Policy over party politics played a key role in the Coram Civic Association’s endorsement of Democrat challenger John Avlon over incumbent Republican Nick LaLota in the congressional race. The mundane topic of zip codes even played a role in the endorsement.
Coram Civic Association held a Meet the Candidates’ night and announced its endorsements after roughly 70 of the 500 members who came to the meeting voted.
Those endorsed are:
Donald J. Trump (R) - over Kamala Harris incumbent Vice-president.
U.S. Congress: John Avlon (D) – over incumbent Nick LaLota (R)
New York State Assembly: Rebecca Kassay (D) over incumbent Ed Flood (R).
New York State Senate: Dean Murray (R, Incumbent) – over Michael Conroy (D).
New York State Senate: Anthony Palumbo (R, Incumbent) – over Sarah Anker (D).
South Shore Press (SSP) spoke with Kareem Nugdalla, President of Coram Civic Association, and Dave Cion, Vice-president, about the endorsement process and issues that were important to the Coram members.
Both Republicans and Democrats received support from the Association surprising some that both Donald Trump and a left-leaning Democrat could be endorsed by the same organization.
Nugdalla said, “Maybe there was an expectation that there would be a straight Republican line to our endorsements. People may have that perception because the vice president and myself are Republicans. But, we represent the community, and the community here is mixed. We don't vote based on party lines. We vote based on the candidate and what the candidate is actually going to do for our community. For us, it’s policies over personality.”
SSP dug into why Avlon received the endorsement over LaLota to find out a bit more about the issues and details. Retail politics and zip codes played a key role.
LaLota did not attend the Candidate Night and some might wonder if that was the reason he did not receive the endorsement. That was not a factor said Nugdalla and Cion, “LaLota didn't show up but he had a good reason. We don't hold it against him that he was in Congress doing what was necessary for our country. He was in Washington, DC doing his job as Congressman so we don't hold that against him.”
“But, also at the same time, Avlon did show up and the people who were there who heard what he had to say despite him being a Democrat and being more aligned with the left he seemed very middle of the road to us,” Nugdalla said. “And, a lot of things he was saying resonated with the community based on the issues that the community is facing. So it's not a shock to us that members wanted to support him.”
“In the end, regardless of party, Coram Civic Association took a poll of the community and the majority of the people at the meeting wanted to endorse Avlon, so we did.” Cion said, “That night, he (Avlon) was the only one that actually made a commitment specific to Coram and I think that's what rang the loudest with our members.”
Cion said, “We've had a lot of neglect in Coram. I'm a Republican and I am strong on my conservative values, but at the same time, Coram is in a state of emergency. People don't really want to look at it like that, but it is a dangerous place at times. It needs a closer hand on the dials.”
“It's one of those things where we can't continue to neglect a place that needs help so badly. There were many things that Avlon said about the need for public safety and he spoke about government grants - federal government grants - and working hand-in-hand with the local governments to ensure that Coram can get these applications in for grants,” Cion added.
“The vote for Avlon over Lalota was not close, but it was also not landslide territory either. There are always people who vote along party lines no matter what and in that sense Lalota had some support, but while Avalon is running as a Democrat, he presented himself as very moderate and extremely knowledgeable on local issues,” said Nugdalla.
Cion Said, “A fresh voice - someone that's taking Coram personally was a very loud statement to the members.
“The Republican Party might not want to hear this but Avlon won over people who are die-hard Republicans. He did not come off as extremely liberal, and that resonated with people. The vote for Avlon was not a vote for the Democrat Party - it was a vote for Avalon himself - the individual,” Nugdalla added.
There is little doubt that Avlon spoke to the Civic Association members about on-the-ground retail politics and brought clear action items to the table. It is just as clear that LaLota dropped the ball on an issue key to the Association. This is where what seems like a simple thing like a zip code becomes a much more complicated issue.
Nugdalla said, “You can see in the statistics generated by zip code, it would appear that each area - Coram, Middle Island, and Medford all have their fair share of sex offenders, but they are HEAVILY concentrated in Gordon Heights.”
Zip codes are important because they drive so much data and with that data allocation of resources follows. If the zip codes are not assigned in a way that makes sense geographically or by town, or in this case hamlet, crime can appear to be more widespread than it is and the places that really need resources don’t get it. Coram Civic Association advocated for Gordon Heights to have its own zip code so that crime can be more accurately measured and resources go to where they are needed most.
“We did go to the LaLota with this issue and nothing ever materialized. We don't have anything against him, but that was something that when we endorsed him the last time around, we were hoping for the zip code issue to be addressed and the fact that didn't materialize is a problem for our members," said Cion.
Nugdalla said, “LaLota’s office claimed that they wanted to rename the Coram post office the Coram/Gordon Heights post office, and we were 100% ok with this as long as it meant Gordon Heights got it's own zip code. After several attempts to set up a meeting, we gave up. But the issue still stands and its one we hope to pick up with when Avalon takes office.”
“Sure, nobody is perfect. We give credit where credit is due, but we also give criticism where criticism is due. We were hoping for something and his (LaLota’s) office unfortunately did not deliver.”