Howard J. Kopel

HOWARD J. KOPEL 

Republican

BACKGROUND:

• Kopel, 72, of Lawrence, an attorney and the legislature’s deputy presiding officer, seeks an eighth term. He is the chairman of the legislature's finance committee. 
• He is the founder and CEO of a title insurance and real estate services company based in Valley Stream. 
• He received his bachelor’s in political science from Brooklyn College and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

ISSUES:

• Kopel said he supports fiscal responsibility in order to lower taxes and would advocate for increased state and federal support for county infrastructure.
• His top priorities are maintaining a “suburban quality of life,” including pushing back against dense housing, addressing opioid abuse through legislation and funding education.
• He serves on a committee that seeks to reduce racial and religious hate crimes and hopes to continue to advance anti-bias crime legislation.