Becker Has the Experience to Challenge McCarthy

By HOWARD J. KOPEL

On June 26,  we are going to have a primary election in which Republicans will choose candidates for U.S. Senator (to run against Kirstin Gillibrand) and, in our specific area, for Congress (to run against Carolyn McCarthy.) I am going to focus on the race for Congress, because it is local and, especially, because I think that it can and should be won by a Republican, provided that we first choose the best candidate for the job.

It is a fact, and a shameful one, that voter turnout is likely to be pathetically low, considering the stakes involved. We need new and effective representation in Congress. We need a high turnout in The Five Towns. To steal a phrase from the Obama campaign: It is time for a change.

Two years ago, my great friend and colleague on the Nassau County Legislature (and co- columnist here at The Standard,) Fran Becker, was the Republican candidate running against Ms. McCarthy. Starting late, and without significant money or a going campaign organization, Fran still came remarkably close to winning the seat formerly held by his grandfather. In fact, in The Five Towns, Fran won with overwhelming margins. That didn’t happen by accident. He just impressed the heck out of us! This time, with our help, he can win.

Fran has a warm and engaging personality, and is passionate on the issues that matter most to us. He has told me on numerous occasions of his intentions to spend more time in Israel, whose people and leaders he admires, so that he is better able to defend her interests here in the States. Fran Becker is positively passionate in his support for Israel. Actually, those that are lucky enough to know him well will tell you that Fran is passionate about everything in which he believes. He is a businessman with extensive insurance experience, who will explain (at length, if you give him the chance!) that Obamacare, not to mention the rest of Obama’s wild spending, threatens to bankrupt the country. He has many years of experience in politics, and has been a Nassau County Legislator for years, during which he has always railed against the over spending and waste that has characterized the County for too long.

I am continually impressed by Fran’s long record of service to the community and, indeed, of his family. In fact, his grandfather once held the seat for which Fran is running today. The Becker family is renowned for the many years that various Beckers have contributed to the public good.

Fran’s opponent in the upcoming primary election is a fine young man, with a good future. However, he has no actual experience in elective office, or in business. He cannot, at this time, come close to matching Fran’s experience and proven record of watching out for the taxpayer’s dollar. He moved to Nassau after many years working in Washington, D.C. While he rightfully prides himself on his work to clean up Grant’s Tomb in Manhattan, he has no record of service here in Nassau County, and no deep involvement in Nassau affairs generally. He has not gone through the crucible of a tough election campaign, while Fran has done that successfully many times. That is what we need right now to ensure that next year we finally get the representation in Congress that we need and deserve.

In case you haven’t already figured it out, I intend to vote for Fran Becker on June 26, and again, in the general election in November. I hope that you will join me.