By Doug Miller
Solomon, an attorney in private practice, is running with the backing of the Nassau County Democratic Committee. He has been an attorney practicing in Long Beach for 15 years. A graduate of the Penn and Duke Law, Solomon is a former member of the Long Beach City Board of Education, a trustee of Long Beach Hospital, a former president of the Long Beach Lawyers Association and attorney to the Long Beach Fire Department. He is an active member of Lido Synagogue, an Orthodox shul.
Vegh is a member of the Long Beach Library Board of Trustees, the Historical Society and the Lions Club. He is an active and enthusiastic Little League coach and Vice President of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. He is a physical education teacher at Lido Elementary School and runs a private pool cleaning business.
Solomon on why people should vote for him and not Warren Vegh. "I'd like to rely on my credentials as a community leader. I have deep roots in the community, my business is in downtown Long Beach and I own property in downtown Long Beach and Lido. He has a business, but runs it out of his house. So having my own business, I'll have the time to devote to this....
"And I don't say this as an attack on Warren, but in order to be a member of the Nassau County Legislature, you have to go to meetings. They meet 22 times a year, and even though the general session starts in the afternoon you have to belong to three committees, and they all meet in the mornings starting at nine. So as a classroom teacher I don't know how my opponent can make the commitment. So by virtue of education, temperament, intelligence, I'm the guy for the job."
Vegh on why people should vote for him and not Robert Solomon. "Any of these committees and organizations I belong to, I'm not just there to say I'm on this board or that one. I take hold of things and I work hard in every organization I'm a part of, and that's why people ask me to be a part of them.
"I've taken a pledge against overdevelopment, and no one is going to work harder than I will against overdevelopment. My opponent is attached to special interest groups. [He was asked to clarify.] He represents developers. He represents developers before the zoning board for variances for parking, oversized structures and condos, overdevelopment. Developer David Shokrian is Mr. Solomon's tenant. Mr. Shokrian gives Mr. Solomon a rent check every month. I don't see how he can represent developers and the people at the same time. It's a conflict of interest."
Solomon on why voters should pick him and not Denise Ford. "Denise Ford is a very nice lady, we all know that. I think Denise's record is of voting consistently with the Republican minority, and that is a disappointment to a lot of people who supported her, who I think hoped that as a registered Democrat should would be a little more independent and middle-of-the-road and would break ranks for the interests of this legislative district. In a general sense, the interests of this legislative district would be better served by any Democrat, and me in particular, since we have a Democratic county executive, a Democratic legislative majority and a plurality of Democratic voters in this district. I want to work with Tom Suozzi and the Democrats for the best interests of this district, and her record shows that she does not.
Vegh on why voters should pick him and not Denise Ford. "I worked with her when [The chamber of commerce] made her woman of the year last year. She's a nice person and have nothing against her. But I think I dropped the ball on several issues, such as the miniature golf course that never happened in Long Beach. There was supposed to be several thousands of dollars for Project Challenge that never came through. And she was on the board of Project Challenge before she became a legislator. The money went back into the county's pot. She never followed through on Lido Boulevard's traffic problem, the most dangerous road in the county. The traffic planning commission she allocated is no longer there, the money went back into the county's pot and there has been another fatality. And I don't think police cruisers pulling people over right before Election Day is the answer."
