He only spent 11 days in Albany, but that’s 11 more than the other candidates.
David Storobin has thrown his hat into the race to replace councilman Michael Nelson as the Conservative, Independent, School Choice, and Republican candidate, thus placing himself as the opposition to the winner of the upcoming Democratic primary.
He says his tenure in the New York State Senate, however brief, makes him the man for the job.
“My experience in the state Senate, no matter how short it was, allows me to understand how state government operates,” Storobin said. “A lot of the funding for local programs comes from the state — and the city. That puts me in the best position to keep those programs funded.”
Storobin won a special election for the state Senate seat vacated by Carl Kruger, after an FBI investigation resulted in Kruger’s conviction on corruption charges. Of the seven months he spent in office, only 11 days were actually in session. The victory was short-lived, because Senate leaders had decided before the special election to eliminate Kruger’s seat as part of the decennial redistricting process. This increased the size of the districts held by state Senators Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) and John Sampson (D–Carnarsie).
As a representative without a district, Storobin decided to run in November for the orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Midwood, but lost to Simcha Felder, who won 65 percent of the vote.
Still, Storobin claims not only to have more experience than the other candidates, but also that he remains above any political allegiance that would force him to vote against the best interests of, what he hopes, will become his constituency.
“I’m not somebody who owes my allegiance to the Democratic party, which is in the pockets of a lot of special interests,” said Storobin.
He cited Ari Kagan’s endorsement from the United Federation of Teachers as preventing Kagan from supporting school vouchers, which would allow children from low-income neighborhoods to seek an education from more affluent institutions in other parts of the city.
“The UFT endorsed another candidate, and that means he cannot support school vouchers,” said Storobin. “I think kids should have a choice of where to go, and not be forced to go to the school they’re zoned into.”
Storobin also took a strong stance against the city spending emergency federal aid money on fancy, new-age bathrooms — such as the Coney Island and Brighton Beach comfort stations — instead of putting that money towards Brooklynites whose homes and businesses were devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
“Obviously, we need FEMA to support our neighborhoods, but that money is, literally, down the drain,” said Storobin. “That money should have gone to people who lost their cars. Instead we have four bathrooms that will cost the taxpayers $3 million.”
Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
