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Long Island Elections 2015 Voters’ Guide

Election2015

SUFFOLK COUNTY

County Executive

Steve Bellone (D, WF, I-Babylon)
The former Babylon town supervisor and first-term Suffolk County executive is running on his record over the past four years working to close the county’s budget gap, leading eastern Long Island through Sandy recovery and prioritizing the clean-up of Suffolk’s increasingly polluted drinking and surface water. Much of that agenda includes unfinished business. His tenure hasn’t been without scandal, including his former information technology commissioner, Donald Rogers, being convicted of misconduct, and his now ex-chief of police, James Burke, reportedly resigning amid a federal investigation into an alleged police brutality claim. But with polls showing Bellone with a sizable lead, most political observers expect him to be re-elected.

James O’Connor (R, C, Ref-Great River)
This former North Hempstead town councilman has been calling for a New York State panel to take over Suffolk’s budget, similar to the Nassau Interim Finance Authority in the cash-strapped neighboring county to the west. He points out that while Bellone claims he hasn’t raised taxes, the police tax has increased since he’s been in office. Aside from making campaign issues out of Rogers and Burke, O’Connor also said that crime is up, although Bellone maintains that crime is down since he took office. O’Connor also backs New York State legislation that would defund police in jurisdictions that require federal authorities to issue a warrant before local police detain undocumented immigrants.

District 1
Al Krupski (D, C, I-Cutchogue)
The first farmer and the first Southold town resident elected to the county legislature is running for his second full two-year term since winning a 2013 special election. He prioritizes environmental issues, proposed some legislative committee meetings being held in Riverhead and has been involved in talks to reduce helicopter noise over the East End.

Remy Bell (R, Ref-Riverhead)
A Suffolk County elections clerk and former small business owner, Bell is challenging the incumbent because he believes that Krupski doesn’t have the time to be both a lawmaker and a farmer. Bell also wants to focus on the environment and jobs creation. He ran unsuccessfully for county legislature and New York State Assembly as a Democrat in the 1980s.

District 2
Bridget Fleming (D, WF, I, Reform-Sag Harbor)
A former Manhattan prosecutor from Noyak, this Southampton town councilwoman since 2010 is running to replace term-limited Legis. Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk). If elected, she hopes to widen the scope of her focus on economic, transportation and water quality as well as other environmental issues.

Amos Goodman (R, Ref-East Hampton)
This financial consultant and political newcomer from Springs is the first openly gay GOP candidate for county office on LI. He previously worked for a consulting firm run by ex-Defense Secretary William Cohen and founded Forward Long Island, a political action committee. If elected, he’d be the second openly gay Suffolk lawmaker.

District 3

Kate Browning (WF, D, I-Shirley)
Browning, an Irish immigrant and former school bus driver, is seeking her sixth term. As public safety committee chair, she has advocated for strengthening sex offender regulations and hiring more police officers. Most recently, she has been pushing for sewers in the Mastic peninsula to help decrease water pollution. If re-elected, she would be term-limited from running again.

William Toranzo (R, C, Ref-Shirley)
A retired New York City police detective, Toranzo said that, if elected, he would propose legislation to remove the red light cameras. He said he’d use his law enforcement background to combat the heroin epidemic. That’s in addition to his promise to help make the county a more affordable place to live.

District 4

Thomas Muratore (R, C, I, Ref-Lake Ronkonkoma)
Muratore is a former Suffolk police officer, ex-union official and small business owner seeking his fourth term. He proposed legislation to regulate the use of radio-controlled unmanned aircraft commonly known as drones when they’re equipped with cameras. He also has introduced bills aimed at cutting taxes.

Jonathan Rockfeld (D-Centereach)
This assistant election clerk for the Suffolk County Board of Elections is committed to affordable taxes, increasing workforce housing and improving the quality of life. He promises a youthful, community-oriented leadership style if he’s elected.

District 5

Kara Hahn (D, WF, I-Setauket)
Hahn is a former civic leader and legislative spokeswoman running for her third term. One of her biggest victories came this year when she got legislation passed that requires domestic violence offenders to be tracked using GPS devices and giving victims “proximity detectors” so they’re aware when offenders violate court orders to stay away.

Donna Cumella (R, C, Ref-Port Jefferson Station)
A political newcomer who works in the Suffolk County Information Technology department as a project manager responsible for finance, Cumella touts herself as a fiscal conservative who would help to balance the county budget. Her platform also includes fighting the so-called Brain Drain of the young millennials leaving the Island as well as protecting the environment for all those who remain.

District 6

Sarah Anker (D, WF, I-Mount Sinai)
A former civic leader and ex-director of Brookhaven’s Office of Energy and Sustainability, Anker is seeking her third full term after winning a special election in 2011. Anker champions government consolidation, open space preservation and green job growth. Most recently, she chaired the county’s inaugural School Traffic Safety Commission.

Steven Tricarico (R, C, Ref-Wading River)
This self-described fiscal conservative touts his experience as Deputy Superintendent of Highways for the Town of Brookhaven while running on a platform of tackling the county’s budget problems without sacrificing the quality of government services. If elected, he also plans to focus on stemming the Brain Drain and not raising taxes.

District 7

Robert Calarco (D, WF, I-Patchogue)
Calarco, who is running for his third term, quickly rose up the ranks to become the Majority Leader of the Democrat-run Suffolk legislature. His biggest issue of late has been trying to pass legislation that would block the Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corp.’s controversial plan to build a mini-casino in Medford.

Frank Tassone (R, C, Ref-Patchogue)
This former assistant deputy county executive, ex-spokesman and former county and town legislative aide touts his lengthy governmental resume as giving him the experience needed to fulfill his campaign promises. His agenda includes cutting the county’s borrowing, encouraging businesses to create jobs, fighting utility rate hikes and protecting the environment.

District 8

William Lindsay (D, WF, I-Bohemia)
A freshman lawmaker and son of the longest-serving presiding officer in the county’s history, Lindsay is running for a second term representing his late father’s former district. His goals include promoting economic growth, revitalizing local downtowns, protecting the environment and battling the drug epidemic.

Mary Beth Calamia (R, C, Ref-Holbrook)
This certified social worker is as vocal about her ideas to increase access to drug rehabilitation as a way to fight the drug epidemic as she is about her opposition to the controversial Common Core education standards. But she also takes issue with the county’s increasing police taxes and borrowing.

District 9

Monica Martinez (WF, I- Brentwood)
A former educator, this freshman legislator unseated her predecessor, former longtime Suffolk Legis. Rick Montano, after defeating him in a Democratic primary two years ago. But, in a surprise move, this summer she conceded a court challenge to her nomination—handing her Democratic challenger that line on the ballot. But her name will still appear on two minor parties.

Giovanni Mata (D-Brentwood)
The Democratic challenger backed by Montano, the man whom Martinez unseated, won the primary without a fight when she conceded Mata’s court challenge to her nomination. A Republican challenger has yet to emerge in the district, where minorities make up the majority of residents, leaving the choice between the incumbent and Mata, a former chair of ex-County Executive Steve Levy’s Hispanic advisory committee.

District 10

Tom Cilmi (R, C, I, Ref-Bay Shore)
Running for his fourth term is this lawmaker whose previous employment as a small business owner drives his focus on cutting taxes and spurring economic growth. Aside from pushing legislation aimed at fighting the drug epidemic, Cilmi backs a bill that would require the legislature to approve the county budget before Election Day.

Joseph Hagelmann (D, WF-Ronkonkoma)
This former chair of the Islip Town Democratic Committee was a Local 290 carpenter for 48 years. He supports investing in sewer infrastructure to expand the tax base, create jobs, reduce water pollution and restore shellfishing and other maritime industries. If done correctly, he says the county won’t have to raise taxes.

District 11

Thomas Barraga (R, C, I, Ref-West Islip)
Former Islip town clerk, 23-year state Assemblyman, U.S. Marine Corps reservist and Major General in the New York State Guard, Barraga is seeking his sixth term. A famed fiscal conservative who is a central character this time of year—budget debate season—he hopes to further rein in county spending. He is running unopposed.

District 12
Leslie Kennedy (R, C, I, Ref-Nesconset)
The wife of former Suffolk Legis. John M. Kennedy Jr. worked in his office as his legislative aide until he was elected county treasurer. She easily won a special election to fill the seat he vacated thanks to her years of working with constituents. Now she’s running for her first full term.

Adam Halpern (D-Hauppauge)
This assistant Suffolk County attorney is a former county prosecutor, ex-district court judge and former Suffolk Law Guardian representing abused and neglected children. He is putting his lengthy government resume on the line to challenge the incumbent. Two years ago, he unsuccessfully ran for Smithtown town board.

District 13

Robert Trotta (R, C, I, Ref-Northport)
A retired Suffolk County police detective, Trotta is a freshman lawmaker seeking a second term. His surprise win two years ago came despite his lacking the GOP nomination and being passed up for the powerful police union’s endorsement. He passed a law requiring hotels to update their phones so guests don’t have to dial “9” before calling 911.

Richard Macellaro (D-Kings Park)
This retired home health-care administrator is vice chair of the Smithtown Democratic Committee and an officer on a condo management board. He founded and ran a community based not-for-profit organization in Brooklyn before he moved to LI two decades ago. In 2013, he ran unsuccessfully for Smithtown town board.

District 14

Kevin McCaffrey (R, C, Ref-Lindenhurst)
This freshman lawmaker became leader of the Republican’s legislative minority after winning the seat representing the district where the Democratic county executive lives—a major upset. The former deputy Lindenhurst village mayor is also president of Teamsters Local 707, the union representing highway motor-freight drivers, chauffeurs, warehousemen and helpers.

Timothy Sini (D, WF, I-Babylon)
The deputy Suffolk County executive for public safety is a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan. He touts that experience as giving him the credentials to help tackle the heroin epidemic. To that end, Sini wrote a recently passed Suffolk law that makes it more difficult to sell stolen items at pawn shops.

District 15

DuWayne Gregory (D, WF, I-Amityville)
The presiding officer who leads the Democrat-controlled Suffolk Legislature is an Army veteran who was first elected in a 2008 special election. During his time in office, he has passed legislation big and small—from creating a gun-offender registry to webcasting legislative meetings. He is running unopposed.

District 16

Steve Stern (D, WF, I-Dix Hills)
This five-term lawmaker chairs both the powerful Ways & Means Committee and the Veterans and Seniors Committee, where he applies his experience as an elder-law attorney. Among the many laws he’s passed, he recently introduced and got approved the “Housing Our Homeless Heroes Act,” which is designed to end veterans’ homelessness.

Thomas McNally (R, C, Ref-Dix Hills)
This first-time candidate touts his experience as a litigator for a major insurance company—where he identifies and fixes inefficient business practices—as credentials required to manage the county’s finances. If elected, he would back repealing county laws that duplicate state and/or federal laws—redundancies he says are bad for business.

District 17

Louis D’Amaro (D, WF, I-North Babylon)
D’Amaro, a real estate attorney and five-term county lawmaker, chairs the Budget & Finance Committee. Among the laws he’s passed during his decade in office, he penned a bill requiring the county to call or text residents alerting them of planned mosquito spraying. During his career in public service, he has worked at virtually every level of government.

Janet Heller-Smitelli (R, Ref-Huntington)
This personal injury attorney said that, if elected, she would work to reduce the tax burden on residents, encourage businesses to create jobs and work to rein in government waste and inefficiency. She also said that she would try to improve transparency by keeping an open dialogue with constituents.

District 18

Dr. William Spencer (D, WF, I-Centerport)
Spencer is a pediatric ear, nose and throat doctor seeking his third term. Among the legislation he’s sponsored were laws that banned smoking at county beaches, prohibited the direct marketing of energy drinks to children and outlawed the sale of powdered caffeine to minors. He chairs the health committee.

Grant Lally (R, C, Ref-Huntington)
This attorney and managing partner of Mineola-based law firm of Lally & Misir, LLP is running on a campaign of fighting government waste, maintaining a healthy business environment and making Suffolk affordable. He previously lost three attempts to unseat congressional incumbents—twice in the 1990s and again last year.

NASSAU COUNTY

District Attorney
Madeline Singas (D, WF, WEP-Manhasset)
Running on her record of 24 years as a prosecutor in Queens and Nassau, where she worked her way up to be second in command under former Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Singas, who became acting DA in January, is hoping voters will elect her to continue leading the office. Among the many cases she’s tried, she specialized in domestic violence—and led bureaus dedicated to the issue in both counties. During her tenure as acting DA, she launched a comprehensive probe of Nassau’s troubled contracting process, which she said in a preliminary report is a “recipe for corruption.” Her campaign is focused on pointing out her opponent’s lack of experience prosecuting criminal cases.

Kate Murray (R, C, I, Ref-Levittown)
After more than a decade as Hempstead town supervisor, Murray is looking to become the top law enforcement official in the county. Before she led the nation’s most populous township, she also served as Hempstead town clerk and a state Assemblywoman. She also spent three years in the state Attorney General’s office, where she defended the state against lawsuits. Murray said that since the town budget and staff is larger than that of the district attorney’s, she is well equipped to lead the agency. In response to her opponent pointing out Murray’s lack of experience as a prosecutor, Murray maintains that she is a better leader than the acting DA.

District 1

Kevan Abrahams (D, WF-Freeport)
Abrahams, now serving his ninth two-year term, leads the Democratic minority in the county legislature. He has been pushing for ethics reforms since state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and the senator’s son, Adam, pleaded not guilty in May to federal corruption charges for an alleged scheme involving a county contract.

James C. Major (R, C, Ref-Roosevelt)
Major, who heads the Roosevelt Republican Club and has worked in New York City government for over two decades, says that, if elected, he will work to improve the quality of life and communicate better with constituents. He ran unsuccessfully for Sanitary District 2 commissioner’s seat three years ago.

District 2

Siela Bynoe (D, WF, WEP, I-Westbury)
This freshman lawmaker, who won her seat in a special election last year, is running for her first full term. Before becoming a legislator, she was twice elected to the Westbury School Board and worked for several local housing authorities. She prioritizes health issues, government accessibility, economic development and affordable housing.

Cornelius Todd Smith (R, C, Ref-Lakeview)
This banker is using his financial expertise as a platform, making campaign promises to manage the county budget better, seek more federal grant funding to assist the community and promote economic development. He also teaches kids personal finance in a summer program. Last year, he ran unsuccessfully for a state Assembly seat.

District 3

Carrié Solages (D, WF, I-Elmont)
Running for his third term is this former Bronx prosecutor who practices at his family’s Elmont-based law firm and previously served on the county Human Rights Commission. During his tenure, he helped broker a deal that reopened the Nassau police Fifth Precinct station house, which had been turned into a “community policing center” during a precinct consolidation.

Felix Quayson (R, C, Ref-Valley Stream)
This candidate decided to run because of the decreasing quality of life and the troubling issues affecting young people in Nassau, including the heroin epidemic. If elected, he will focus on economic development and job creation to stem the Brain Drain. The Washington Adventist University professor of healthcare administration will also work on increasing student access to scholarships.

Laurence Hirsh (G-Valley Stream)
One of a handful of Green Party challengers across Long Island, Hirsh is campaigning to highlight issues around public education, public housing and tenants’ rights. He is also hoping to help homeowners facing foreclosure.

District 4

Denise Ford (R, C, I, Ref, TR-Long Beach)
Although a registered Democrat, Ford caucuses with the GOP, making her one of the few wildcards in the Republican majority. She’s represented her district since 2003, most recently pushing for repairs to the Bay Bark Sewage Treatment Plant after Sandy. Ford chairs the legislature’s economic and community development and labor committees.

Keith S. Lebowitz (D, WF, WEP-Long Beach)
This former restaurateur and volunteer firefighter touts his experience running a small business as giving him the credentials to manage the county’s budget. His campaign platform is to grow the local economy in order to reduce the tax burden on local residents. He also said he will vote against costly county contracts with ties to political insiders.

District 5

Laura Curran (D, WF, WEP, I-Baldwin)
This freshman lawmaker running for her second term proposed legislation creating the Nassau County Land Bank, a nonprofit entity designed to buy vacant and abandoned homes. The legislature unanimously passed the bill. She is a former newspaper journalist and was previously elected to the Baldwin school board.

Michael Vista (R, C, Ref-Merrick)
This former Brooklyn prosecutor is also a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Iraq War. If elected, he would work to keep taxes low, grow the economy and create jobs. He’d also focus on improving health care and job opportunities for veterans. Last year, Vista tried unsuccessfully to run in the Republican primary for the 4th Congressional District seat.

District 6

C. William Gaylor (R, C, I, Ref, TR-Lynbrook)
This retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, attorney and former judge is running to replace retiring Legis. Francis X. Becker (R-Lynbrook). He said his goals are to cut taxes and spending, be tough on crime and grow the economy. He also said he backs the use of public-private partnerships to complete the ongoing Sandy recovery in the district.

James Paymar (D, WF, WEP-Rockville Centre)
Looking to become the first Democrat to represent this district upon its first incumbent’s retirement is this former TV news anchor and ex-corporate spokesman-turned media consultant. Focusing on education, public safety and the economy, he said that his skill set and background can help invigorate the legislature into making dramatic changes so Nassau can remain competitive.

District 7

Howard Kopel (R, C, I, TR-Lawrence)
A small business owner and self-described “recovering attorney” who chairs the budget review committee, Kopel unseated his Democratic predecessor in 2009, helping the GOP recapture the majority. His campaign remains the same: He wants to fix the county’s property assessment system, restore fiscal health and repair troubled Bay Park sewage plant.

Tova Plaut (D, WF, WEP-Lawrence)
This self-described community activist is also the director of an early childhood center and is a member of the Lawrence School Board. If elected, she said her priorities will be lowering taxes and spending, cutting red tape for small businesses in order to grow the local economy, and fighting corruption.

District 8

Vincent Muscarella (R, C, I, TR-West Hempstead)
Muscarella, seeking his eleventh term, is an attorney and former four-year state Assemblyman with prior town and county-level experience. As vice chairman of the finance committee, he is intimately involved in helping resolve the county’s budget problems. He wants to recruit high-tech businesses to Nassau, consolidate local government and create more public-private partnerships to save taxpayers money.

Carl Gerrato (D, WF, WEP-Franklin Square)
A longtime Nassau County corrections officer, Gerrato is also actively involved in civic organizations and helped advocate for the reopening of the Fifth Precinct. If elected, he said he would focus on fixing the county’s troubled contracting process, support small businesses to create jobs, and cut government spending as well as reduce fee increases.

District 9

Richard Nicolello (R, C, I-New Hyde Park)
An attorney specializing in insurance law, Nicolello is also seeking his eleventh term. As chair of the finance committee, he advocates for fiscal restraint, tax incentives, environmental conservation, tax assessment reforms, and banning the sale of box cutters to minors. And as deputy presiding officer, he’s second in command of the legislature.

Mal Nathan (D, WF, WEP)
Making his first run for office is the chief Town of North Hempstead bay constable, who is critical of plans by the Republican administration and legislative minority to fix the county’s finances by privatizing services. He also called for more stringent oversight of the county’s scandal-scarred contracting process.

District 10

Ellen Birnbaum (D, WF, I-Great Neck)
This freshman lawmaker seeking her second term previously worked for the Town of North Hempstead, where she gained years of experience in coordinating with local municipalities and providing constituent services. She lists her priorities as domestic violence, relationship abuse and bullying. She is also involved in numerous local civic and religious groups.

Lisa Benjamin (R, C, Ref-Great Neck)
This retired technology director at the North Shore Hebrew Academy and first-time candidate criticized her fellow Republicans’ management of county finances. She said she’d work in a bipartisan fashion, if elected. She noted that the incumbent lost her committee assignments over alleged insensitive remarks, but Birnbaum has since returned to the Democratic caucus after apologizing profusely.

Cassandra Lems (G-Herricks)
A paralegal who prioritizes environmental issues, Lems said the county should improve its hurricane preparedness and switch to fertilizers that don’t pollute the water. She also proposed repealing county property taxes and replacing them with local income taxes. She lost a third-party primary in a state Senate seat race last year.

District 11

Delia DeRiggi Whitton (D, G, WF, I, WEP-Glen Cove)
This former Glen Cove city councilwoman is running for her third term. As ranking member of the finance committee, DeRiggi Whitton can often be heard asking probing questions about the county’s budget and contracts during legislative meetings. Besides following the money, she is also focused on environmental issues, especially preserving the quality of drinking water.

Matthew Connolly (R, C, Ref-Glen Cove)
A former Nassau prosecutor who’s now an attorney in private practice, Connolly said that, if elected, he would focus on growing the local economy to reduce residents’ tax burden and create jobs. He would use his background in law enforcement to deal with criminal justice issues. He is also concerned with protecting local drinking water quality.

District 12

James Kennedy (R, C, Ref, I, TR-Massapequa)
A former elementary school teacher who was elected to fill an open seat in February, Kennedy is a freshman lawmaker running for his first full term. In his first months on the job, he was named chair of the government services and operation committee. He is the son-in-law of the late Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa).

Michael Canzoneri (D- Massapequa)
This candidate is on the ballot, but not actively campaigning. When he ran unsuccessfully for Oyster Bay Town Clerk in 2011, he told the Massapequa Observer that he was an Independence Party member employed as a driver’s ed teacher. He listed his priorities as lowering taxes and making his community more affordable.

District 13

Norma Gonsalves (R, C, I, TR-East Meadow)
This retired schoolteacher and longtime civic activist is running for her eleventh term in the district that includes the jail and the Nassau University Medical Center. As the presiding officer, she controls the flow of legislation in the chamber, and as chair of the rules committee, she oversees all contracts that come before the panel for approval.

Eileen M. Napolitano (D, WF, WEP-East Meadow)
Vying to unseat the leader of the GOP-controlled legislature is this former PTA leader, who said that, if elected, she will use her voice to keep taxes from rising, lure business to improve the economy and create jobs. She also said that she would use her power to increase transparency and rein in the county’s troubled contracting process.

District 14

Laura Schaefer (R, C, I, Ref-Westbury)
This freshman lawmaker running for her second term is chair of the planning, development and environment committee, a role in which she controls funding for community revitalization plans, among other projects. She is also a practicing real estate attorney with the Garden City-based law firm of Walsh Markus McDougal & DeBellis, LLP.

Sylvia Cabana (D, WEP-Garden City)
This attorney specializing in immigration law said that, if elected, she will work to improve government transparency, increase oversight of the spending of taxpayer funds and prioritize listening to residents’ concerns. Her campaign has been focused on rooting out corruption, fixing the county’s troubled contracting process and restoring public trust in county government.

District 15

Dennis Dunne (R, C, I, Ref, TR-Levittown)
Dunne, a Vietnam War veteran, is running for his eleventh term. He is the former county veterans’ agency director who chairs the public safety committee, which tasks him with overseeing law enforcement in the county. He was among the lawmakers sounding the alarm early about the deterioration of the Cedar Creek sewage plant.

Matthew W. Malin (D, WEP-Seaford)
This Nassau Board of Elections worker and Democratic committee activist previously interned for former U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) and used to work for the Town of Hempstead. He is running to bring fresh ideas to the legislature, with a focus on affordable housing and stemming the Brain Drain.

District 16

Judith Jacobs (D, WF, I, WEP -Woodbury)
Jacobs, the former presiding officer of the county legislature, is running for her eleventh term. She got her start in politics as a vocal civic and environmental activist, and counts a law that bans smoking in restaurants and bars as top among her many legislative accomplishments.

Angel Cepeda (R, C, Ref-Plainview)
This business consultant and former head of the nonprofit Action Long Island was previously elected to serve on the Plainview-Old Bethpage Board of Education until two years ago. He said his business background gives him credentials as a fiscal conservative so he can help rein in government spending and taxes.

District 17

Rose Marie Walker (R, C, I, TR-Hicksville)
Walker is a three-term lawmaker who chairs the health and social service committee. She previously served on the Hicksville school board and as an Oyster Bay Town councilwoman. She has been pushing for much-needed downtown revitalization in Hicksville and Bethpage.

Daniel Devine (D-Hicksville)
This insurance industry professional and environmentalist affiliated with Operation STOMP is making his first run for elected office. He said that, if elected, he would work to modernize county government by improving the public’s online access to important documents concerning the budget and county contracts, thereby increasing transparency.

District 18

Donald MacKenzie (R, C, Ref, I-Oyster Bay)
This freshman lawmaker running for his second term is an attorney specializing in civil litigation who previously worked as a Nassau prosecutor and commissioner of the Oyster Bay Water District. He chairs the veterans and senior services committees. He said he is focused on attracting new businesses to create jobs.

Dean E. Hart (D, G, WF, WEP-Glen Head)
This optometrist reportedly asked New York State authorities to investigate taxpayer-funded mailings from MacKenzie claiming the legislature’s GOP majority hasn’t raised taxes, when in fact they allowed the administration to raise property taxes 3.4 percent last year. MacKenzie has been quoted as saying that Hart’s complaint is a campaign stunt.

District 19

Steven Rhoads (R, C, I, Ref, TR-Bellmore)
After winning a special election to fill a vacant seat in March, Rhoads, who has since been named chair of the minority affairs committee, is running for his first full term. He previously worked in the county attorney’s office, where he defended Nassau against lawsuits, and served on the county planning commission.

Claudia Borecky (D, WF, WEP-Merrick)
A civic leader who is regularly heard testifying before the legislature on local issues, Borecky said she is opposed to the administration’s proposal to have a private company take over the operation of the county’s sewage treatment plant. She also opposes raising taxes and wants to end taxpayer-funded mailings.