I'm out-a-here! Rep. McCarthy will leave Congress

McCarthy, a Mineola resident, was first elected in 1996. Best known for her stance on gun control, she was in fact moved to run for office after her husband, Dennis, was killed and her son, Kevin, was wound- ed 20 years ago by Colin Ferguson in what came to be known as The LIRR Massacre.

“I have decided not to seek re-election to the United States Congress in 2014,” said McCarthy. “I am forever grateful to my constituents for giving me the privi- lege of representing them in Congress for the past 18 years.”

The Jewish Star columnist Alan Jay Gerber, a resident of the Five Towns, cheered her decision. “We’ve been wait- ing for a decade for this,” he said.

On Israel, “she was not helpful, she was not a voice when we needed a voice.” Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) called McCarthy “a shining example of how one can translate tragedy into meaningful public service. Carolyn leaves a legacy of standing up for Long Island families, ad- vocating for the safety of our children and fighting for critical gun safety legislation.

She will be deeply missed.”

“I am very proud of the many acccomplishments my colleagues and I have achieved,” McCarthy said. “The most im- portant goal for any elected official is to help make residents’ lives better than they were, and as I enter my last year in of- fice, I hope that together we continue to achieve that goal.”