Douglas Tuman, the Town of Hempstead commissioner of engineering, is running against Woodmere resident Cindy Grosz in the Republican congressional primary election on June 23. The two are competing to go up against incumbent U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) in the general election.
Grosz, a Long Island native who attended the Hewlett-Woodmere schools, is a columnist, radio personality and Jewish activist. She is a contributor and co-host on “The Jersey Joe Show,” and an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump.
Tuman is backed by the Nassau County Republican Committee.
His campaign platform centers around infrastructure improvements, improving representative democracy and making Nassau County a more affordable place for young families to live, he told Blank Slate Media on Tuesday.
He said that he believes that he would be more attuned to his constituents than Rice is, if elected.
“I don’t think she’s in the community very much,” Tuman said. “She’s in Washington, and not really in her district anymore. I would be in my district, and then going to Washington to represent my people.”
Since Tuman is the commissioner of engineering for the Town of Hempstead, which comprises much of the district, he is highly familiar with the communities that he would be representing, he said.
In particular, he emphasized that he is familiar with the infrastructure of the communities, which he believes needs improvement. If elected, he would push to fortify the south shore by implementing measures such as installing floodgates. Such initiatives would save the district billions of dollars in potential damages from storms, he said.
Tuman stressed his belief that a congressperson should act on behalf of constituents.
“At the end of the day, what really separates me is first and foremost what a congressperson is supposed to do is advocate for their people, and I think we’ve lost sight of that,” he said.
If elected, he plans to implement a text-based polling system.
“A core pillar of my platform is to improve representative democracy in America, and I want to do that right here with this district first,” Tuman said.
He explained that he would poll his constituents via text about issues that affect the district, and would use that to determine how to legislate in Congress. Tuman is implementing a text-based system with his campaign to demonstrate how it works, and would continue to use this system if elected, he said.
“Really at the end of the day, a congressperson should be like an attorney, who’s there to represent their people,” he commented.
Tuman also plans to take action to make Nassau County a more affordable place to live for young families living in the district or considering moving to the area.
“Nassau is a tough place to live, especially as a young person,” he said. “It has become difficult for young people to start here or to stay here, and I think it’s eroding the fabric of our community. There’s starting to be a bit of a brain drain, as people leave Nassau County and go elsewhere.”
He added that this is unfortunate for older generations in the district, who do not necessarily get to be near their children or grandchildren.
“It’s unfortunate for families as a whole. I think it’s important to make Nassau more affordable so families can stick together,” said Tuman.
In order to work toward this goal, he suggested measures such as simplifying the tax code and eliminating the federal tax cap on state and local property deductions.
“A lot of it has to do with the supply-demand problem with housing,” he added. “There simply isn’t enough housing.”
Tuman said that if elected, he would consider creating incentives to develop downtown areas so that additional housing can be built and young families will want to, or be able to, live there.
In terms of returning to daily life in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Tuman advocates moving swiftly to reopen the economy to “allow our open and free society to flourish again.” He has been pushing for the county to reopen for many weeks, and has participated in “Reopen Nassau” rallies.
“It is controversial to be a proponent of reopening things fast but in the end I think we will look back and say we did not reopen soon enough,” he said. “We could have let the resilient practice common sense while protecting the vulnerable. Instead we kept our economy shut down, keeping healthy people that want to work home and allowing small businesses to go bankrupt, while enriching big box stores and not even protecting our most vulnerable — the elderly in nursing homes.”
“Kathleen Rice has not said much on this,” he added. “Cindy Grosz has not attended the [rallies]. Voters should look at who actually took a stand to right the ship in times of turmoil.”
He added that he does not believe the financial crises that the pandemic has caused can be fixed by simply handing out money. While the government should put money toward protecting vulnerable classes, those who are “resilient” and able should be allowed to resume normal activities.
When asked why voters should choose him over his opponent in the primary, Tuman responded that he would do a better job listening to his constituents and representing all parts of the community.
“Cindy is a one-issue candidate,” he said of Grosz. “She’s an activist for the Jewish community, and I think we overlap — I would equally support the Jewish community — but I would also be as open to supporting all other communities.”
Tuman added that he believes Grosz is more concerned with national concerns than local issues.
“She’s more concerned about promoting Donald Trump than being her own person,” he commented. “I’m a supporter of Trump as well, but I don’t think running for Congress is about saying, ‘I agree with everything Trump says.’ It’s about being your own person, being your own leader, and listening to what your constituents have to say.”
Tuman added that he works very closely with a lot of Republican groups in the community.
“Cindy didn’t get the nomination but ran anyway, which is representative of who she is,” he said. “Instead of being aligned with the local party, she’s running against the local party.”
Tuman pointed to his campaign slogan, “Build a Brighter Future Together,” to explain why he believes voters should choose him.
“I won’t bring biases or favor any groups when considering an issue,” he said. “I will simply look to solve the problem that our community collectively cares most about. I will also make sure all people are heard so that minority opinions in our communities are given a voice too. Additionally, I will bring people together by focusing on what unites us as opposed to what divides us.”
