Tina M. Posterli for New York State Assembly 20th District

The 20th Assembly District became the center of a windstorm last year over a proposal to build a wind farm off the coast of Long Beach. The development team's lack of communication and insufficient attempts to seek community input increased residents' concerns and ultimately led to the project's downfall. That controversy is a backdrop for this contest.

Both Republican incumbent Eric Ari Brown and Democratic challenger Tina M. Posterli opposed the project. But they have very different approaches to the offshore wind issue, and to the broader environmental concerns the district faces as well as many of the state's other challenges.

Brown, of Cedarhurst, weaves a web of at-times baseless fears, theories and assumptions that likely will stop him from offering support for any wind project. The blades' fiberglass would shed into the oceans and the turbines would hurt birds and marine life in the area, he says. And he contends that drilling into the earth's core causes seismic impacts while pipes under the city streets would increase electromagnetic field exposure.

Brown, 56, says he supports climate-related infrastructure improvements, but lacks any specifics for what he would prioritize for state funding. He emphasizes his connections to key players in state government and within agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to illustrate how he can get what the district needs, but has few new ideas on how to handle key issues like MTA and education funding.

Brown, who was voted into this seat in a special election in 2022, has a complicated mix of public and private roles. He serves as deputy mayor and trustee for the Village of Cedarhurst, where he also chairs the architectural review board, and he runs a family construction company, R. Brown Realty Corp. While he assures skeptics there are no conflicts of interest, there is a valid question as to whether there are enough hours in a day for him to adequately serve the whole district and the state.

Posterli, of Long Beach, has worked with conservation groups Riverkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance, and says she supports offshore wind. She emphasized developer Equinor's "lack of transparency" as a central reason for her opposition to the original project. She voices concern about the state's RAPID Act, which would streamline the environmental review and permitting process for renewables, as she wants to make public input prominent in any moves the state makes.

Posterli, a former member of the Long Beach City Council, gets granular when it comes to the infrastructure improvements needed in the district, and can enumerate every community and the specific issues she would try to address, from aid for continuing cleanup and protection efforts for Reynolds Channel to flood protection in Point Lookout.

Posterli also shows a deep understanding of the efforts to assess the state's Foundation Aid formula for school funding. A former Long Beach school board president, Posterli fought last year's proposed cuts and now wants to be sure local school districts aren't harmed because of a skewed view of property wealth. Posterli, 58, advocates for expanding affordable housing requirements in larger developments and supports utilizing state land for housing.

Posterli says if elected, the Assembly would be her full-time job. Constituents would benefit from her smart, energetic presence in Albany and in the district.

Newsday's editorial board endorses Posterli.