Voter's Guide 2010: The Candidates

Here is a final summary of the major party candidates for 2010 Election Day on Nov. 2.

New York State Governor:

D  – Andrew Cuomo  – As New York Attorney General, Cuomo investigated the state pension fund, the student loan industry and Wall Street corruption. As governor, Cuomo says he will consolidate state government and focus on revitalizing New York by bringing in new jobs. Republican opponent Carl Paladino and others blame Cuomo's expansion of mortgage loans when he was secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton for fueling the housing crisis.

R  – Carl Paladino  – Paladino defeated Rick Lazio and pushed out Suffolk County's own Steve Levy for the Republican nomination. The focus of Paladino's campaign is overhaul in Albany. He says he plans to declare a fiscal state of emergency and will cut the state budget by 10 to 20 percent by freezing compensation of state employees, among other budget trimming measures. Paladino, a lawyer and businessman from Buffalo, has faced controversy during the campaign, accused of sending explicit e-mails and making offensive statements towards the homosexual community.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Charles Schumer - Schumer, New York's senior senator, was elected in 1998. Prior to being elected Senator, Schumer spent nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives. His voting record includes support for measures that discourage offshoring of American jobs, the creation of the Small Business Lending Fund Program, and the health care public option (which he drafted).

R - Jay Townsend - Townsend is a businessman who formed The Townsend Group, an advertising agency based in Orange County, in 1993. He has lashed out against what he has called "the Obama spending spree" and has been an outspoken critic of the recent health care plan supported by Schumer. If elected, Townsend has said he plans to vote to repeal it.

U.S. Senate:

D - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand - Gillibrand says job creation and economic development are her highest priorities. She voted in February to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and supported measures that provide tax cuts for middle class families. She also believes in increased access to healthcare, controlling medical costs, and she supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the so-called public healthcare option.

R - Joseph DioGuardi - DioGuardi believes government spending is out of control and is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and budget reform. He also supports increased access to healthcare and controlling medical costs, but does not believe it should be legislated. Instead he believes that it should be accomplished within the private sector.

Attorney General

Eric T. Schneiderman (D), Democrat, Working Families party lines – Schneiderman received his Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, where he majored in English and Asian studies.  His law degree is from Harvard Law School.  He served as Deputy Sheriff in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and from there went on serve as an anti-crime, anti-drug advocate as an attorney and in the New York State Senate, getting elected in 1998.

Dan Donovan (R), Republican, Conservative party lines – A Staten Island District Attorney, Donovan received his Bachelor's degree from St. John's University, where he majored in Criminal Justice. He received his law degree from Fordham University Law School.  He was a prosecutor for eight years in Manhattan and served as a Staten Island Borough President in 2002.

State Comptroller

Thomas DiNapoli (D), Democrat, Working Families party lines – A Nassau County resident, DiNapoli became state comptroller in 2007.  In 1972, when he was elected to the Mineola Board of Education, he was only 18 years old.  He then served in the New York State Assembly for 20 years. He has also been an adjunct professor and a manager in the telecommunications industry. DiNapoli earned his Bachelor's degree from Hofstra University with a major in History. He received his Master's degree Management and Urban Policy from The New School University.

Harry Wilson (R), Republican, Independence, Conservative party lines – Harry Wilson, a native of Johnstown, New York, has been comptroller for Goldman Sachs, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Blackstone Group, and Silver Point Capital. Wilson was the only Republican to serve on the President's Auto Task Force, where he advised both Presidents Bush and Obama on how to proceed with the overhaul of General Motors. He was opposed the corporate bailout of car company Chrysler.  Wilson is married with four children and lives in Westchester.

U.S. Congress, New York State's 3rd District

Howard Kudler, Democrat – Howard Kudler moved to Merrick 10 years ago from Queens.  He has two sons with his wife, who is an attorney.  Kudler holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY-New Paltz and a master's degree from St. John's University with a certificate in international law and affairs. If elected, Kudler, who captured 38 percent of the vote in his first run for office in 2008 against Assemblyman Dave McDonough, said he will also fight to bring jobs back to Long Island and work to bring military troops home.

Peter King (R-Seaford), Republican – Peter King is a graduate of St. Francis College and the University of Notre Dame Law School. He is a lifelong resident of New York and has lived in Nassau County for more than 40 years. King and his wife, Rosemary, reside in Seaford. They have two adult children and two grandchildren. The three biggest issues facing the 3rd Congressional District, according to King, are jobs, taxes and terrorism. It is that last issue, though, that has put King in the media spotlight for years.

U.S. Congress, New York State's 4th District

Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), Democrat – Carolyn McCarthy has served in Congress since 1996, riding a gun-control platform to office after her husband was killed and son badly wounded in the 1993 shooting on the Long Island Rail Road. McCarthy, a lifelong resident of Mineola, has served the 4th Congressional District since 1996. She is also a nurse, with over 30 years of experience. In Congress, McCarthy serves as the chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, where she has the opportunity on the federal level to do what she loves: helping children and families. She also serves on the Congressional Financial Services Committee. McCarthy has one son and two grandchildren.

Francis Becker, Republican – Francis Becker is well known in his hometown Lynbrook. He is a member of the Moms and Dads Club of Lynbrook High School, the Knights of Columbus, and a former coach of the Lynbrook Titans football and lacrosse teams. In the past several years, Becker has secured over $300,000 in county funds for streetscaping projects in Lynbrook that have served to improve the village's business community. Becker has a wife and three daughters.

New York State Senate (8th District)

Carol Gordon, Democrat – Carol Gordon, 57, is a longtime Massapequa resident. She has served as a mental health clinic manager and patient advocate at the Department of Veterans Affairs, working with veterans for 25 years. She has developed a strong commitment to veterans and initiated many sustainable support programs, including championing an effort to have the first women veterans admitted to an all-male unit. In 2008, she became a member of the National Organization of Women and the chairwoman of the mentoring and education committee for Urban Financial Services Coalition of Long Island, which promotes financial literacy.

Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick), Republican – Charles Fuschillo, 50, has authored several laws, including New York State's Telemarketer "Do Not Call" Registry law and "Leandra's Law," which makes it a felony to drive drunk with a child in the car. He sponsors numerous no-cost mobile mammography checkups for women over the age of 40 throughout his district. He holds a leadership role on the Senate's Transportation Committee as the ranking Republican member, and is a member of the Senate Committees on Civil Service and Pensions; Commerce, Economic Development & Small Business; Consumer Protection; Health; and Labor.

New York State Assembly (17th District)

Thomas Devaney (D-Williston Park), Democrat – Thomas Devaney has been a resident of East Williston for over 30 years, and he received a Bachelor of Science from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.  Devaney also serves as a truck lieutenant for the East Williston Fire Department, and he is president of the Volunteer & Exempt Firefighters Benevolent Association of East Williston. Although Devaney is a newcomer to professional politics, he stresses that his "experience in areas of leadership" makes him appropriate for the role of assemblyman.

Thomas McKevitt (R-East Meadow), Republican – Thomas McKevitt was born in Oceanside but has lived most of his life in East Meadow. McKevitt has been involved in helping local state candidates and officials for the past 20 years, and he is currently serving his third term in office. Describing himself as "a hardworking person that advocates for his community," McKevitt said he believes that Assembly rules need to be changed to allow each member to bring a bill to the floor for a vote. The graduate of Hofstra Law School has been the coach for the Holy Trinity Mock Trial Team for 10 years.

New York State Assembly (19th District)

John Brooks, Democrat – John Brooks is a lifelong Seaford resident and longtime civic leader in the community. He is an insurance industry executive with a focus on corporate and government risk management. He has previously served as chief of the Seaford Fire Department and vice president of the Seaford Board of Education. Brooks has also served as chairman of the Long Island Hurricane Symposium and as a medic for six years in the New York Army Reserve, 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division. Brooks holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the New York Institute of Technology and an Associate's Degree from Farmingdale State College.

David McDonough (R-Merrick), Republican – Assemblyman David McDonough, R-Merrick, was first elected to the New York State Assembly in a special election held Feb. 12, 2002 and was re-elected to his fifth term in November of 2008. McDonough is the past president of the Nassau County Council of Chambers of Commerce and from 1994 to 1998, served four terms as president of the Merrick Chamber of Commerce. He was also an original member of the Development Committee for the Merrick Downtown Revitalization project and was a founding member of the Bellmore-Merrick Community Wellness Council. He has also been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Merrick for over 25 years, including serving as president from 1989-1990.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit http://www.vote411.org/pollfinder.php to find your local polling location.