![\"Candidate](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Candidate_Spotlights_Weber_300x340_20261022-265x300.jpg\")
Dave Weber<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tDave Weber<\/p>\n
Candidate: Dave Weber<\/p>\n
Residence: Northport<\/p>\n
Occupation: Small business owner<\/p>\n
Current Office: Northport Village Trustee (elected 2020, re-elected 2024)<\/p>\n
Office Sought: New York State Assembly, District 12 (AD-12)<\/p>\n
Party Lines: Republican, Conservative<\/p>\n
Notable Endorsements: Suffolk Law Enforcement Coalition, New York League of Conservation Voters<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Northport Village Trustee Dave Weber is making his first run for higher office in perhaps Suffolk\u2019s most competitive Assembly seat this year. He\u2019s looking to succeed three-term Assemblyman Keith Brown (R-Northport), who is retiring.<\/p>\n
Dave Weber sat down with The Messenger for this candidate spotlight interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Assembly?
A: I have an associate\u2019s degree in criminal justice. I was a police officer in Daytona Beach, Florida. I left Florida to move back to New York to run the family boatyard in Northport. I would work the summers here and work for Daytona Beach Police in the winters for two years. It was interesting trying to juggle it back and forth. The department there and I parted amicably and am still subject to rehire if I ever moved back there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At Seymour\u2019s Boatyard, we have 15 employees who manage all the moorings, we offer launch services, and deal with three U.S. Coast Guard-verified launches, which are passenger-carrying vessels. Those are inspected vessels that go through strict code testing every year. It\u2019s my job to make sure they\u2019re all compliant. We also have a petroleum station to sell gas, and it\u2019s my job to ensure we\u2019re in compliance with State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regulations. We also store and repair vessels and prepare them for the summer seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seymour\u2019s Boatyard is a historic boatyard that has been in continuous operation since 1923. I was able to get the yard listed on the New York State Historic Business Registry.<\/p>\n
My first career was a regular patrol officer in Daytona Beach. It gave me the background to understand what police officers need on the street. I started with the Northport Fire Department in 1996; I\u2019ve been a volunteer firefighter for 30 years. I rose through the ranks and am now an ex-captain. That helped me learn how to budget and I understand what the first responders need to get their jobs done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a Village Trustee in Northport, I\u2019ve been through two administrations and I\u2019ve been able to grow into the role. I\u2019ve been successful in championing an LED street light program, which has saved the Village tens of thousands of dollars since we started the program 5 years ago. I was also able to get the Village over $150,000 in grants, at no cost to the taxpayers, for a community basketball court and a harbor walk study. That study looks at the water\u2019s edge along the commercial area of Northport, mainly where the parks and the parking lot are. We\u2019re looking at different factors: stormwater runoff, floodwaters, rising tides, and coastal erosion. We\u2019re studying the best way to harden the shoreline and prevent flooding and erosion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m Chair of the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP), which is going to be the blueprint for commercial or recreational access to the waterfront, whether it\u2019s enjoyed by boaters or pedestrians. We\u2019re looking at Northport now and where we\u2019d like to see it go. The LWRP is a State-run program that will probably take about 5 or 6 years, and it will lay out the future potential development along the harborfront from one end of the Village to the other. Most of the Village\u2019s waterfront is residential; those areas won\u2019t be touched. We\u2019re not looking to do any development or construction along the waterfront; there\u2019s really no ability for that. But we\u2019re looking at a buffer along the waterway from the parking lot to prevent oil, gas, and other fluids from the cars leaking into the harbor. Parking is a big problem in the Village. I\u2019m working to redesign Lot A to capture rainwater runoff and redesign the parking for more spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A project like that doesn\u2019t end in Northport, though. It can be done in Deer Park, such as a park walk in a low-lying area that needs drainage. I know the players in the DEC and the State agencies. That\u2019s a benefit residents would get by electing me. There will be no learning curve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We know from the Long Island Sound Study that Northport\u2019s harbor is not the cleanest right now. We\u2019ve been fighting back C and D letter grades for many years. It\u2019s mostly attributed to nitrogen leaking into the harbor from septic systems or stormwater runoff. These are things I\u2019ve been trying to make headway on for six years. We\u2019ve already hooked up 40 houses to the sewer plant and we\u2019re looking to get the lowest-hanging fruits off septic and onto sewers so we\u2019re not polluting the harbor. It\u2019s something I look forward to continuing if I\u2019m elected. I also run the Oyster Project in the Village, making sure we grow oysters in the harbor, transplant them into the Sound so they can be cultivated. We also grow oysters through recycling shells to help the reef formation in the bay. Those oysters aren\u2019t for consumption, but for marine habitat regrowth. We also manage the Kelp Program which we grow in the off-season and it can later be used for fertilizer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What is the state of the State in your view?
A: It\u2019s in poor shape. People are fed up. I\u2019ve knocked on thousands of doors over the past nine months and the concerns are always affordability and utilities. I\u2019m a third-generation Northporter and I worry for my three sons about how they\u2019re going to be able to stay here on Long Island and raise a family. I don\u2019t see them being able to purchase a house here. I want to be able to give my kids the opportunity I and my parents had. We need more affordable housing and programs or tax credits for first-time homebuyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On energy, I believe in an all-of-the-above approach. I think offshore wind has a purpose, but it won\u2019t solve all our problems. Nuclear will also help, but we need multiple types of energy. What we don\u2019t need is unfunded mandates coming from Albany telling us what we need to do or demanding things by certain deadlines. It\u2019s difficult for these utility companies to put in these programs forced down their throats. The electric school bus mandate, for example, didn\u2019t have a practical timeline. They had to pump the brakes on that and slow it down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On crime, I defer to what law enforcement needs to do their jobs. I know many of them are frustrated because they can arrest someone and that person will turn around and be out the same night because of bail reform. The judges need more discretion to look at individual cases and determine whether a person is a repeat offender, not just because of the seriousness of the crime. That\u2019s where the revolving door comes from. In the long run, that individual is costing taxpayers by coming in and out of the system. Let\u2019s hold them accountable for what they\u2019ve done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been a police officer before and since I\u2019ve worked in local government for the last 6 years, I know that we need intercommunication between agencies. It\u2019s of the utmost importance. We should not be taking away the ability for local agencies to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration. There are illegal immigrants in this country who have gotten NYS driver\u2019s licenses and commercial licenses. It has created issues. I think allowing communication solves a lot of problems. Lessening that communication creates more chaos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What are your plans for AD-12 if elected?
A: I have a good relationship with the fire chiefs in Deer Park and Brentwood. They need grants for equipment and various needs; they\u2019re always talking about being underfunded. These are relationships I can continue to grow if I\u2019m elected \u2013 that includes the school districts and civic groups as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of my big objectives is beautification. I see the work they\u2019re doing along Deer Park Avenue and I\u2019m certainly willing to help them with them. I think we can make the area, whether by the Tanger Outlets or the other commercial spaces, safer and improve them with signage and lighting. I think we can also relocate some of the utilities and improve the infrastructure as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been talking with people in East Northport about a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Facility. I\u2019m not in support of Albany taking control of projects. I think our local communities know what they need and what they can handle. They should be the ones controlling construction projects in their districts, especially something like a BESS facility. Even though it\u2019s a State issue, I think Albany dictating what to do is not the right way forward. I\u2019m not in favor of those BESS facilities right now. I think they should be banned from Long Island. Long Island is an environmental hotbed as it is. We live on sand that\u2019s right on top of the aquifer. If there\u2019s an emergency or some kind of catastrophic incident, it could damage the aquifer. These facilities should be Upstate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What would be your objectives for the State at-large if elected?
A: I\u2019m a big champion for environmental causes. Working at a boatyard for the last 30 years, I have the understanding to keep the Long Island Sound clean.<\/p>\n
I also want to continue Keith Brown\u2019s work on substance abuse disorders and mental health. I\u2019ve been involved in that issue as a Village Trustee, I know the treatment centers, and I attend many seminars. It\u2019s a passionate subject for me. I hope to be on the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Committee if I\u2019m elected. There\u2019s not enough advocacy in the field of mental health to guide kids from high school into young adult life. They get pumped out of high school and they\u2019re suddenly on their own. When you have a two-parent working family, it\u2019s difficult to find time to dedicate to getting kids the right help.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: As the politics shift in Albany, where do you find yourself in that fold if elected and what advice can you give your potential caucus?
A: I\u2019m a middle-of-the-road guy. I look outside the box for solutions to get things done. I think we are going to have a problem with the socialists in Albany, but I would like to keep them in check while not being someone on the extreme right who is just going to argue. Those sides will always butt heads and never get anything done. We don\u2019t need that. My opponent at a debate the other week slammed his fist on the table and said we need to abolish ICE. That\u2019s not a moderate; that\u2019s an extremist. I\u2019m a middle-of-the-road fiscal conservative.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The State budget has increased over $100B over the last five years. How much are we going to be able to sustain with the budget going up $20B a year? It\u2019s insane. The mayor of New York runs out of money and puts his hand out and Albany just bails him out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What\u2019s your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: \u201cYou can\u2019t help everyone, but you can help some people. And in this way everyone will be helped by doing something.\u201d \u2013 Ronald Reagan<\/p>\n
My life has been about public service, whether it\u2019s the Village, the fire department, raising money for the Veterans\u2019 organizations, or working with different civic groups. We all, individually, have the ability to help somebody. We should be doing the right things for ourselves, but we can definitely help a bit collectively. And that\u2019s how we\u2019re able to help each other a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: How do you like to connect with your community, and what do you do in your spare time?
A: Technology and social media have been a great way to get in touch with people and see what they\u2019re saying. I\u2019m a founding member of the Rotary Reach, which is an environmental action Rotary based in Huntington. We started that about 4 years ago. It goes along with what I\u2019m doing in the Village. I\u2019m a 30-year member of the Northport Chamber of Commerce as well. I do fundraising for Paws of War, based in Nesconset.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I grew up on the water water. Boating is a part of my life. Weekends for me include boating on the North Shore or taking it to the ocean on the South Shore. I\u2019m an outdoorsman; I love the sun and sand and you\u2019ll find me vacationing or spending the summers here on Long Island. I\u2019m also a foodie and love trying all the different restaurants across the Island.<\/p>\n
The Messenger thanks Dave Weber for his time for this interview.<\/p>\n
![\"Candidate](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Candidate_Spotlights_Herskowitz_300x340_20261022-265x300.jpg\")
Craig Herskowitz<\/p>\n
Candidate: Craig Herskowitz<\/p>\n
Residence: Northport<\/p>\n
Occupation: Attorney<\/p>\n
Office Sought: New York State Assembly, District 12 (AD-12)<\/p>\n
Prior Campaigns: New York State Senate, District 2 (2024), Suffolk County Legislature, District 18 (2025)<\/p>\n
Party Lines: Democratic, Working Families<\/p>\n
Notable Endorsements: Suffolk AME, NYSUT, CWA 1199, NSYNA, Sierra Club, NYSBCTC, NYS AFL-CIO, LiUNA<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Herskowitz is making his third consecutive run for office in Suffolk County. He was soundly defeated in 2024 by Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James) and came up just short in a County Legislature race last year. Now, he\u2019s running for this open Assembly seat that takes in the north shore of Huntington and parts of Commack, Deer Park, Baywood, Brentwood, and North Bay Shore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Herskowitz sat down with The Messenger for this candidate spotlight interview.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the state of the State in your view?
A: We\u2019re hurting; affordability is a big issue. With the gas prices and utility bills, housing, and healthcare, everything is becoming less and less affordable. Long Island has the highest property taxes in the country. Our tax dollars are going out but they\u2019re not coming back. My focus will be working with leadership to bring hundreds of millions of dollars back into the district to alleviate our property taxes and costs.<\/p>\n
Safety is a big issue. I think the changes to bail reform \u2013 providing judicial discretion in cases where someone commits a second offense while they have an open case \u2013 have been helpful to prevent repeat offenders, particularly people with mental health issues, from returning to the streets. People are tired of going to CVS and seeing everything put behind glass; it\u2019s really obnoxious and hurting businesses. We need to support our local law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pendulum has swung on immigration. Biden mishandled the border crisis, and Trump won on immigration. When I was campaigning two years ago, people would ask why the State is spending money housing migrants and giving migrants debit cards. Now, they think we don\u2019t have due process and they don\u2019t like these random ICE raids that are hurting families, communities, and the economy. I\u2019m seeing people being randomly grabbed off the streets at bus stops or 7-Elevens. They\u2019re being detained for months before they ever get to see a judge. These are people who have no criminal record, they have work authorizations, they\u2019re paying taxes, many of them came in legally on visas, many have open asylum claims, and some even have legal status. I had one case where a U.S. citizen was arrested by ICE because they thought his passport was fake. He was detained for one month and then released.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We obviously want a secure border and to get rid of people who are dangers to the community, but we don\u2019t want to hurt farmers, restaurant workers, people who have been here for years and have families here. We\u2019re spending billions on detaining people who are not threats and are contributing to our economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If there is a judicial warrant, local law should fully cooperate with ICE. I think the problem is now ICE operating with administrative warrants, in which case, I think local law should not be cooperating with ICE. The cases are civil in nature. If you enter the country without inspection, you\u2019re being charged with a civil violation. You\u2019re not being criminally charged. I understand the purpose of Sanctuary policies because we want to encourage people who are in the country illegally to cooperate with law enforcement, to report crimes, and not be arrested solely because of their immigration status.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Technically, if you enter the country illegally, you can be charged with a federal crime, but no one ever is. Our local law enforcement should not be going after actual criminals, not civil crimes. I was an attorney for the FBI and my friends who are still there say they\u2019re being told top federal investigations into criminal activity to assist ICE with random raids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On energy, I would love to see this push towards renewable energy, and these big breakthroughs in nuclear. There\u2019s a lot of pushback against wind because of the myth that it kills whales, and there\u2019s a lot of pushback on battery storage. We obviously don\u2019t want battery storage in residential areas. With energy prices and War in Iran, we obviously need to pursue renewable energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What are your plans for AD-12 if elected?
A: The Deer Park area has been part of my concern; it\u2019s been ignored for many years. I want to repair Deer Park Avenue and revitalize the area around it, replicating what Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood) did in Bay Shore. I want to bring in millions of dollars to repair all the facades on the storefronts to make it a beautiful, walkable community. I\u2019ve got commitments from leadership to bring that money in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the Islip section of my district, they\u2019re really scared of ICE enforcement and the Supreme Court basically saying that racial profiling is permissible in these cases. I want to work closely with Ramos to support them. That Deer Park-Baywood-Brentwood area is blue-collar; a lot of them voted for Trump, but they\u2019re not MAGA. People there want money for sewers, money to repair the ball fields and schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Huntington, we have nitrates and forever chemicals that are seeping into the water. I\u2019ll be looking to bring funds there to improve the water quality. The Town got a low rating on our water quality recently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: Do you have any objectives for the State at-large if elected?
A: When I was with the FBI and the Department of Justice, I led financial investigations into terrorist organizations and recovered millions of dollars used to compensate victims. I led the Bernie Madoff victim remission case, which allocated $4.4B to victims. I worked at JPMorgan Chase doing financial investigation, and I was the chief legal advisor for all financial matters in New York under Governor Cuomo. I oversaw the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Taxation and Finance, and the NYS Insurance Fund. I know how Albany works. I want to work with the Senate Finance Committee and the Ways and Means Committee to bring back the money to Long Island.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a financial expert, I\u2019m really hopeful of bringing money to the district and making sure there\u2019s no waste, fraud, or abuse. There could be more done with investigating Medicaid fraud. I worked those cases while at the DOJ. I want to send a strong message that anyone who commits these financial crimes that hurt the State or our people, they will not profit from it, and their assets will be seized.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d also like to look into consumer fraud. Consumers don\u2019t have lobbyists to advocate for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: Where do you fit into a changing Democratic Party that has had full control of Albany since 2019?
A: The reality is, our Republican representatives are not going to have a seat at the table. I\u2019ll be able to push back against some of the extreme-left agenda and I can do it more effectively than a Republican will be able to. We need to elect strong, Long Island suburban Democrats to represent us because we can\u2019t allow the far-left in the City to govern the State.<\/p>\n
When I was working for the State, I joked that bail reform was going to turn me into a Republican; the Democrats really mishandled it. I understand the desire for bail reform \u2013 you don\u2019t want someone sitting in Rikers Island for six months waiting for a court date for a petit larceny charge \u2013 but at the same time, you don\u2019t want someone who is shoplifting from CVS to be let go and then shoplift again. I was a criminal defense attorney. I saw 99% of people who are released on their own recognizance show up for court, no problem. They took their cases very seriously. But when you have that 1%, those repeat offenders, mainly because of mental health issues, it\u2019s a very, very bad thing. That the Legislature did not want to create new bail-eligible offenses really hurt us on Long Island. I think leadership is not going to be too happy with some of their DSA members likely to get elected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll also stand up to the far-left on Israel. I\u2019m not happy with a lot of what Netanyahu is doing, but I think the rise in anti-semitism is a problem. I\u2019m not opposed to Israel, but opposed to the Israeli government. I\u2019ve had people on the left say they won\u2019t support because I won\u2019t call what Israel is doing to Palestine a \u201cgenocide.\u201d Our tax dollars should stay in New York, but we still want to support our allies.<\/p>\n
Governor Hochul (D) is more of a moderate like me. She\u2019s not an extremist<\/p>\n
Q: You lived in the City up until recently. How do voters know you identify with their way of life and can work for them?
A: I lived in Manhattan a year before I ran for State Senate (2023) since I was an administrative law judge in Brooklyn. I had to resign to run for office and moved back to Northport. I was born in Huntington, graduated from Northport High School (\u201899), spent my summers on Long Island while studying in D.C., worked for Congressman Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills), worked for the Suffolk D.A.\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What is your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing what you can accomplish if you don\u2019t worry about who gets the credit.\u201d \u2013 Harry S. Truman<\/p>\n
Q: How do you like to connect with your community and what do you do in your spare time?
A: I\u2019ve met with some of the civic groups and chambers of commerce in my area. Knocking doors, I see the pendulum shifts from two years ago to now. The environment is totally different. People who thought Democrats are soft and weak now see the Trump Administration as cruel and corrupt. They love Long Island, they want to stay on Long Island, but they\u2019re struggling to stay on Long Island.<\/p>\n
I find it hard to turn my brain off. I enjoy going to the gym and trying new restaurants in the district, but I\u2019m excited that once I\u2019m elected, I\u2019ll be able to accomplish a lot for this district.<\/p>\n
The Messenger thanks Craig Herskowitz for his time for this interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dave Weber Candidate: Dave Weber Residence: Northport Occupation: Small business owner Current Office: Northport Village Trustee (elected 2020,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10,49,51,50],"class_list":["post-378848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}