Mario Ferone, State Assembly District 15

MARIO FERONEDEMOCRATICBACKGROUND: Ferone, 21, is running on the Democratic Party line. He graduated from Plainview JFK High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Stony Brook University in 2014. He is currently attending graduate school at Stony Brook, pursuing a master's in public policy, and is a finance intern at All About Kids in Plainview. He ran unsuccessfully for the Assembly's 15th District in 2012. He grew up and currently lives in Plainview.

ISSUES: Ferone said he thinks one of the biggest issues facing his district is the high cost of living on Long Island. "It is pushing young people off the Island . . . and even families too," he said. "It is making harder and harder to stay here." He said he supports revitalization initiatives happening in the area and thinks that Hicksville would be an ideal spot for that process, since it has a Long Island Rail Road station. He said the process would need to bring in lower-cost housing and more businesses. Another issue, he said, is unfunded state mandates, which are "causing problems for the school districts and towns."