Candidate Profile: Kevin Thomas Running For Senate District 6

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. In the 6th Senate District, incumbent Democrat Kevin Thomas is being challenged by Republican James Coll.

The 6th Senate District includes Bethpage, East Meadow, Farmingdale, Franklin Square, Garden City, Garden City South, Hempstead, Hicksville, Island Trees, Lakeview, Levittown, Malverne, Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Plainedge, Salisbury, Seaford, Uniondale, Wantagh and West Hempstead.

Early voting starts on Oct. 29. You can check your voter registration and find your polling place by clicking here.

In anticipation of the election, Patch asked candidates in the races to answer questions about their campaigns. Here are their answers, lightly edited for clarity.

Name

Kevin Thomas

Campaign website

https://www.SenatorThomas.com

City or town of residence

Levittown

Office sought

New York State Senate, District 6

Party affiliation

Democratic Party

Education

BA from St. John’s University and a JD from Cooley Law School

Occupation

NYS Senator for last 4 years. Prior to taking office I was a legal services attorney.

Family

I have a wonderful wife Rincy, a pharmacist, a beautiful 3-year-old daughter Layla and a husky named Sirius

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Age

38

Previous public office, appointive or elective

I was an appointee of the US Commission on Civil Rights to the New York State Advisory Committee

Why are you seeking this office?

Hardworking Long Island families deserve a senator who will fight for them in Albany. I ran for state Senate on the promise that I would fight tirelessly for overburdened and overtaxed Long Islanders. I delivered on that promise by capping the property tax permanently, championing legislation to protect our clean water, enacting common sense gun violence prevention, ethics and voting reforms, and delivering the most school funding to my district in New York State history. I have a proven record of delivering funding, resources and legislation that greatly improves the everyday lives of Long Islanders. In addition to securing record school funding for the district, I successfully fought to secure over $2 million in additional funding to our Nassau County and Hempstead Village police departments, and $500 million for clean water infrastructure and monitoring, while voting against tax increases more than 50 times. I’m running for re-election to ensure that Long Island continues to have a strong voice in Albany. As senator, I’ll never stop fighting to cut taxes, fund our schools, protect our drinking water and ensure our communities remain safe and affordable for generations to come.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I believe in people over politics. I serve a diverse district that’s home to over 300,000 residents. Their priorities are my priorities. I am not afraid to stand up and fight for Long Island families first, never political insiders or special interest groups. From day one, I have made it a priority to routinely visit every part of my district and hold at least 2 public events per month, because having the opportunity to listen to my constituents helps me be a better legislator. Meanwhile the opposition party has voted against every major piece of legislation that’s delivered for Long Island. If elected, my opponent will join the conference that voted against protecting a woman’s right to choose, the Child Victims Act, LGBTQ protections, voting reforms, climate change legislation and common sense gun control. I have taken great lengths to be as transparent and accessible as possible to my constituents, because that’s the kind of leadership Long Islanders deserve.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Protecting taxpayers, keeping NUMC open, preventing gun violence, cleaning up the Northrop Grumman Plume, fighting the opioid epidemic, and supporting our seniors, veterans, students, and families.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As a legal services attorney, I spent years defending clients who had been unfairly targeted by large lenders. As an appointee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to the New York State Advisory Committee, I fought tirelessly to advance civil rights and expand opportunities for all New Yorkers. These experiences are what motivated me to give back to my community through public service. In my first term in office, I took a leading role in Albany as Chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee. I helped secure record school aid for Nassau County, and made the property tax cap permanent, which will save taxpayers $189.9 billion over the next decade. I passed legislation to make it easier for public servants to get student loan relief, created greater oversight for federal student loan servicers, promoted a Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights and was responsible for prohibiting schools from withholding transcripts because a student owes money. All of this, in addition to new funding for our infrastructure, groundbreaking protections for our environment, data privacy protections and progressive voting reforms, made my first four years some of the most productive in New York State history.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I love being a Dad. My 3-year-old daughter likes to join in on my Zoom meetings when I work from home. I’m proud that I get to serve my community, and my daughter is such a big part of what motivates me to keep fighting for everyday families like ours.