James F. Gaughran, state senator, 5th District

JAMES F. GAUGHRAN

DEMOCRATIC

BACKGROUND: Gaughran, 61, is running on the Democratic, Working Families and Women's Equality lines. Gaughran, a longtime Northport resident, is a former Suffolk County legislator and Huntington Town councilman. Gaughran currently serves as chairman of Suffolk County Water Authority and is an attorney working in private practice. He holds a bachelor's degree from Stony Brook University and a law degree from Hofstra University. He is married with two adult children.

ISSUES: Gaughran said his top priority would be to restore Long Island's fair share of education funding from New York State. "I believe as Long Islanders, we're not getting our fair share of funding to public schools," particularly to poorer communities, Gaughran said. He said he would tackle corruption by advocating for legislation to ban outside income for state lawmakers. "Taking away the incentive of using your public office to benefit your private business is the best way to start addressing" the corruption, Gaughran said.  He said he also would work to improve the quality of drinking and surface water in New York State, saying it's the biggest environmental challenge and touted his background with the water authority. He said he also supports providing incentives and grants to convert cesspools into mini-treatment systems. He also said he would support early voting initiatives in New York State.

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.