On March 1 of this year Mike Conigliaro launched his campaign for New York State Assembly, running on a platform that promises to prioritize New Yorker’s safety, tackle tax reform, help small businesses and build and support “the forgotten middle class.”
Conigliaro, a member of both the Republican and Conservative parties, is running for election to the New York State Assembly to represent District 28. He is on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 8 this fall.
He will be squaring off against Andrew Hevesi, a Democrat who is a member of the Working Families Party. Hevesi has served District 28 for 17 years and was first elected in 2005.
Conigliaro, who grew up in Kew Gardens and graduated from Richmond Hill High School currently calls Rego Park home. He is a father for two daughters aged seven and 14 and is the President of the Community Education Council for the District 24 school board and currently works as a law office manager.
According to his campaign website he is running for State Assembly because “there is a dire need to take our state back.” He believes his opponents are “pushing for radical policies” that put every New Yorker at risk.
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“Common sense is being thrown out the window at our peril,” Conigliaro says adding that, “Crime is skyrocketing on our streets and subways, small businesses are struggling, property taxes are reaching unaffordable heights, an unwanted community jail is soon set to open with no support, and now we face rapid overdevelopment through unwanted high-rises.”
Conigliaro is a vocal supporter of the New York Police Department (NYPD) who wants to repeal the “failed bail reform” and believes the community needs to “back-the-blue, no exceptions.”
“This city doesn’t need a defunded and demoralized NYPD. As a result of astronomical increases in crime, we need to restore safety in NYC and stand behind the NYPD by ensuring they are fully funded and empowered to do their jobs,” he says.
“Bail reform is an absolute failure,” Conigliaro argues, adding that, “Our streets are more dangerous because of the refusal by progressive politicians to confront the reality that is crime stricken New York.”
He believes that “activist judges” are letting criminals run free “without reprisal” and that cuts to police budgets are only exacerbating the problem. He argues that New York’s bail reform laws, that went into effect at the start of 2020, have to go and that these laws are “the source of continued lawlessness and disregard of our once orderly society.”
Fix New York’s Economy
“It is clear that the New York City economy is in the worst shape it has been in since the 1970s, many small businesses have closed and many are heading down the same path with no relief in sight,” Conigliaro asserts on his campaign website.
To address the crisis, Conigliaro says small businesses need tax breaks and a less oppressive regulatory environment. He believes that the elimination of “red tape” will help get businesses back on track.
He wants to introduce a “main street tax credit,” designed to support “Mom & Pop” shops that he says were once the forefront of New York’s local economy.
“The Main Street Tax Credit will give our local shops in New York State an income tax break for keeping our communities together,” he says.
In addition, he wants to reduce the New York State income tax, a tax he argues has reached “record levels” and is hurting everyday New Yorkers.
“New Yorkers pay some of the highest taxes in the country, yet our Democratic-controlled city council and state government has demanded record level government spending,” Conigliaro asserts. He wants to reform the entire New York State tax scheme including overhauling the state and city property taxes, corporate taxes, and the city’s new “hidden tax” collected by “inappropriate speed cameras.”
Education a top priority
Conigliaro wants to preserve New York’s “merit-based education system” and argues that “out-of-touch progressive Democrats” are systematically “demolishing” a system that has worked for New Yorkers. He says that the Department of Education constructed a “fancy lottery masquerading as a screen designed to mislead parents into thinking merit remains the guiding standard.”
He argues that education standards are taking a back seat to diversity targets, saying that these very same policies are in themselves “racist” and “defeatist,” and that the policies fail to address the real issues facing students.
He argues for “common-sense classrooms” and wants to repeal “regressive” Common Core teaching standards and give more control over classrooms back to teachers.
In addition he argues that the state’s standardized exams have turned classrooms into “test-taking mills” that fail to focus on learning methods and civics.
“We should not be teaching students what to think — but how to think for themselves as responsible, educated, citizens,” he says.
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Conigliaro sees opportunities for improvement everywhere
While skyrocketing crime, the state’s bail reform laws, taxes and education are the issues dominating this election cycle, Conigliaro sees opportunities for improving New York state everywhere.
He wants to clean up the streets, literally, arguing that every New Yorker deserves a “good quality of life.”
“Litter, graffiti, and waste are once again becoming the defining factors on our streets,” he says while arguing that the state needs to tighten laws regarding the defacing of property and the state’s parks. He promises, if elected, he will work with both city and state officials to ensure that the city doesn’t slip into a state of decay.
He is staunchly against “warehousing the homeless” in local shelters, saying while Democratic politicians claim more homeless shelters are a solution he says they are the problem.
He promises to actively oppose the creation of new shelters and work to eliminate others that he says have done nothing to address the homelessness crisis. Specifically he wants to address “inappropriately placed shelters in Maspeth in Glendale.”
He also opposes “neighborhood jails” and believes Rikers Island needs to remain open.
The 2022 New York State Assembly election will be held on Nov. 8 this year which will elect representatives for all 150 districts across the state.
