ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 62

REPUBLICAN PARTY PRIMARY

★ Preferred Candidate ★

Glenn Yost – Rep
Candidate has returned a questionnaire
Age: 54
Occupation: Attorney at The Yost Law Firm Education: St. John’s University, B.S.; New York Law School, J.D.

Glenn Yost is a retired NYPD detective who practices family law on Staten Island, and serves as assistant counsel to state Senator Andrew Lanza. Yost’s top legislative priorities include increasing funding to fight opioid addiction, improving infrastructure on the South Shore, reducing property taxes on Staten Island, and funding senior, veteran, and special education programs. Yost supports changes to make it easier for candidates qualify for the ballot. Yost agrees with many of Citizens Union’s positions on campaign finance, the budget, and election administration reform. He is the only candidate in this race that supports the public financing of state campaigns, and empowering the Attorney General to prosecute corruption and election law violations. However, Yost disagrees with limiting outside compensation earned by state legislators to 25% of their salary. In an interview with Citizens Union, he committed to downsizing his own law practice if elected. Like the other candidates in this race, Yost does not support the automatic re-enfranchisement of people on parole, publishing police disciplinary records, and permanent mayoral control of city schools – all of which are important to Citizens Union. Yost is the preferred candidate for this seat because he most strongly supports Citizens Union’s reform goals and presents as more politically independent than his opponents.

Michael Reilly – Rep
Candidate has returned a questionnaire
Age: 45
Occupation: Retired NYPD Lieutenant Education: John Jay College, B.S.

Michael Reilly is a retired NYPD lieutenant and has served as President of New York City 28 Community Education Council 31 since 2014. His top priorities include lowering property taxes, increasing resources to YMCA counseling and K-12 education programs to combat opioid addiction. Reilly is not particularly supportive of Citizens Union’s reform agenda, but he is the only candidate in this race that supports drastically reducing campaign contribution limits, especially from registered lobbyists. Like his opponents, Reilly does not support the automatic re-enfranchisement of people on parole, making police disciplinary records public, and permanent mayoral control of city schools. He also opposes public financing of state campaigns and empowering the Attorney General to investigate corruption. Citizens Union does not prefer Reilly in this primary race because he opposes a significant number of Citizens Union’s reform positions and, in particular, is the least supportive of all the candidates of election reform.

Ashley Zanatta – Rep
Candidate has returned a questionnaire
Age: 27
Occupation: Community Engagement Manager at the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island Education: St. John’s University, B.A.; University at Albany, M.P.H. (in progress)

Ashley Zanatta works as public health advocate for Tobacco-Free Staten Island at the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island. She is also secretary of the Richmond County Young Republicans. Through the course of her work she has become active in local health initiatives, having organized health fairs and trainings, and advocating for tobacco- free policy with local businesses, property owners, and NYCHA. Like her opponents, Zanatta’s top priority is to fight opioid addiction on Staten Island. She is also dedicated to improving the borough’s aging infrastructure and public transit service, as well as holding monthly town halls to encourage constituent engagement. Zanatta supports automatic and election day voter registration, closing the LLC loophole, and increasing transparency in state spending and government procurement. While there are a few Citizens Union questionnaire items that all of the candidates in the race oppose, Zanatta is alone in her opposition to early voting, consolidating state and federal primaries, and restructuring the two-party division of the board of elections. Citizens Union appreciates Zanatta’s passion for public health services, and public service in general, but does not prefer her in this race because of her opposition to a majority of Citizens Union’s positions.