Murray, Port battle for supervisor’s post

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, a Republican from Levittown, faces a stiff challenge by West Hempstead attorney and business/civic activist Gary Port, a Democrat, in this year’s election.

The Herald recently asked the candidates three questions to see how Murray and Port stand on the issues. Here are the questions and their responses.

Herald: How do you see the state of the Town of Hemsptead’s finances, and where, from a fiscal standpoint, do you see the town heading from here in the coming two to five years?

Murray: While governments at all levels are in financial chaos, Hempstead Town has set itself apart from the pack as a model of sound and sensible budgeting and best financial practices. In fact, our 2012 budget freezes all town taxes and maintains all services in full force.

As a testament to the town’s strong financial position, our government has earned the highest Wall Street credit ratings available.

Many governments have increased borrowing to unsustainable levels, employed "one-shot" revenues to plug budget holes and engaged in fiscal gimmicks that threaten to mortgage our children’s future. On the other hand, Hempstead Town has bucked the borrowing trend, actually reducing the town’s debt service by $6.3 million over the most recent three-year period, which includes 2012.

No gimmicks, no "one-shot" revenues, no gluttonous borrowing to meet pay-as-you-go costs…just a simple, honest and accountable tax-freeze budget. That is what taxpayers are getting from Hempstead Town.

Looking forward, our township will continue to take responsible measures to protect our taxpayers. Multi-year budget forecasts and conservative revenue projections are protecting homeowners from economic downturns. Approvals of major development are expanding the tax base. In short, Hempstead Town will continue to be a leader in responsible budgeting.

Port: The town's finances are shaky. We have a decreasing tax base and a series of tricks to balance the budget; to shore up the base, we need jobs now.