. McDonough (R, C, I, Ref., Tax Revolt)

--15th District

Dean E. Hart (D, WF, I, WE)

Michael A. Montesano (R, C, Ref.)

--16th District

Anthony D’Urso (D, WF, I, WE)

Matthew Varvaro (R, C, Ref.)

--17th District

Matthew W. Malin (D, WF, WE)

Thomas McKevitt (R, C, I, Ref., Tax Revolt)

--18th District

Earlene Hooper (D, WE)

Cornelius Todd Smith (R, C, Ref.)

--19th District

Gary B. Port (D, WF, WE)

Edward P. Ra (R, C, I, Ref., Tax Revolt)

--20th District

Anthony P. Eramo (D, WF, I, WE)

Melissa L. Miller (R, C, Ref., Tax Revolt)

Joseph R. Naham (G)

--21st District

Travis P. Bourgeois (D)

Brian F. Curran (R, C, I, Ref.)

--22nd District

Michaelle C. Solages (D, WF, I, WE)

Robert M. Bogle (R, C, Ref.)

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.