Alex Melton to represent Nassau’s 12th Legislative District

Democrat Alexander Melton, 22, works at an economic-statistical consulting firm and is running on an ambitious platform to change how the county operates. He emphasizes using data and technology to craft policy, like yearly property assessments, a transparent crime database, highway speed cameras instead of red-light cameras and a new county website.

He is challenging Republican James Kennedy, who is finishing his first full term. Kennedy, 45, is a former teacher who has prioritized adding more surveillance in the Massapequa Preserve and Narcan training sessions. A Massapequa resident, Kennedy exudes ambivalence on fiscal and management issues.

Melton, a South Farmingdale resident, faces an uphill battle in a Republican stronghold, but his creativity and bold ideas are what’s needed in Nassau now.

Newsday endorses Melton.