Douglas M. Smith
Douglas M. Smith is an American legislator who was elected as a Member of the New York State Assembly in 2018. The district includes portions of the towns of Brookhaven and Islip, including Holbrook, Lake Ronkonkoma, Ronkonkoma, Holtsville, Centereach, Selden, parts of Farmingville, Islandia, North Patchogue and Stony Brook in Suffolk County on Long Island.
Life and career
Smith was born and raised on Long Island and graduated Sachem High School in Lake Ronkonkoma and went on to earn degrees in Mathematics and Adolescent Education from St. Joseph's College in Patchogue. Smith is a New York State certified Mathematics Teacher for grades 7 through 12. Smith previously worked at the Social Security Administration and Sachem School District. Immediately prior to his election to the New York State Assembly, Smith served as Chief of Staff to his predecessor Assemblyman Alfred C. Graf for his entire time in office from 2011 to 2018.Smith resides in Holbrook, New York with his wife Elizabeth and their daughter Sophie.
New York State Assembly
On April 24, 2018, Smith was elected to the New York State Assembly in a special election to fill the unexpired term of Assemblyman Alfred C. Graf who was elected as Suffolk County District Court Judge on November 7, 2017 and resigned from the Assembly on January 1, 2018. Smith was seated as a Member of the New York State Assembly for the 202nd New York State Legislature on April 30, 2018.He was re-elected during the general election on November 6, 2018 to serve a full term during the 203rd New York State Legislature. In the New York State Assembly, Smith serves as Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Higher Education. He also serves as a member of the New York State Assembly Committees on Aging, Banks, Energy, and Housing.
Assemblyman Doug Smith has been an outspoken opponent of Common Core in New York. In 2019, he introduced a bill to eliminate common core state standards. Smith has also introduced a bill to establish a scholarship for students who meet certain academic criteria and attend a New York state community college.
In November of 2019, it was reported that New York faced a $6 Billion budget deficit for the coming year, and that the deficit was expected to jump to $8.5 Billion by 2023. In December of 2019, Assemblyman Smith introduced a bill to have the New York State Comptroller create a plan to cut government spending by 1 percent each year. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns enacted by Governor Cuomo have resulted in a $8.1 Billion decline in tax revenue, further increasing the deficit.
| Office | Ds | Year | Election | Results |
| New York State Assembly, District 5 | 2018 | Special | √ Douglas M. Smith 63.17% Deborah L. Slinkosky 36.83% | |
| New York State Assembly, District 5 | 2018 | General | √ Douglas M. Smith 58.66% Timothy L. Hall 41.34% |