Last week, Sea Cliff Mayor Bruce Kennedy officially announced his candidacy for New York State’s 5th Senate District. The previous week, he became a Democrat after being ousted by the Nassau GOP as a Republican Assembly Candidate for implementing New York’s Marriage Equality Law and officiating same sex weddings.
“This is about being a public servant,” Kennedy said. “I took an oath to uphold the constitution and the laws of the State of New York.”
On July 11, Kennedy, 49, a lifelong Republican, changed his party affiliation to Democrat, a month after the Nassau GOP withdrew its nomination of him to be its candidate for the 13th Assembly District seat.
After the Nassau GOP offered their endorsement back if Kennedy apologized, he said “I’m not going to apologize for my belief in human rights and upholding the law.”
“When I first ran for mayor of this village, I promised to work hard, to put a lid on property taxes, to rebuild our downtown and, number one, to empower our residents,” Kennedy said. “Since 2009, I’ve worked tirelessly on behalf of our residents and I think the results have been spectacular. I am ready to bring the same dedication and energy to Albany,” he said.
After becoming the Republican Party’s nominee for the 13th Assembly district seat, Kennedy said he was asked to go for a routine interview with Conservative Party leaders. At the interview, he said he was asked directly about how many gay sex marriages he had officiated. He said answered honestly that he had performed two and made it clear that, since the Marriage Equality Act was passed in 2011, as mayor he swore to uphold the law of the land.
“And as a result of abiding by the law, the Conservative Party refused to endorse my candidacy,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy will be running against Republican incumbent Senator Carl Marcellino, who told the Record Pilot, “Every two years, I have an opponent. This year is no different. I am honored to serve the people of the 5th Senate District and over the next few months I will be asking for their continued support and confidence. Representing the people is not about anger or rhetoric. It is about results. I run on my record and I have been humbled by the positive response of the voters and taxpayers of this district. For that, I am thankful. I always put the needs of the community first and the results speak for themselves.”
