There was much I admired about Tom Suozzi when he was Nassau County executive, especially his Downtown Revitalization plan. He has been fairly disappointing as a congressman, with the exception of his work on the Long Island Sound. I was furious that he turned obstructionist to passing the Build Back Better legislation, giving an ultimatum that unless the cap on the SALT deduction was ended, he wouldn’t support it. That is hardly being a “common sense Democrat,” as he presents himself.

But I’ve lost respect for him as he has focused vicious attacks against Kathy Hochul that show his own desperation but only serve to clear a path for a Republican to win the governor’s house and overturn any progress that has been made in women’s rights, voting rights, environmental protection, climate action, sustainable economic development, gun violence prevention, public education, health care – basically everything good that has happened in New York since Democrats won control and Kathy Hochul has continued in her 10 months since stepping into the office.

Hochul has continued the progress set into motion by Andrew Cuomo – which wasn’t a sure thing since she comes from conservative upstate New York – especially on women’s reproductive rights and gun violence prevention. But Suozzi pummeled her for earning an A rating from the NRA 10 years ago when she was in Congress (voting to adopt legislation which would allow people to take their guns from other states into New York). She zinged back that she has evolved.

Suozzi sounds more like a Republican, focusing on the three hot-button issues that have proved so winning for them: crime and the state’s bail reform (which he conveniently forgets has already been addressed), taxes and public education. (indeed, he went to Buffalo to campaign against a progressive mayoral candidate rather help Nassau County Democrats win election).

Now New York’s crime rate has not gone up more than any other place and has little to do with bail reform. Suozzi neglects to mention that Hochul is on the same page as supporting discretion to judges to consider the suspect’s record and the seriousness of the alleged crime.

His attack on public education arises from the same source as his “promise” to reduce taxes. Indeed, in the Spitzer administration, Suozzi headed a tax reform commission. The big idea? Consolidating or eliminating school districts, villages and special districts. His zeal as county executive in shutting down the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District (piping the Peninsula’s sewage over the hump in mid-island to Cedar Creek on the south shore) so that Great Neck’s taxpayers would pretty much subsidize the rest of the county, I believe is what cost him his re-election to Ed Mangano.

“As governor I will work to reduce property taxes and level funding,” he told Steve Blank during a Blank Slate virtual town hall. What does that mean? He said he would tie state aid to property tax reduction, would change mandates to “guidelines” and “protect seniors who are house rich but cash poor.” What would that mean for the quality of education? Should Great Neck have to shut down its music, art and theater programs or not offer as many AP classes because Roosevelt can’t afford such programs?

State aid is already based on the community’s tax base – Great Neck gets only 5% of school operating expense funded through state aid, while 50% of Uniondale, Roosevelt and New York City’s school budgets are paid for from state aid. (He deliberately uses a miscalculation of per-pupil spending and misrepresentation of “tax rate” – of course, there is a lower tax rate in Great Neck because home values are higher and the school district only raises from taxes exactly what it needs to support its operating budget, which are to go before voters).

Despite his attack on local control with the property tax cap and desire to consolidate localities, he criticized Hochul suggesting Accessory Housing as one means to address the intractable affordable housing problem. He doesn’t have an alternative, but used the same attack as the Republicans, that it would undermine local control and destroy suburbia.

Suozzi’s response is to push for transit-oriented development in suburban “downtowns” (the best part of his tenure as county executive), incentivized with the Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant program that Hochul has continued.

Suozzi calls himself the “common sense Democrat” but in response to how he would address climate action (change federal tax structure so the state depends more on block grants) and meet the state’s energy needs (nuclear), seem more pie-in-the-sky than anything proposed by the most leftist Democrat he derides.

“I want to raise taxes at the federal level so no matter wherever you go, you are paying the same [doesn’t everyone pay the same federal rates now?]. We have really high taxes but none in Florida or Texas, so raise taxes at the federal level and do revenue sharing back to states. We should address climate change through the federal level, through tax credits – part of Build Back Better, which I supported.”

However, you can’t depend on the Congress to give back to New York, California, or any of the Blue States, not even for disaster relief (Superstorm Sandy, 9/11). New York, a creditor state, sends more to Washington ($26 billion in 2018 or 90 cents on the dollar) than it receives back; red states like Kentucky, New Mexico, West Virginia, Mississippi are debtors, getting $1.35 back for every $1 sent. Our high taxes subsidize their low state taxes.

Indeed, Suozzi was chided by Assemblymember Kevin A. Cahill (D-Ulster, Dutchess), state Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Kings) and Environmental Advocates New York for saying he would oppose the Climate and Community Investment Act if elected governor.

“Thomas Suozzi is dead wrong when he perpetuates the ‘guns or butter’ argument about carbon taxes,” Cahill said. “As a society, the people of New York are already paying dearly for the damage caused by carbon pollution. What is missing is the resource to create new, good-paying, economy-building green jobs on the scale necessary to rescue our environment. The CCIA is the path to 21st century success. Congressman Suozzi needs to stop pulling false alarms just to stake out a role in the upcoming governor’s race.”

Suozzi attacks Hochul’s leadership style, which frankly is one of her selling points after Andrew Cuomo – that is, except when he accuses her of bullying the Legislature into approving the $1 billion in funding for the new Buffalo Bills stadium. Asked how he would get legislators to do what he wanted, Suozzi said he would first try to persuade and if that didn’t work, run people against them. That approach could backfire if it suggests to voters he would rule in the style of Cuomo, widely criticized as a bully