FLIPPABLE: Michael Marcantonio for NY-AD12
Like other millennials, Michael’s life has been defined by crisis at seemingly every major milestone. His first week in high school was marked by 9/11. His first entry into the job market came during the Great Recession. And now his campaign for his first term in public office comes against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.
Born and raised in Northport, Michael took an interest in politics at a young age, learning early on the good it could do for the community — but also, unfortunately, the bad.
One of Michael’s first political memories was Governor George Pataki’s town hall at Norwood Avenue Elementary School on May 7, 1997. As fifth grade president, Michael represented him classmates at the event. He remembers feeling inspired about the governor being in his own town.
Governor Pataki was there to sell the Northport and East Northport community on the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) takeover of the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO). At the town hall, Governor Pataki promised that the not-for-profit public authority would never pursue a tax certiorari proceeding involving the Northport power plant, guaranteeing that taxes would not increase for local residents.
But that wasn’t true. LIPA filed its first tax certiorari proceeding against the Town of Huntington, and against the Northport-East Northport School District a little more than a decade later. LIPA lied to the people of Northport, and Michael hasn’t forgotten that.
When Michael graduated Lafayette College in 2009 during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, he took up work organizing with 1199 SEIU and RWDSU. He also worked with Nassau and Suffolk County Legal Services, helping families facing foreclosure stay in their homes.
After receiving his law degree from Duke Law School, Michael brought the LIPA issue into the spotlight, forcing local and state politicians to confront the potential economic devastation the lawsuit could have on his friends, family, and neighbors. With his strong personal ties to the community, he galvanized lawmakers to fight against LIPA’s greed. As a private citizen, he even wrote legislation that passed the New York State Senate unanimously.
Michael’s LIPA bill passed the New York State Senate 61-0 in 2019 and 57-5 in 2020. We now need a Democrat in the Assembly from District 12 in order to bring the bill to the floor. In doing so, the Town of Huntington would save nearly $1 billion over the next decade.
To Michael, the LIPA issue encapsulates the larger, systemic problem with government: greedy special interest groups and powerful corporations have way too much influence over the corrupt politicians in Albany. That’s why he’s running: to return power back to the people of Long Island, and to ensure that public education is fully funded, infrastructure is being rebuilt, and the environment is being protected.
Send Michael to Albany if you want a fighter. He will always put AD-12’s best interests first.
https://www.michaelmarcantonio.com
