David Sidikman, the incumbent candidate for the 13th Assembly District, is running on the Democratic and Independent party lines.

Sidikman is a long time resident of Old Bethpage. He was born and raised in Brooklyn and attended and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. He then attended Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1958 from New York University, which he attended on a full merit scholarship. He was admitted to the bar the same year. Since then he has maintained a private law practice.

Sidikman was first elected to the New York State Assembly in a special election in 1992 and subsequently re-elected in 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998 for full terms.

Sidikman is chairman of the Sub-Committee Legal Issues for the aging. He is also a member of the following committees: Aging, Election, Law, Judiciary, Insurance, Local Government and Tourism and Arts and Sports Development. Following his successful return to the Legislature in 1998, he was appointed to the position of vice-chairman of the Democratic Conference.

He has been involved in the Bethpage Jewish Community Center, the Cub Scouts and was Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 13 in Plainview. He has served as an adjunct professor at New York Technical College and has lectured in the law for the Layman Program of the Nassau County Bar Association. Sidikman is a member of the Nassau County Democratic Committee, Nassau County Bar Association, Bethpage Jewish Community Center and Mid-Island YM and YWHA.

Sidikman is a charter member of a Suburban Legislative Group, which was formed to support the interest of the multi-county suburban region. He is active in the Victim Rights Movement, the Anti-bias movement and the environmental concerns. He is pro-active in the fight against breast cancer on Long Island. He has been endorsed by most of the PBA's, AFL-CIO labor unions, by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters.

Education, health care and the environment are what he feels are the biggest, and most important, issues in New York now.

Sidikman has been involved in many education issues while in the Assembly. "We brought back over a billion more dollars in school aid than last year and that was very important for me," said Sidikman. "As far as higher education, we increased the maximum TAP award to $5,000 and increased the eligibility of families to $80,000 for TAP."

Sidikman is very proud of the 22,000 students that now attend Nassau Community College. "We brought back $125 per student that went to Nassau Community College, which is a very important educational source for us," said Sidikman. "Most of those students go on to a four-year college."

Sidikman also worked on the EPIC Legislation, which allows for lower drug costs for eligible seniors.

There are many environmental concerns in the 13th Assembly District including the Cerro Wire Property. "I am against building a mega-mall on the Cerro Wire property," said Sidikman. "I am also not convinced that all of the necessary environmental work has been done there. There is no question that it is an eyesore and we want to improve it, but let's improve it with something else. We need senior housing desperately. Perhaps a combination of senior housing and small buildings for business would be best on that land."

Sidikman explained that senior housing would not impact on the school districts or generate as much traffic as the proposed mall. "Robbins Lane is not a place for a Neiman Marcus and other high profile department stores," said Sidikman. "We want to clean it up and we want reasonable building and there will be plenty of jobs for our construction industries." Sidikman has been endorsed by the Labor Unions.

"I have been representing for nine years and I still have the same energy and enthusiasm as I did for the job in the beginning," said Sidikman. "Geographically it is a wide district and I am in every part of it. We help people a lot and we do it well."

Sidikman is a full-time legislator, as he retired from his law practice in 1994, and maintains a district office at 146A Manetto Hill Road in Plainview.