Dean Murray for New York's 3rd Senate District

Dean Murray’s campaign for this newly-drawn seat marks the return of a familiar face to Suffolk County electoral politics. He served in the Assembly between 2011 and 2013, and again between 2015 and 2019. He ran for State Senate but lost four years ago.

Murray, 58, of East Patchogue, laments the current “stark divide” between right and left. “For some reason, compromise seems to be a bad word,” he says, realizing that accommodation is needed to move the state forward.

School funding, he says, should be an “investment” that helps keep youth from leaving Long Island. He wants more to go to career training. Having run a small business through the COVID-19 pandemic, Murray says the state should offer relief to companies that received loans from federal unemployment insurance they now must pay back.

Echoing themes of the Senate’s GOP caucus, Murray favors giving judges more discretion on remanding or bailing criminal defendants, opposes a toll on vehicles driving into Manhattan, and says New York's abortion laws “aren’t going anywhere.” He noted that as an assemblyman he voted against so-called "raise the age" legislation criticized for motivating gang members to recruit kids to commit offenses for which, if they're caught, they'd now go to family court, rather than criminal court.

Murray has a commendably useful grasp of local environmental issues, including the value of the proposed $4.2 billion environmental bond act on the ballot, a proposal on which he said he'd "lean yes." He calls it a "great idea" to create a northeast regional coastal commission to help meet climate challenges.

He also speaks sensibly about retreating from the shoreline when it comes to development. The onus would be on property owners to choose to build, or rebuild, in risky areas. "Don't come to us," meaning the public, for help with repairs or insurance if disaster strikes, he says.

Disappointingly, however, Murray says he supports “parents making the decision” on long-critical vaccines while “hoping to God” they make the right choice. We hope if elected he won't let anti-vax extremists convince him to subvert standard practices.

The Democratic nominee, Farzeen Bham, is a 20-year-old Stony Brook University student from Coram. Bham opposes cashless bail for those accused of violent offenses, but says reversing bail reforms wouldn’t solve current problems. He supports the environmental bond act, and says as a state, “We need to continue fully funding our schools in order to continue to reduce the burden on our property owners.” He also agrees with the idea of a coastal commission for regional preparation for climate change. But Bham has yet to establish a palpable presence in the district.

Newsday endorses Murray.