At the Chamber’s October membership meeting and annual candidates forum, there was one point which all present could agree upon: The importance of voting in the upcoming election. Candidates drove this message home during their minute-long closing statements.
In attendance at the October 19th meeting were 3rd District congressional candidate Robert Zimmerman (his opponent, George Santos did not respond to the chamber’s invitation). For State Senate District 5: incumbent John Brooks (his opponent, Steven Rhoads declined to attend). For State Senate District 7: incumbent Anna Kaplan and her opponent Jack Martins. For State Assembly District 13: incumbent Charles Lavine and his opponent Ruka Anzai. For State Assembly District 13: Amanda Field and Jake Blumencranz.
During the hour long Q& A session, all candidates had equal time to weigh in on topics ranging from opinions on term limits, the impact of the newly drawn districts and how to tackle the problem of gun violence and other safety concerns in our communities. The five men and three women took questions from several of the 15 chamber members in the audience. Our thanks to all of the candidates for carving out time from their busy schedules and to the Mid-Island Y JCC for hosting this important event.