Kevin Pazmino challenges 30-year incumbent for 81st District assembly seat with reform agenda.

Republican Kevin Pazmino has spent 13 years living in Riverdale and believes, if elected, he will bring a necessary alternative form of governance to the community.

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Kevin Pazmino, a longtime resident of Riverdale and father of four, is making his fourth run for the 81st district assembly seat this November in a bid, he said, to bring greater transparency and accountability reform to local government.

Drawing from his experience as a film and television professional, Pazmino is campaigning on a platform centered on responsible governance, education reform and reducing crime, while setting an example for distancing politics from the influence of money and entrenched power.

Pazmino, who has lived in the district for 13 years, expressed concern about the lack of action on rising crime rates and what he perceives as government overreach, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Every day, I see cars on blocks, robberies happening more frequently,” Pazmino said. The area is in decline, and I believe that’s due to the Democratic supermajority that has been in power for far too long.”

Pazmino will challege 30-year incumbent Jeffrey Dinowitz Nov. 5.

A first-generation Ecuadorian-Colombian American raised by a single mother in Rockland County, Pazmino’s political perspective has been shaped by his upbringing. Once a Democrat, he said he became disillusioned with the party’s direction.

“I used to support progressivism when it was about being anti-war, anti-corruption and fighting corporate greed,” he said. “Now, it is focused on empowering victimhood and criminals, and just the blatant disregard of the citizen.”

Education reform is another key pillar of Pazmino’s platform. He said he wants to ensure every district has specialized schools for science and the arts so children don’t have to travel far to access high-quality education.   

Perhaps most notably, Pazmino has made a point of refusing campaign donations, believing that money has a corrupting influence on politics.

“It’s an uphill battle, but I’m not running to make a career out of this,” he said. “I’m running because I believe in serving the people, not the powerbrokers.” 

Pazmino also supports term limits, arguing no politician should hold the same seat for decades.

“Being an elected official should not be a career path,” he said,” but rather an honor and a way to serve the public for a limited time.”

On social issues, Pazmino describes himself as pro-life but said, especially as he is a parent to daughters, he does not support making abortion illegal. Instead, he said, he advocates for policies that promote prevention and provide more support for women facing unplanned pregnancies, including adoption services and financial assistance for single parents.

Regarding the environment, Pazmino said his main priority would be simple solutions such as “better maintenance of our infrastructure” since he believes a lot of the area’s flooding can be attributed to improper management of local gutters and sewage systems.

Pazmino’s campaign is also focused on promoting individual freedoms, particularly when it comes to medical decisions. He criticized the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly vaccine mandates, which he said he views as overreach.

Pazmino is aware many people who vote Democrat will find it easy to dismiss him simply on the basis of his Republican label. But having been a member of each party, Pazmino said he believes both Republicans and Democrats are “corporatist and warmongering”, though, to him, the GOP is the lesser of two evils.

In the presidential election, Pazmino said he will be voting for Donald Trump, mainly because Trump was the only recent president to not incite a war, but also because he believes Trump will “keep tax dollars in the country.”

Regardless of the outcome of the assembly race, Pazmino said he remains determined to bring about real change. He wants to prove, especially to younger generations, that politics is about more than “money and…power brokering.”

He intends to never accept a single donation for a campaign, as long as he is in politics.

“I do believe I’ll be able to show the constituents and the people of the 81st district, that I am here for one reason only, and that is to make sure my children have a bright future.” Pazmino said.