Brian F. Curran for New York State Assembly 21st District

Over the last six years, the 21st District has flipped from red to blue and back to red again as two knowledgeable candidates have fought to represent it. Lynbrook Republican Brian F. Curran won the seat in 2010 and held it until 2018, when Judy A. Griffin, a Democrat from Rockville Centre, unseated him. Four years later, Curran returned, beating Griffin by 138 votes.

This year, it’s Griffin trying to make a comeback, looking to win the seat from Curran again.

Griffin, 61, emphasizes her past accomplishments, pointing to her advocacy for revisions to bail reform and legislation that prohibited teachers from carrying guns in schools. She said she hopes to pick up where she left off, with legislation to increase penalties on young offenders involved in the illegal gun trade. She suggests finding “corporate sponsors” to help defray the costs of New York’s efforts to move to electric vehicles and renewable energy. Griffin says she would continue to advocate for the municipalization of water to areas served by Liberty Water and cited past studies in calling for cuts to the Long Island Rail Road’s managerial ranks, which she deemed “excessive.” Griffin, who hopes to include special education and mental health in any revamp of the Foundation Aid formula for education funding, wants to see a separate legislative working group address the formula, saying it could start now, rather than negotiating changes during the short and busy budget session.

Curran, who will turn 56 on Nov. 1, sees education funding as the “single biggest topic” that can affect the district. He supports revisions to the regional cost index and a new formula that accounts for the cost of increased security and mental health services. Curran points to bipartisan efforts he helped lead to transfer the Guy Lombardo Marina from the Town of Hempstead to the Village of Freeport — an effort, he said, that will lead to improved upkeep and better use of the marina. He’s committed to the state’s effort to move away from fossil fuels but thinks the timetable should be rethought, citing both a lack of necessary infrastructure to achieve the goals and the possibility that ratepayers will be forced to absorb added costs too quickly. Curran also embraces state attempts to incentivize new housing construction, including using state-owned property for housing. He thoughtfully notes that such land should stay within the state’s control, however, because transferring it to local government control would “defeat the purpose” and could stymie housing production.

Curran has been willing to examine his past positions and shift them when warranted. He said he was initially opposed to municipal control of Liberty Water, noting he generally hasn’t seen examples where a government takeover improved something that had been in private hands. But Curran said after multiple conversations with key stakeholders and meetings, and watching how Liberty Water has operated in his district, he now supports municipalization and said he would do what he could to push it forward.

While there’s rarely much daylight between the two candidates on issues that matter to Long Island, Griffin’s focus seems stuck in the past, in recalling what she did while in office and in promising more of the same. Curran has a better handle on the current landscape — and a better sense of how to move the district and the region forward.

Newsday’s editorial board endorses Curran.