Meet The Candidates: Fred Thiele For New York State Assembly

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — This November, Long Island residents will be hitting the polls to exercise their right to vote. While voters will be electing the president on Election Day, November 3, they will also be choosing their local representatives. In New York, state and federal races will also be on the ballot.

Incumbent Democrat Fred Thiele, 67, who is also running on the Independence line, is in a race to retain his seat in New York's Assembly District 1. Thiele lives in Sag Harbor with his wife, NancyLynn, and has three children, Michael, Jeffrey and Josephine, and three grandchildren.

His wife NancyLynn serves as the deputy town attorney in the Town of East Hampton.

Thiele is a a 1971 graduate of Pierson High School. He attended Cornell University and is a 1976 graduate of Southampton College of Long Island University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in political science and history. In 1979, he received my law degree from Albany Law School and was admitted to the Bar in the State of New York in 1980.

He has served as a New York State Assemblyman for 25 years and has been an attorney for 40 years.

First elected in 1995, he is currently serving his 13th term as a member of the New York State Assembly. Previously, he served as the Southampton town attorney, from 1982 to 1987; as a Suffolk County Legislator, from 1987 to 1991, and as the Southampton Town supervisor, from 1991 to 1995.

Thiele is challenged by Heather Collins, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

The First Assembly District of New York includes East Hampton, Shelter Island, Southampton and portions of Brookhaven in Suffolk County.

In anticipation of the election, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Check out the full Q&A below:

Fred Thiele

Why are you seeking elective office?

The response and recovery from COVID-19 presents one of the greatest challenges to our nation during our lifetime. Now more than ever, we need effective leaders working at all levels of government. With my experience and skills, I can make a major contribution to that effort.

The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Controlling and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic will dominate the actions of state government for the next several years. Protecting public health and keeping people safe is paramount. The need for an economic recovery plan to get people back to work and assist our small businesses is essential. Every day in my Assembly office is dominated with helping constituents impacted by COVID. In the last six months, unemployment insurance, small business loans, hospital readiness, school re-openings, and local government response have been priorities. All levels of government are facing serious budget issues. The federal government must provide aid to state and local government. The next term must focus on helping everyday Long Islanders recover from this unprecedented pandemic. In particular, on the East End, we will need to focus on the increase in population and the demands on our infrastructure caused by the flight from urban areas to our community.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

My opponent is not campaigning. The critical difference between me and my opponent is that I want the job.

Experience. Throughout my over 25-year career as a State Assembly representative, I have had a strong and well-documented record of fighting for the residents of the eastern Long Island and for all New Yorkers. I authored legislation which created the Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund Act, or CPF. This groundbreaking legislation authorized the five towns in the Peconic Region to establish dedicated funds, financed by a 2 percent real estate transfer tax for land preservation and water quality protection. Since its enactment 20 years ago by public referendum, the fund as generated more than $1.5 billion and has resulted in the preservation of more than 10,000 acres of sensitive lands.

Other environmental initiatives have included state funds for improving water quality, Peconic Bay and South Shore Estuary projects, farmland preservation, and state acquisition of critical environmental parcels.

I have been very involved in transportation issues including the establishment of the South Fork Commuter Connection, the region’s first multi-modal commuter system providing an alternative to traffic congestion.

I continue my efforts to ensure fiscal responsibility at all levels of government by supporting successful initiatives to reduce income taxes, and I was an original proponent of the STAR program to reduce school taxes.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

• Water Quality- My legislation enacted in 2018 provides that 20 percent of the Community Preservation Fund can be used to protect our drinking water and surface waters.

• Climate change. We need only to look around us to understand that climate change is not the future. It is now. No Assembly District has more coastline than the First Assembly District. Meeting the goals outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which I co-sponsored, is critical.

• Affordable Housing. I sponsor legislation that would create a dedicated housing fund to assist local families who want to stay on Long Island.

• Transportation. The implementation of the South Fork Commuter Connection, or SFCC, as an alternative to traffic congestion, is only the first step towards viable public transit for eastern Long Island. We must restore that service once the pandemic is over and expand it to provide true option for public transportation on eastern Long Island.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My 33-year career as a public servant, representing the East End of Long Island in multiple capacities, has afforded me a wealth of experience and has earned me a reputation of effectively working on behalf of my constituents for decades. I consistently rank among the top members in the Assembly in terms of passing legislation. I have been recognized for my ability to work with my colleagues, regardless of party affiliation. I have had many notable accomplishments throughout my tenure as a State Legislator in areas related to the environment, property tax reform, transportation, education, and health care, passing more than 200 bills. I currently hold a prominent leadership position as the chair of the Assembly Local Governments Committee.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Listening is more important than talking.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am the only independent of the 213 members of the New York State Legislature. Being an independent has afforded me the ability to represent my district first without regard to partisanship or party leaders. Further, at a time of excessive partisanship and polarization, it has permitted me to seek real solutions to the issues that people really care about and to work across party lines to get things done.