Voter's Guide: Your Candidates

Here is a final summary of the major party candidates for 2010 Election Day on Nov. 2.

New York State Governor:

D  – Andrew Cuomo  – As New York Attorney General, Cuomo investigated the state pension fund, the student loan industry and Wall Street corruption. As governor, Cuomo says he will consolidate state government and focus on revitalizing New York by bringing in new jobs. Republican opponent Carl Paladino and others blame Cuomo's expansion of mortgage loans when he was secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton for fueling the housing crisis.

R  – Carl Paladino  – Paladino defeated Rick Lazio and pushed out Suffolk County's own Steve Levy for the Republican nomination. The focus of Paladino's campaign is overhaul in Albany. He says he plans to declare a fiscal state of emergency and will cut the state budget by 10 to 20 percent by freezing compensation of state employees, among other budget trimming measures. Paladino, a lawyer and businessman from Buffalo, has faced controversy during the campaign, accused of sending explicit e-mails and making offensive statements towards the homosexual community.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Charles Schumer - Schumer, New York's senior senator, was elected in 1998. Prior to being elected Senator, Schumer spent nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives. His voting record includes support for measures that discourage offshoring of American jobs, the creation of the Small Business Lending Fund Program, and the health care public option (which he drafted).

R - Jay Townsend - Townsend is a businessman who formed The Townsend Group, an advertising agency based in Orange County, in 1993. He has lashed out against what he has called "the Obama spending spree" and has been an outspoken critic of the recent health care plan supported by Schumer. If elected, Townsend has said he plans to vote to repeal it.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand - Gillibrand says job creation and economic development are her highest priorities. She voted in February to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and supported measures that provide tax cuts for middle class families. She also believes in increased access to healthcare, controlling medical costs, and she supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the so-called public healthcare option.

R - Joseph DioGuardi - DioGuardi believes government spending is out of control and is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and budget reform. He also supports increased access to healthcare and controlling medical costs, but does not believe it should be legislated. Instead he believes that it should be accomplished within the private sector.

Attorney General:

Eric T. Schneiderman (D), Democrat, Working Families party lines – Schneiderman received his Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, where he majored in English and Asian studies.  His law degree is from Harvard Law School.  He served as Deputy Sheriff in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and from there went on serve as an anti-crime, anti-drug advocate as an attorney and in the New York State Senate, getting elected in 1998.

Dan Donovan (R), Republican, Conservative party lines – A Staten Island District Attorney, Donovan received his Bachelor's degree from St. John's University, where he majored in Criminal Justice. He received his law degree from Fordham University Law School.  He was a prosecutor for eight years in Manhattan and served as a Staten Island Borough President in 2002.

State Comptroller:

Thomas DiNapoli (D), Democrat, Working Families party lines – A Nassau County resident, DiNapoli became state comptroller in 2007.  In 1972, when he was elected to the Mineola Board of Education, he was only 18 years old.  He then served in the New York State Assembly for 20 years. He has also been an adjunct professor and a manager in the telecommunications industry. DiNapoli earned his Bachelor's degree from Hofstra University with a major in History. He received his Master's degree Management and Urban Policy from The New School University.

Harry Wilson (R), Republican, Independence, Conservative party lines – Harry Wilson, a native of Johnstown, New York, has been comptroller for Goldman Sachs, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Blackstone Group, and Silver Point Capital. Wilson was the only Republican to serve on the President's Auto Task Force, where he advised both Presidents Bush and Obama on how to proceed with the overhaul of General Motors. He was opposed the corporate bailout of car company Chrysler.  Wilson is married with four children and lives in Westchester.

U.S. Congress, New York State's 4th District:

Francis Becker (R) — Francis Becker, a Lynbrook resident, has served as a Nassau County lawmaker for 16 years. He is a certified financial planner and president of Becker & Associates Planning Services. Becker supports extending the Bush-era tax cuts to help spur job growth and help struggling small businesses. He has a wife and three daughters.

Carolyn McCarthy (D) — Carolyn McCarthy, a lifelong resident of Mineola, has served the 4th Congressional District since 1996. She serves as chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, and on the Congressional Financial Services Committee. McCarthy is also in favor of extending the tax cuts. She has been a nurse for over 30 years, and has a son and two grandchildren.

New York State Senate 9th District:

Dean Skelos (R) — Skelos, 62, has served 13 terms on the state Senate and is a longtime Rockville Centre resident. He is married with one son, and graduated from Fordham University School of Law. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1982-1984, and has been on the state Senate since 1984.

George Sava (D) — Sava, 41, is a lawyer from Woodmere and is married with three children. He attended Cardoza School of Law and served nine years in the Army Reserves, including a year stint overseas in Africa. Sava, a former Republican who switched to the Democratic Party in 2007, said he is running for the state Senate seat because, "I'm hemorrhaging money trying to pay my tax bill and we need a new voice."

New York State Assembly, 14th District:

Brian Curran (R) — Curran currently serves as the mayor of Lynbrook, elected in 2007. Curran has served as president of the Lynbrook Republican Club, Elks Lodge, and the Knights of Columbus, among others. Prior to his tenure as mayor he was a private practice attorney at Nicolini, Paradise, Ferretti and Sabella.

Dermond Thomas (D) — Thomas is a Valley Stream resident and father of two.  He has a Juris Doctor from the Columbia Law School in 2001. He currently practices law at the office of Arnold and Porter LLP in Manhattan.

New York State Assembly (18th District):

D- Earlene Hooper – Hooper, the deputy speaker and highest-ranking woman in the New York State Legislature, has been at her post since she was elected in an 1988 special election. A social worker by profession, Hooper is an active unionist, according to her website. Hooper is an active member of the NAACP and has served as an administrator in the New York State Department of Social Services.

R- Derek Partee – Partee has been a resident of Hempstead for 56 years, and he graduated from Southern University, with a B.S. in psychology. He also earned his Master's Degree in public administration from C.W. Post. Partee retired as a homicide detective after 25 years with the Nassau County Police Department. He has has received three medals of commendation and two meritorious recognition awards from the police department.

New York State Assembly (21st District):

D- Pat Nicolosi – Nicolosi is a retired delegate for Local 550 Bakers Drivers Union, the president of the Elmont Civic Association and has served on the Elmont Public Library Board of Trustees. Nicolosi is a long-time supporter of plans to develop businesses and hotels on the underutilized land at Belmont Park. He also supports transit-oriented development, which he believes will lead to more affordable housing in Nassau County. He is married with three children.

R- Ed Ra – Ra is a lifelong Franklin Square resident, who  currently serves as deputy attorney for the Town of Hempstead. He received his justice degree from St. John's University and his master's from Cardozo School of Law. He would like to ease the burden of local property taxes by implementing video lottery terminals at Belmont Park. He is against the MTA payroll tax and supports bringing back the STAR rebate program. Ra is married.

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