By ANGELA MARSHALL
Residents of the Ninth Senatorial District might have wondered if they were in the right debate last weekend as incumbent Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Edward Oppenheimer (D-Rockville Centre) sparred over Nassau County's problems. Focus of the debate, which took place at Rockville Centre's Temple B'nai Sholom on Sunday, September 24, often shifted from state issues back to the county.
"Mr. Skelos, where have you been with your leadership?" one resident questioned. He asked the senator why he hadn't taken note of the county's problems earlier and why he hadn't asked for County Executive Thomas Gulotta's resignation.
"Let me tell you what I have done," Senator Skelos said instead. He recalled bi-partisan work with New York State Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli (D-Great Neck) to provide $8 million in funding for the county's buses, which were to be affected by proposed cuts. Mr. Skelos also reminded the audience that the legislature has drafted the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA), which could provide the county with $105 million in aid once they get the budget under control. "I think I've been successful in terms of bringing funding and this program to get the county back under control," the senator said.
His opponent did not agree. "What our state legislator has done to inflame the Nassau County problem is key," Mr. Oppenheimer said. "As a leader, he passes laws, he passes requirements, he passes programs that cost the county money. Instead of having the state pay for it, he passes the cost on to the county. If that were to stop, we're talking of tens of millions of dollars out of the county costs."
Mr. Oppenheimer was referring to unfunded mandates like Megan's Law and state education requirements.
In rebuttal, Mr. Skelos pointed out that Mr. Oppenheimer, a former Nassau County legislator, voted for one of the executive's budgets. "Where was [Mr. Oppenheimer] when he was on the county legislature voting for Mr. Gulotta's budget?" queried the senator.
"The first [budget], when I got [to the legislature], was so full of holes I voted against it," Mr. Oppenheimer said. "The legislature [in a bipartisan effort] unanimously cut $20 million from the spending plan. And then Mr. Gulotta administered it any way he wanted to. And, what we get is a $200 million deficit."
Mr. Oppenheimer also said in his opening statement that he felt Nassau County's problems would soon become those of the state if a change isn't made in leadership. "We have a situation now where our government is financing spending by borrowing. Our government is increasing their spending greater than the rates of inflation. They are using all sorts of back-door types of financing to cover that spending."
Instead of responding to these allegations, Mr. Skelos focused his opening statement on programs he has helped pass in the last few years. Megan's Law, gun safety mandates, tuition assistance credits and the newly created Elderly Pharmaceuticals Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program were all highlighted. "I am the original sponsor of the EPIC Program," the senator said.
This claim would later be challenged by Mr. Oppenheimer. "He didn't propose [the bill]. Senator Gentile proposed it. [Senator Skelos] fought it."
In response, the incumbent said that he sponsored, and the Republican senate majority" passed an expanded EPIC program with income limits above what Senator Gentile would have proposed in his legislation."
Mr. Oppenheimer also challenged Mr. Skelos' claim to have passed a law making up to $10,000 of college tuition tax deductible. Under the terms of the law, the full amount will not be tax deductible for five years, Mr. Oppenheimer said. "There is no [tax reduction] this year and the maximum benefit for 2001 is approximately $250."
Senator Skelos blasted his opponent for criticizing him about over spending and then criticizing him when he phased programs in. "Here we've started a wonderful program for the people in the State of New York, to be prudently phased in so that we will not get into a financial jam."
As a parting blow, Mr. Oppenheimer accused Senator Skelos of waffling on many state issues like gun control and hate crimes in the months before the election. For years, Mr. Oppenheimer said, the incumbent fought the passage of both bills. "You know, waffles are a great breakfast food. I'm getting fed one right now... If he was such a leader, these things would have been taken care of a long time ago. He led the fight against [passing bills on gun control and hate crimes]."
The incumbent fought back, listing the initiatives that the senate majority has been responsible for enacting. "The senate majority led the way in stopping drive-through mastectomies; those where women were thrown out on the street after the operation. [It's] the senate majority in the legislature that requires HMOs to pay for reconstructive surgery after mastectomies. It's the senate majority that ended drive-through pregnancies," he said. The legislation allows women with normal deliveries to remain in the hospital 48 hours and those with complications up to 96 hours. "These are all positive things we have done. It was Dean Skelos that chaired the joint conference that set up the Pesticide Registry and the Health Science Board [in an effort to investigate] how and why there is such a high rate of breast cancer on Long Island and how to end this scourge."
Issues close to home
Rockville Centre issues kept the 9th Senatorial debate close to home as challenger Edward Oppenheimer questioned why renovations at the train station haven't been completed and why there is trash in and around Hempstead Lake State Park.
The question of filth in the park was raised by a jogger who noticed beer bottles and other trash while on his runs.
"Certainly, that is something that I will address because it's the first time it's been brought to my attention," said Senator Dean Skelos, incumbent.
"[Senator Skelos] lives only three blocks from the park," Mr. Oppenheimer said. "I'm sure he drives by it every day. And drives by [the overpasses] every day. He sees them. If his leadership were so strong, a phone call from him would get that done."
Mr. Oppenheimer also questioned Mr. Skelos' record when the senator touted the $1 million in funding he obtained to fix up the north athletic field near the park. The challenger said that the renovation money equals only one tenth of the funding lost since the village's direct aid was cut in 1991. "Why doesn't Dean, as a leader, get that million dollars [a year] back now?"
Mr. Skelos reminded his opponent that Mario Cuomo, a democrat, was governor when that money was removed. "We've restored the revenue sharing. We've increased revenue sharing," he said. "We've had $400,000 to help us with our real property taxes."
The senator said money he has obtained has been used to renovate Front Street, provide computers to the school district and to support other organizations in the village. "There isn't one organization within the village, literally, that I have not been able to assist," he said. "We are moving in the right direction in New York State. We've created over 600,000 private sector jobs; businesses are staying here; we're cutting taxes. We've eliminated the commuter tax. We have the STAR program with 31 percent of the benefit coming to Long Island. So, I'm proud of my record."
But Mr. Oppenheimer was not satisfied, "I check my facts and figures and I think you ought to do the same," he said. "The village in 1990 received $1.3 million in direct aid from the state. Since then and, I do remind you that Governor [George] Pataki has been in office for more than one term, we still get and are getting again this year $300,000. The money that Dean gives you is pure pork."
Mr. Oppenheimer believes that the funds should be given directly to the local village to distribute instead of being handed out at the senator's discretion.
Issue to issue
The death penalty
Dean Skelos: "I supported passage of the death penalty. I believe it is a deterrent to crime."
Edward Oppenheimer: "I believe that a life sentence would be more appropriate."
School Vouchers
Dean Skelos: "I would prefer to issue tax credits if we were to move in that direction."
Edward Oppenheimer: "The problem with vouchers, that I see, is they tend to take away from the school systems that we have."
