Noah Burroughs for New York State Assembly 18th District

One major difference of perspective between Noah Burroughs, 48, of Hempstead Village, and Danielle Smikle, 27, of Freeport, in this race for an open seat involves schools in the district — in which both candidates are involved.

Burroughs, a Democrat, has had some celebrity. He was signed in 2001 by the NFL New York Jets but was injured in the preseason and later was affiliated with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He says he values those days for the relationships they helped him build. Now, for more than 20 years, he has taught in the Hempstead public schools from which he graduated. He also serves on the Hempstead Village trustees board, and belongs to the New York State United Teachers union.

Burroughs sees charter schools in the district as diverting resources from public school budgets. His "top priority" would be "finding a way for a charter school to fully fund itself" without "pulling away" dollars from public school districts in Hempstead, Uniondale and Roosevelt, which face significant challenges. But he adds that he does not oppose charters in and of themselves, only the funding method.

Smikle, the Republican candidate, teaches at the Academy Charter School in Uniondale. Overall, her goals include working to help make educational and curriculum reforms that increase future employment opportunities for students. She is certified as a software engineer, and teaches at a high school level.

Smikle, herself a product of Freeport’s public schools, says she’s fine with exploring alternative funding sources for charters. "I do support charter schools especially if the district they are in is failing," she says, in which cases parents should have choices. She also sees wasteful practices in schools generally, such as in food services, that could be reformed.

On the Las Vegas Sands casino proposed for the Nassau Hub, Burroughs makes a salient point: Sands would do well to financially support transportation infrastructure in Hempstead Village and nearby communities such as Garden City and East Meadow. Local job opportunities would help residents, he notes, so job placement plans and aid to local fire services should be closely monitored as the project advances. Smikle also supports a casino — as long as it means opportunities for jobs and business development for district residents.

Both candidates recognize the need to proceed realistically on measures meant to address climate change. Burroughs seems to have a good sense of the affordability issues for residents involved with this big transition to green energy.

On Proposition 1, the state’s so-called Equal Rights Amendment, Smikle expresses more skepticism of what it may mean if it passes, while Burroughs tilts toward supporting it as a protection of women’s rights against potential abbreviations from the national right wing.

Burroughs and Smikle are running to succeed Democratic Assemb. Taylor Darling, who declined to seek reelection to run instead for State Senate, but she lost a party primary in June.

Smikle has much to recommend her — an unjaded and forward-looking view as a young professional that hopefully finds and keeps her in public service. But Burroughs has developed potentially valuable contacts and familiarity with governance from his school involvement and presence since 2022 as a village trustee.

Newsday’s editorial board endorses Burroughs.