Gonsalves seeks reelection to county Legislature

By MIKE CAPUTO   
    Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) has announced that she seeks another term in office to represent the 13th Legislative District.
    The district includes East Meadow, Salisbury and portions of Levittown, North Bellmore and North Merrick.
    Gonsalves, who has served on the Legislature since 1997, will be challenged by one of two potential Democratic challengers.
    Stephanie Ovadia, an East Meadow resident who received the endorsement from the Democratic party, will be challenged in a Sept. 15 primary by fellow East Meadow resident Pat Maher.

Norma Gonsalves
    Gonsalves said when she was first elected in 1997, she looked at the role of a legislator as “grassroots.” Not much has changed 12 years later.
    “This is not a job to me,” Gonsalves said. “I see myself as a public servant.”
    Before she became an elected official, Gonsalves was an outspoken civic leader who was a regular at Hempstead town board meetings and various advisory boards related to the Nassau County Correctional Center, the Nassau University Medical Center and the town’s solid waste committee, all of which she still takes part in today. Gonsalves also founded the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations, an entity that united groups from all ends of the community.
    “We are one community,” she said, “There are no two ways about it.”
    During her current term, Gonsalves’ six-year push to open a new veterans’ clinic at the NUMC came to fruition. It is set to open next winter, she said. Gonsalves was also a leader in the bioblitz, a project that surveyed the woodlands along the Meadowbrook Parkway. The bioblitz was one of several initiatives tackled by Gonsalves that related to environmental preservation. In December, Gonsalves and Nassau officials announced the county’s purchase of the only farm in East Meadow, a rare piece of open space in the neighborhood, in an effort to preserve it.
    Gonsalves is known for working closely with Nassau County police, most recently bringing officers into East Meadow High School in the spring to speak with parents about the growing heroin problem.
    The county recently addressed a major budget deficit. That included the implementation of a home heating energy tax, a measure that Gonsalves voted against and remains against.
    “We can’t be hitting [residents] over the head with additional taxes,” Gonsalves said. “The home heating energy tax was really hard for me to digest.”
    She explained that there needs to be more analysis of county expenditures to prevent the elimination of programs and the creation of additional taxes.
    “We need to take a good hard look at how to allocate and spend the money,” Gonsalves said. “We seriously need to look at the spending portion of the budget.”
    She said there needs to be a set amount of money for  youth agencies, many of which were in jeopardy when the county addressed a major budget gap. Most of those funds were restored through legal settlement and a traffic red light camera program, however, Gonsalves said the Legislature must ensure the youth groups do not have to endure the same process again.
    “We need to have a dedicated fund,” she said. “They can’t come begging to us year after year.”
    Gonsalves is the project director for the community crime watch and civilian patrol and serves as a delegate to CEMCO from the Wenwood Oaks Civic Association. She is a member of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce; the Edward J. Speno Lodge No. 2568 Order Sons of Italy in America; and the Kiwanis Club of East Meadow.  She is also a graduate of the Nassau County Citizens Police Academy.
    Gonsalves has also received numerous honors from organizations and agencies including the Nassau University Medical Center, Kiwanis and CEMCO. She has been the Chamber’s Woman of the Year twice, and a Woman of Distinction through the New York State Senate.
    Gonsalves received her bachelor of arts degree in History from St. Joseph’s College for Women and received her master of arts degree from Hunter College and Brooklyn College.   Gonsalves was an educator for 25 years in the New York City School System.
    She resides in East Meadow with her husband, John. They are the proud parents of three children, three grandsons and a granddaughter.

Stephanie Ovadia
    Ovadia, an East Meadow attorney and resident, vies to become the Democratic candidate to face Gonsalves for the seat in the 13th L.D.
    This is Ovadia’s second bid for an elected seat. She lost to Republican incumbent Rob Walker last November in the race for the 15th Assembly District.
    Ovadia, who spoke with the Herald before her primary opponent filed for the race, talked about property taxes, current and possible county initiatives and the education of children and parents on various issues.
    The challenger recalled a recent discussion with one of her daughters, Sophia, who made in observation while her mother drove with her recently down Hempstead Turnpike.
    “Where is everybody?” Sophia, 8, asked her mother in reference to empty storefronts along the Turnpike.
    Ovadia, whose law firm is located on Hempstead Turnpike, said she hopes to address the vacant storefronts.
    “We have to take care of our businesses,” Ovadia said. “We need to bring people to our small businesses.”
    Ovadia said she agrees with County Executive Tom Suozzi’s recent call for a citizen revolt on high property taxes. Initiatives like the state’s passage of traffic red light cameras and the proposed cigarette tax in Nassau are helpful, she explained, because they will generate much-needed revenue while also promoting health and safety. Ovadia is also in favor of consolidating services among local governments and special districts.
    Ovadia, a mother of eight children and an active member of Facebook, said she wants to educate local parents on social networking and the potential dangers that come with it.
    During her regular Facebook usage, Ovadia said that in addition to an increase in cyberbullying, she has become accustomed to seeing local teenagers post photos that display illegal activities like drug usage and underage drinking.
    “It is unfortunate that most parents today don’t know how to use these networking systems,” Ovadia said. “Most say ‘we don’t have time.’ This needs to be discussed.”
    Ovadia said she plans to host educational forums on social networking for local parents and guardians. The East Meadow attorney held an event at Eisenhower Park in July to kick off an awareness initiative that focuses on promoting healthy lifestyles at a young age, while also utilizing the county’s area of parks and recreational opportunities. 
    Ovadia is a graduate of Seaford High School. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Binghamton University and is a graduate of the Southwestern University of Law in California.
    She is the proud mother of eight children, ranging from ages three to 20. Ovadia has been a sponsor and volunteer for the East Meadow Baseball/Softball Association, and is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce and volunteers for the Make a Wish Foundation.
    “I really want to help — I want to be a part of what’s next because we have such a great county,” Ovadia said. “I want to use my energy to make the county even better.”

Pat Maher
    Maher appears to be no stranger to the 13th Legislative District. As a longtime Democratic committeewoman and a previous candidate for the legislative seat, Maher said she has walked the neighborhoods more than just a few times.
    Maher, an East Meadow resident for more than 40 years, lost to Gonsalves in the 2005 election. Even though she did not receive the nomination from her party this time, Maher said she collected about 1,500 signed petitions from residents to force a Democratic primary against Ovadia.
    “I love going door-to-door and having them meet me,” Maher said. “I want to be able to fight for those residents.”
    Maher, who also unsuccessfully ran for Hempstead town board in 2001, said she considers herself an independent Democrat, who would not necessarily agree or act on everything her designated party says.
    “This is not about party politics,” Maher said. “I am someone who doesn’t walk in lockstep. I am somebody who really cares about the constituency.”
    Maher is currently the director of development and community relations for a not-for-profit Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island.
    As a civic activist, Maher led a grassroots organization that worked with Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) and the Legislature in the passage of Tobacco 19, a law that raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products in Nassau from 18 to 19 years old. She has also led community forums and discussions on the topic of affordable housing.
    Maher said she supports the Lighthouse proposal and similar projects that progress what is often referred to as “smart growth” in Nassau. She is in support of transforming downtowns into attractive places for people live, shop and eat. Maher said she likes the Lighthouse project because it is expected to generate tax revenue and jobs, while also creating new businesses and affordable housing units.
    On current county initiatives, Maher said she agrees with the institution of traffic red light cameras and the proposal for a Nassau cigarette tax, but she is not in favor of the new tax on home heating energy.
    Maher said she supports the consolidation of local special districts to help alleviate the property tax burden for residents.  The challenger also said she wants to address neighborhood issues, like poor street and roadway conditions, and complaints of an increase in mosquitoes in a portion of East Meadow.
    If elected, Maher said she would take the legislator salary of $40,000 and put it toward the establishment of a walk-in district office for community members that would be open throughout the week.
    “Other than that, I wouldn’t take the salary,” she said. “This is a citizen legislative position.”
    Maher is a graduate of Hofstra University with an M.A. in Humanities and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the North Merrick Civic Association, the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, LI Vision 2035 and the Long Island Association.

Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.