In the sports world, it would be considered an epic battle. The local race for the state senate features two contestants with a history of success on Election Day.
Both Steve Brescia and James Skoufis have come up short at the polls on one occasion. But few people could tell you when it happened.
Mr. Brescia lost a close race for the county legislature in the late 1980s. But he’s won positions in local government for more than 30 years, and he’s been a successful candidate for county government in all of his elections since 1994.
James Skoufis became a Woodbury trustee soon after he graduated from college. After serving a few years, he won three races for the Assembly and a campaign for the state senate. His only electoral defeat occurred in high school. He ran for office three times and only won twice.
Skoufis had a busy first term
James Skoufis was busy during his first term in the state senate. He ranked third in introducing new legislation, and he chaired a committee that completed two major investigations. He will soon issue reports on both. One focused on a Long Island real estate firm that was accused of discriminating against minority clients. The other involved 40 hours of testimony on the state’s response to COVID-19.
The two years passed quickly and Senator Skoufis is campaigning again. There are fewer events to attend because of the pandemic. However, the senator has shown up at ribbon cuttings and has made some virtual appearances. From these interactions, he’s identified the major issues concerning the electorate – protecting health and restoring the economy.
The senator, who overcame a two-week bout with the virus, has been active in helping business people. He reported that he led the charge to defer sales tax. And he was proud to be one of the few members of his party to earn an endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
During the pandemic, he noticed that the biggest companies made more money than ever. That convinced him that the state should shift more of the tax burden onto them. But realigning taxes won’t be the sole answer to the problem. He said that we need another round of fiscal help from the federal government.
When asked about the public reaction to the bail law, he mentioned leading another charge to address the problems that arose in 2019. He championed a revision in the law that let judges impose bail on repeat offenders. To explain the need for change, the senator referred to a man who couldn’t pay bail after being accused of stealing a backpack. He spent three years on Rikers Island waiting for his trial. The charges were eventually dropped, but the man committed suicide soon after he was released.
Asked to sum up his candidacy, the senator said he focuses on constituents’ backyards. He secured $23 million to repair bridges on Route 9W. He also helped Cornwall refurbish its tennis courts, improve Main Street and add rest rooms at Donahue Memorial Park. “We’re literally rebuilding the town,” he said. “And there’ll be more of that.”
Brescia entered politics early
There was a crowd in Pine Bush on March 1 when Steve Brescia announced his candidacy. The turnout was not surprising. He’s been in office a long time.
Like his opponent, Steve Brescia started early. After interviewing his uncle, County Legislator Ed Devitt, for a high school government class, Mr. Brescia opted for a career in politics. He majored in political science at the University of Tennessee, and then won an election for Village Trustee in Montgomery in 1987 when he was 24 years old.
Three years later, he was “talked into” running for mayor, a position he’s held for 30 years. But it’s not his only office. He became a county legislator in 1994, and was elevated to legislative chairman in 2014.
So he has the credentials to be a candidate, but running against an incumbent can be difficult. I asked why he decided to run now and not two years ago when Senator Larkin was retiring.
“A lot of people are mad as hell,” he responded, “and they’re not going to take it anymore. Bail has so many people upset. It needed to be tweaked. It needed some reform. But the current law has led to recidivism of more than 100 percent in Orange County.”
The candidate didn’t stop there. He claimed the state government doesn’t help small businesses, and he complained that businesses in New York are over-regulated. “If you increase the tax on the wealthy,” he reasoned, “you’ll see more people leave.”
Mr. Brescia has had one of the longest runs as legislative chairman. Under his leadership, the county fund balance has doubled, and the county’s bond rating has gone up two levels. During his tenure, workers renovated the Government Center and completed the job on time and under budget.
The candidate added that the county has been under the tax cap every year, and (by comparison) the state doesn’t even have a tax cap.
Several officials endorsed him at his kickoff rally in March. Legislator Katie Bonelli called it “a monumental crowd for an exceptional candidate.”
Town Supervisor Brian Maher, a former Larkin employee, served as the master of ceremonies. “Steve treats everyone as a friend,” Mr. Maher said, “the same as Senator Larkin did.”
