John E. Brooks, state senator, 8th dist

JOHN E. BROOKS

DEMOCRATIC

BACKGROUND: Brooks, 68, of Seaford, is running on the Democratic, Working Families and Women’s Equality lines. He spent more than six years on the Seaford Union Free School District board in the 1990s. He was first elected to the Senate in 2016. Brooks is a retired insurance executive who served as the Nassau County director of risk management. He received a bachelor's degree from the New York Institute of Technology. Brooks has a son.

ISSUES: Brooks said Democrats better represent Long Island interests than Republicans and, if they gain control of the Senate, would advance legislation that has been bottled up by the GOP. Brooks dismissed challenger Jeffrey Pravato’s assertion that Democrats would focus on helping New York City. “I ran to help Long Island,” he said. Brooks is proposing to cap at 50 percent the proportion of school district budgets that are paid by local property taxes and reduce tax levies accordingly, with money for the plan coming out of the state general fund. Brooks said that would especially benefit counties such as Nassau, where, he added, only 18 percent of education spending comes from the state. “We need to get a fair share of state aid,” he said. Brooks said “the concept of a single payer [health] plan is a good one.” He said he would use his insurance background to make the program efficient and “make sure that it is priced in a way that saves money and is actuarially sound.” He vowed to fight the Trump administration’s plan for oil and gas drilling off Long Island. Instead, he backs putting “wind farms” offshore. Brooks said he wants increased Long Island Rail Road funding for things such as elevators for people with disabilities in LIRR stations. He said he will continue to push for more funding to improve Island roads.