Assemblyman Doug Smith
Candidate: Assemblyman Doug Smith
Residence: Holbrook
First Elected: 2018 special election
Prior Elected Experience: None
Party Lines: Republican, Conservative
Committees: Ranking Member on Education; Higher Education; Aging; Energy; Chair of the Task Force on School Safety and Security; Commission Member of the Future of LIPA; Member of the Future Caucus
Endorsements: Every law enforcement group, every building trade, NYSUT, IBEW, working people of my district.
Assemblyman Doug Smith won a special election in 2018 to fill the seat of his former boss, Al Graf (R). After winning three regular elections, the top Republican on the Education Committee is gearing up for a fourth term.
Assemblyman Smith sat down with The Messenger for an interview for this candidate spotlight.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Assembly?
A: I was a certified high school math teacher for grades seven through twelve teaching Algebra II and Trigonometry. Before getting elected, I served as chief of staff to my predecessor, Al Graf. I also had a small business doing website design. I was on the Board of the Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce.
I miss teaching, but the reason I got involved in government on the education standpoint is because of the deeply-flawed common core curriculum that was being rolled out. I didn’t think it was age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate. When I worked for former Assemblyman Graf, I fell in love with education policy. I have a lot of respect for the practitioners who had to endure Andrew Cuomo’s (D) period of anti-teacher sentiments and the common core curriculum, which was a completely failed rollout, and then the pandemic. I’m fighting to give our students the best educational opportunities possible. I don’t think the state should be involved in every little aspect of education.
I also sit in on Regents Board screenings. We figure out if the nominees should be making education policy, and most of the time, the answer is they should be nowhere near making education policy. However, I do feel that the quality of the people on the Board of Regents has improved since I’ve been involved in the process. Education policy is run through the Board of Regents, who are appointed by the legislature, and then they appoint the Education Commissioner. It’s the only department where the commissioner does not answer to the Governor.
Q: What are some of your accomplishments for AD-05 and New York overall?
A: One of the first things I did when I took office was there was not a security vestibule or state-of-the-art visitor entry system in every school building. I was able to shake loose money – $11 million – that was tied up in Albany for years to ensure every single school building that I represent is secure. We’re working on getting there statewide.
I also put forward a proposal that anyone who died in service to our country would have their spouse or child attend any state university tuition-free, including room and board. Democrats defeated that initially. We caused such a ruckus because at the same time, they granted free college tuition for Dreamers. We got so much media attention that Donald Trump even tweeted about it. Eventually, Governor Cuomo (D) enacted it administratively. Democrats argued it was budgetary, but we were able to calculate how much this would have cost; it was miniscule.
The big one lately is securing the four-acre Holbrook Chamber Park on Union Avenue, the old Sachem administrative building. In collaboration with the county, the Sachem School District, and the Town Brookhaven, it will be an all-inclusive, disabilities-accessible park and playground, with walking paths, benches, and it would be a perfect venue for summer concerts or a Christmas tree lighting. It will be like Central Park for Holbrook. Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) and I successfully got Brookhaven to cover the cost of razing the building.
Q: What is your top priority if re-elected?
A: We have to be very careful about how the school aid formula is reworked. Since I’ve taken office, the Sachem CSD has received $10 million more per year, so it will be a fight because I don’t want us to go backwards. We need the schools fully funded to protect local property taxpayers. I’ve already started having conversations about keeping the harmless provision in place. Sachem has 2,000 fewer students than they had ten years ago. It costs more to educate students, but I don’t believe that burden should fall on the taxpayers. I think we also need a new metric to evaluate what a “successful” student is because our schools on Long Island are doing a much better job than other parts of the state. Sachem has a graduation rate north of 90%, but it’s not the only way to measure success. What are school districts providing for a more enriching experience?
We also need to change how we deal with English language learners (ELL). Districts are seeing a great deal of influx, especially with the migrant crisis. It’s very expensive to educate people who might not have had formal English training. Funding special needs students is also expensive, but each student might have different education costs.
We have districts doing a great job in special ed and people are moving to them as a result of that. Middle Country has an incredible Universal Pre-K (UPK) program. Parents move into the district for those services, but now Middle Country becomes a victim of its own success by having its aid reduced. Costs go up, now they have to cut back on services, which becomes self-defeating, especially when families move into a district to have those resources.
Q: In your opinion, what is the “defining issue” of this election?
A: Safety and affordability, everyone knows it. Last time I checked, the average household income in my district was $94,000 per year, before taxes. Since Joe Biden took office, that same income only has buying power of $78,000. Inflation is a very insidious tax. Wages have not kept up and prices have skyrocketed. People are putting more on credit cards than they ever have.
People are not yet feeling fully safe either. I’m happy D.A. Tierney (R) and Sheriff Toulon (D) are here keeping us safe, but quality-of-life crimes, like catalytic converter theft, are still a very real concern. Also, about 75% of crimes being committed in NYC are related to the migrant crisis. The people I represent know who’s to blame for all of this.
We tried to provide a good inflation reduction package which would have been a series of reductions in state income tax on certain items, a reduction in sales tax on certain items, and a reduction in the state fuel tax. It would have also allowed the counties to be able to make some of those decisions. We’re hoping that gets bipartisan support to take pressure off the families.
Child care is a big burden as well, and it’s particularly hard if both parents have to work. In some cases, it might not even make economic sense for one parent to work because child care costs are so high. It sometimes makes more sense for one parent to stay at home.
Q: What is your favorite, quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: “It’s amazing what you can get done when you don’t care who gets the credit.” – Harry Truman. I have this quote on a plaque in my district office.
Q: How do you like to connect with your community?
A: You’ll find me at Irish Times in Holbrook, Flanagan’s Pub in Lake Ronkonkoma, and the Village Idiot in Lake Grove. My daughter goes to the same elementary school that I went to. I’m very active in the PTA as well. I want my daughter to be able to live the American Dream here in New York and not somewhere else.
The Messenger thanks Assemblyman Smith for his time for this interview.
Smith’s opponent, Michael Reynolds (D-Lake Ronkonkoma), was contacted for an interview but did not reply with availability.
About the Fifth Assembly District
The Fifth District is split between the Towns of Brookhaven and Islip, containing the communities of Lake Grove and parts of Bohemia, Centereach, Farmingville, Holbrook, Holtsville, Islandia, Lake Ronkonkoma, North Patchogue, Ronkonkoma, and Selden.
