Phillips, Haber receive endorsements in State Senate race

The candidates for the 7th Senate District announced new endorsements Tuesday, with Republican Elaine Phillips getting the backing of the Civil Service Employees Association, while her Democratic opponent, Adam Haber, received support from the state AFL-CIO.

Haber, an East Hills businessman, and Phillips, the mayor of the Village of Flower Hill, are vying to succeed Republican Sen. Jack Martins, who is vacating the seat to run for Congress.

The CSEA, the state’s largest public employee union representing 50,000 state and local government employees on Long Island, cited Phillips’ job-creation efforts.

“CSEA knows that building strong communities starts with good economic and tax policies that benefit everyone, as opposed to just those at the top,” said Danny Donohue, president of CSEA Local 1000. “We are proud to support Elaine Phillips for New York State Senate and are confident that she will stand with working people to make New York a better state.”

Phillips said that if elected, she would “work to help to ensure that every hardworking New Yorker is treated fairly and with respect, that seniors and retirees can afford to continue to live in communities that they helped build, and that the next generations can enjoy even greater opportunity and success on Long Island.”

CSEA also endorsed Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) for re-election in the 6th District against Democrat Ryan Cronin.

The AFL-CIO made its endorsement at the State Federation’s 33rd annual convention.

“The NYS AFL-CIO, the largest state federation in the country, represents millions of working men and women in both the public and private sectors that fuel our economy,” Haber said. “As state senator, I will champion tax cuts for families and businesses, promote greater equality and opportunities for hard working women and ensure that Long Island schools get their fair share of funding.”

The AFL-CIO also endorsed:

SD 1 Sen. Kenneth LaValle

SD 2 Sen. Majority Leader John Flanagan

SD 3 Sen. Tom Croci

SD 4 Sen. Phil Boyle

SD 5 Sen. Carl Marcellino

SD 6 Hannon

SD 8 Sen. Michael Venditto

SD 9 Sen. Todd Kaminsky

“All of these candidates understand the priorities of working men and women,” said Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO. “They are committed to fighting hard for issues important to working people, which is why we will fight hard to get them elected.”

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.