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Partly Cloudy 20th AD primary race heats up
Jeff Toback, the challenger, goes on offensive against Harvey Weisenberg for state Assembly seat
Former Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback has entered the Democratic primary against state Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, vying for the seat Weisenberg has held for two decades.
Toback, who lost his seat in the county Legislature to Republican Howard Kopel in last November's election, announced his plans to run earlier this year. But now he has begun going on the offensive against Weisenberg, who has been the Assembly's District 20 representative for 21 years.
"After 21 years in office, I think Harvey has lost sight of what's important to the people in the 20th Assembly District," Toback said. "And the No. 1 item is school taxes. He does a bad job of bringing home state aid to the school districts in the 20th Assembly District. And that's why our property taxes are so high."
Toback said that, if elected, he would make lowering property taxes his main priority. "[Weisenberg] hides behind a formula that he says I don't understand," Toback said. "Well, I'll tell him that if I'm in office for 20 years and there's a formula that punishes the people in my district thousands of dollars every year, and I can't fix it, I would say vote for the other guy."
For his part, Weisenberg took umbrage with Toback's accusations. "This is so far from the truth," he said. "The answer really is, if you talk to any superintendent, there isn't a stronger advocate for education on Long Island than I am."
Weisenberg cited the discretionary money — funds that state representatives get to spend in their own district — that he has given to schools over the years. And as a former teacher, he said, he understands what schools need and tries to help. Specifically, he directs money to special education programs, being the father of a special-needs child himself.
Toback's other focus — the centerpiece of an ad campaign he has started — is the fact that Weisenberg is receiving a pension for his time in the Assembly while he is still working and receiving a salary.
"Another thing that Harvey has done — while he doesn't fight for the taxpayers, he certainly fights hard for himself," Toback said. "He's the second-highest-paid legislator in Albany, when you take into account the pension that he's receiving for his 21 years in the Assembly and the salary he's getting."
