One last faceoff

Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg and the challenger for his seat, former county Legislator Jeff Toback, squared off at a debate sponsored by the Southwest Nassau League of Women Voters on Aug. 31 at the Hewlett/Woodmere Public Library.

The debate, attended by a crowd of around 50 residents and moderated by a League member, gave voters the opportunity to question the two Democratic candidates, who are competing in Tuesday’s primary to run for Weisenberg's seat as the State Assembly representative in the 20th District. Sitting behind a table and sharing a microphone, the two discussed many issues that they touched on throughout their campaigns, including school taxes, state aid, a property tax cap and Weisenberg's being paid both a salary and a pension.

"The No. 1 issue people talk to me about is property taxes," Toback said. "What can we do about school taxes?"

In an unusual departure from standard debate format, each candidate was given the opportunity to ask the other a question. Weisenberg inquired about Toback's record in the Legislature, asking him to name five pieces of legislation that he sponsored. Toback could name only two: the Tobacco 19 law, which raised the age to buy cigarettes in the county to 19, and the apprenticeship law, which required all contractors that want to do business with the county on large capital projects to have an apprenticeship program.

But Toback clarified his answer, saying that in his leadership position in the Legislature, it was not always his role to sponsor legislation. "Sometimes when you're in the leadership, you need to take a step back and allow your members to shine," he said. "Everything we did was as a team, and I'm proud of my legislative record in Mineola."

The debate quickly shifted to matters more pressing to voters, including the dysfunction in Albany. Toback said that the political structure of Albany should be torn down and rebuilt. Weisenberg disagreed.

"We can't do that, because that's not how Albany works," he said. "The wrong people are elected to office. They're politicians, not people who care about people."