Longtime town of Wallkill public works commissioner Louis Ingrassia Jr. has said he is running for New York state’s 100th Assembly District to continue helping people in a broader community.
“My goal is to lend my life experience in a very positive manner and to be able to help more people on a larger scale on a much more regional basis,” Ingrassia told The Epoch Times.
Ingrassia, a Republican, faces Democratic candidate Paula Kay in the open race for the 100th Assembly District. Longtime Democratic incumbent Aileen Gunther is not seeking reelection.
The district covers Sullivan County, the city of Middletown, and the town of Wallkill.
Raised on a family farm on Ingrassia Road, which was named after his ancestors, in the town of Wallkill, Ingrassia learned as a child from his father the importance of getting involved in the community and helping others.
His father, Louis Ingrassia, was a state Assemblyman, a farmer, a volunteer firefighter, and a member of the school, planning, and town boards.
At 16, the young Ingrassia became a volunteer firefighter at the Howells Fire Company, which covers parts of Orange and Sullivan counties.
After high school, he briefly studied at SUNY Orange before quitting to work as a plumber and then a laborer at the water and wastewater department of the town of Wallkill in 1986.
“What I like [about the job] is that you are developing a product that, at the end of the day, people can’t do without,” Ingrassia said. “You can’t do anything without water.”
While at the department, he picked up continued technical education and earned a series of high-grade professional licenses, rising through the ranks to commissioner.
“For the first 23 years of my career, I almost never turned down overtime—I have missed birthday parties, I missed Christmas, and I missed holidays,” Ingrassia said.
“Over my entire public works career, I’ve never asked anyone to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself.”
About 10 years ago, around the same time he became the public works commissioner, Ingrassia also took command of the town highway department.
Through his administrative role, he frequently interacts with other town functions—such as the zoning board of appeals and planning board—to inform the development of key projects.
Outside the town, he has taken on leadership roles at several local and regional professional associations, including as the current chairperson of the Hudson Valley Waterworks Conference, as a current board member of the Orange County Water Authority, and as president of the Orange County Highway Superintendents’ Association.
As for his volunteer experience at Howells Fire Department, he served two stints as the fire chief and was a district fire commissioner for more than 20 years.
He also chairs the board of the Hudson Valley Honor Flight, a local chapter of a national network that offers sponsored flights for veterans to visit memorials in Washington.
Top Priorities
If elected, Ingrassia said he would work with like-minded lawmakers to repeal or roll back provisions of the bail reform, particularly when it comes to repeat offenders.The 2019 bail law eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies in New York state over cases where people stay behind bars because they cannot afford bail. Some provisions of the law have since been rolled back.
During his time as co-director of emergency management in town, Ingrassia said he regularly worked with the police chief and learned how the bail reform had led to more repeat offenders.
“Public safety is my top priority,” Ingrassia said. “If you are not safe where you live, where you recreate, and where you shop, your community is never going to improve.”
He said he also wants to work on legislation to better support first responders—including police officers, firefighters, and medical emergency service workers.
Regarding his professional experience in municipal water and wastewater, Ingrassia said it would inform discussions on related regulations and legislation.
‘Time to Break the Supermajority’
“If you think of the bill as a balloon, we can put holes in it to slow its flight—not to pop it—but basically just say, ‘We understand what you are after, but why can’t we include this?’” Ingrassia said.He said that the fall election presents an opportunity to make a dent in the Democratic supermajority—the Democrats are only three seats away from losing it—and grow Republican voices, which he said is a necessary step to restore balance in the state Legislature in the long run.
“Don’t be shortsighted,” Ingrassia said. “When you have a supermajority—even when Republicans had it back in the ‘70s and ’80s—it benefits absolutely no one.
“What happens is you have a tremendous amount of people that really have no representation,” he said.
“I think it is time to break the supermajority.”
Ingrassia will also appear on the Conservative Party line on the ballot.
