Dave Mejias
David L. "Dave" Mejias is an American politician. He was the Democratic candidate for the New York State Senate sixth district seat, which is currently held by 34 year incumbent Kemp Hannon. Mejias was a member of the County Legislature of Nassau County, New York, and ran as a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in 2006.
Background
Mejias's father, José, was a Cuban who was arrested in 1961 for anti-Castro activism and later fled to the United States upon being released.[1] Dave Mejias was born, raised, and currently resides in Farmingdale, New York. He graduated from SUNY Albany, where he was Vice President of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He earned his J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law. He is the managing partner of Mejias, Milgrim & Alvarado, PC, a law firm specializing in personal Injury, matrimonial, and criminal law.
Political career
In 2003, Mejias was elected to the Nassau County Legislature, becoming the first Latino elected to that body. He was re-elected in 2005. In August 2006, the AFL-CIO gave their endorsement to Mejias, over the incumbent Peter T. King (R), whom they had endorsed in each election for the previous fourteen years, ever since King was first elected to Congress.[2]
In his first two years in office, Mejias supported Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and voted for budgets that, along with the state bailout of the County, resulted in no tax increases for residents and improved bond ratings for the County. Nassau County now has an "A" bond rating for the first time in a decade.[3]
2006 Congressional election
In the 2006 Congressional election, Mejias was the Democratic nominee to represent the Third Congressional District of New York. That seat is currently held by Republican Peter King (R-Seaford), chairman of House Committee on Homeland Security.[4] Despite Newsday's backing, King defeated Mejias in the election 56-44 percent. Despite King's 12 point victory, Mejias gave King the toughest challenge since King's 1st election in 1992. King, who in previous elections didn't spend all that much, spent more than $2 million on the campaign, outspending Mejias by more than a 2-1 margin.
Mejias's campaign was centralized mostly on criticized King for his close link to President George W. Bush. For example, King was quoted in stating "I thank God every night that he [Bush] is our president. You should do the same."[5]
Mejias has also criticized King, who was the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, over the Department of Homeland Security's $83 million reduction in funding for New York City.[6]
In September 2006, King sent a letter to his constituents in which he attempted to link Mejias to men King called "radical" Muslim leaders on Long Island. The letter backfired when federal records showed that King himself accepted thousands of dollars more than Mejias in campaign contributions from the same donors.[7]
References
- ↑ Martino Jr., Michael M. (2006-07-26). "The Next King?". Long Island Press. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
- ↑ "AFL-CIO Political Portal: Endorsements". AFL-CIO. 2006-08-19. Archived from the original on 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
- ↑ "Nassau County Executive News Releases". Nassau County. 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
- ↑ J. Jioni Palmer (December 18, 2005). "Potential King challenger emerges". Newsday. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
- ↑ Palmer, J. Jioni (2005-06-30). "Fightin' words". Newsday. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
- ↑ Sid Cassese (2006-06-03). "Mejias raps King on Funds". Newsday.
- ↑ Rothfield, Michael (2006-09-19). "Inconsistencies arise in King's attacks". Newsday. Retrieved 2006-12-07.