Ryan Cronin Challenges Kemp Hannon for State Senate

With the election just four months away, Ryan Cronin, D-Garden City, says that he is the candidate that can make a difference for the residents of the sixth senatorial district.

He is challenging Sen. Kemp Hannon, R-Garden City, who's held his post since 1977. Patch recently sat down with the challenger to ask him some questions about his ideas and policies leading up to November's election.

Patch: You’re going up against Kemp Hannon, who’s been at his post for a long time. Tell me what makes you an ideal candidate for this senate seat.  

Ryan Cronin:  Well, there’s a few things. First, I would say that, on a personal level, everything I’ve done in my professional life, including my education, has prepared me for this. On the experience side, I think I’m more than prepared. On the political side, I think our campaign draws exactly the right contrast. With Senator Hannon, you have someone who’s been in office since 1977. With that comes a degree of complacency, a degree of having lost touch a bit and you apply that to the situation we’re faced with, where we have among the highest net-out migration of people age 25-34 in the country. A big part of that is failed leadership.

If elected, what kind of things would you do to help facilitate change?

There are a few things that we need to do. Young people are leaving. Why are they leaving? Because they don’t feel like the job market’s for them. If they can get a job, it’s going to be very difficult to afford a home here. If they can accomplish both of those things, it’s going to be very difficult to pay real estate taxes here. We need people who are going to make policy decisions with those problems in mind.

What other focuses do our political leaders need to have in mind when considering Long Island’s future?

We need leaders to focus on innovative ways to bring small business back to Long Island. One example is giving tax breaks and tax incentives to small businesses that invest in infrastructure or hire people right now. Google is not going to move to Nassau County, but the next Google can be started in Nassau County.

You spoke previously about how your experience. Elaborate on that.

In my early twenties, I was the Executive Director of the Nassau County Democratic Committee. I went to Law School at Washington University, and I’ve been practicing law now for four years in midtown Manhattan. I focus on two areas. One is complex commercial and corporate litigation, and I represent a lot of victims of financial frauds. I represent a lot of the Madoff victims as well.

What should be the voters’ primary concern as they head out to the booth to vote?

He’s been in office since 1977, and his record reflects a great deal of complacency. Then you look at me. You have a young person. So many people from my generation are moving out of the region. I’ve decided to move back to the region after my education. I have an incentive to make sure it’s a great place for families for decades and decades to come. I very much intend and want to raise a family in Nassau County.

For more information on Ryan Cronin and his campaign, click here. For information on Sen. Kemp Hanon, click here.