14th Assembly District

By Andrew Hackmack

      Assemblyman Bob Barra has served the state's 14th District for the past eight years. The 48-year-old Republican from Lynbrook is seeking his fifth term.
      Challenging Barra is 27-year-old Joe Ferrara, a Democrat and a resident of Valley Stream. Ferrara once worked for the Tanglewood Preserve in Lakeview, and is now with Long Island Blood Services. He said that if elected, he would be a strong advocate for the residents of his district and listen to their concerns. "That is essential to being a good elected official," Ferrara said, "to really connect with people."
      Barra said he isn't the typical Albany politician, and has pushed for change since his first days in the state Assembly. He said he fights for what is best for his district, not what is best for the Republicans. And though he is a member of the minority party, he said, he works with Democratic assemblymen to get the job done. "You have to be able to play ball with the other side, and that's what I do," Barra said.
      Ferrara said he is concerned about the multi-billion-dollar state deficit, and that there must be ways to cut back on spending without reducing essential government services. One way of saving money, he said, is through Medicaid reform. He also suggested setting up an independent, nonpartisan commission to monitor state finances and find ways to save. "Ultimately," Ferrara said, "if you don't cut the budget, you're going to have to raise taxes."
      He wants to see the state become a leader in producing "clean and green" energy. The government should offer incentives for people to buy hybrid vehicles, solar panels and energy-efficient appliances, he said. He is also intrigued by the idea of building a wind farm. "We have an island, we have a lot of wind on the South Shore," Ferrara said. "We just need to find a place to put those windmills."
      Barra said he works to improve the quality of life for people in his district. He has assisted in efforts to refurbish local parks, and most recently secured funding to begin the revitalization of downtown Valley Stream. Rockaway Avenue should be a model for other communities, he said.
      A resident of Rockaway Avenue, Ferrara said he wants to see an investment in area downtowns. He supports projects that would create "walkable" downtowns, where people have access to services, cultural opportunities and transportation without needing their cars.
      Property taxes are the primary concern of residents in his district, Barra said. He explained that the School Tax Relief, or STAR, rebate checks have been a big help to homeowners. "It's something we do instead of taking more money from you," he said. "We're trying to give some back."
      He supports a property tax freeze to let people's incomes "catch up," and favors a "circuit breaker" that would cap property taxes based on income.
      Ferrara also supports the circuit breaker because it is targeted relief. He does not support the school tax cap, however, because it could compromise funding for local schools. "We need to invest in education," he said, adding that he would want to boost funding to SUNY and community colleges.
      Barra said he would continue to fight for more school aid and is not afraid to challenge other state leaders to bring Long Island its fair share. As for the state deficit, Barra noted there are ways to save money. He said that there won't be a lieutenant governor for the next two years, yet the state pays more than $1 million to staff the office. There is also a capital defender's office being funded by the state, though there is no capital punishment. Barra also supports a hiring freeze, except for police officers.
      He would like to see zero-based budgeting, which funds state departments based on how much money is needed rather than just automatically giving them set percentage increases.
      Barra said he wants to bring video lottery terminals to Belmont Park, explaining that each machine brings in about $1 million per year. Aqueduct already has 4,500 VLTs, he noted, so why can't Belmont? If that and the Hub project at the Coliseum property in Uniondale are both approved, he said they would be a big boost to the area's economy and create numerous jobs.
      Ferrara said he is interested in campaign finance reform in New York to give more people the opportunity to run for office, especially those going up against well-funded incumbents. If elected, he said, he would like to find ways to fix how Albany works. "I want to go up there because I really want to make a difference," he said.
      Barra said he is always there for the people of his district, available to meet with constituents on short notice. He said that few, if any, are more dedicated than he is to the job. "I'll put my attendance record up against anyone who's ever served in the history of the New York State Assembly," he said.
      Ferrara has been endorsed by Teamsters Local 11, the Joint Council of Teamsters No. 16 and Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. Barra's endorsements include the Long Island Federation of Labor, New York State United Teachers, CSEA Local 1000, New York State Public Employees Federation and several law enforcement unions.
      The 14th District covers Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, South Hempstead and parts of Malverne, East Rockaway, North Lynbrook, Baldwin and Oceanside.

15th Assembly District - Walker v. Ovadia

      Rob Walker (R, C, I, WF - Hicksville) is running for his second term as a state Assemblyman, having served the 15th Assembly District since May 2005. With a background in education, Walker never thought about being an elected official until shortly before his election, but he now says it has been a privilege to serve the people of his district.
      "At the end of the day, it's about helping people," said Walker. "The most satisfaction you really get is doing the right thing and working on behalf of people."
      At 33, Walker is the youngest member of the state Legislature, and he says that gives him the unique ability to understand the concerns of many young Long Islanders, who are leaving the Island due to the high cost of living. He said that high property taxes have put many Long Islanders in the tough position of having to prioritize their bills -- paying their mortgage, heating their home or buying food. Walker said those are decisions that no one should have to make.
      "We all see the cause and effect of our high property taxes, and that is that people are leaving and they're leaving in droves," he said. "Certainly they don't want to, but they have no other choice."
      Walker said that one of the biggest issues facing the state is how to address its fiscal situation while at the same time not overburdening taxpayers. He said the state does not have a revenue problem, but it does have a spending problem. In order to really make a difference, he said, every aspect of government -- state, county and town, from the highest agency to the newest employee -- must work together to come up with a lasting solution.
      Walker proposed consolidating services, where he says a lot of the money is being spent. He questioned the need for different agencies bidding on the same things and going to different places when there could be one collaborative contracting system instead. Another example he offered was making available attorneys from the attorney general's office, who specialize in certain areas, to schools.
      "We have a great work force," said Walker. "Let's use it to our advantage."
      His recent legislation included an effort to crack down on illegal housing, and securing veterans' tax exemptions for National Guard and reservist members.
      If elected, Walker said. he would continue doing what he has been doing for the past three years: helping everyday people with everyday problems regardless of whether they are "state" problems. He said that many people don't know where to turn for solutions to certain problems, and that he has strived to make his office a "one-stop shop" for local people with quality-of-life concerns, which Walker says are most important to people.
      "When a person calls up, the last thing I want to see happen is, 'Sorry, we don't deal with this -- you have to call [someone else],'" he said, encouraging residents to call his office to help them find the right person to address their concerns. "I think that's what government is supposed to be."

Challenger Stephanie Ovadia

      Democrat Stephanie Ovadia, a resident of East Meadow and practicing attorney for the past 23 years, says she has a great understanding of the law and now wants to be part of the process of creating it.
      "I am aware of the law, I understand the law, and now I want to write the law so people outside can understand them," Ovadia said.
      She said that one of the major issues facing the state right now is Nassau County's high real estate taxes, and that the county needs to get more funding from the state, because taxpayers cannot afford any more increases. When asked how the state could afford that when it is facing an estimated $6 billion budget deficit, Ovadia said that the state, counties and towns should more thoroughly explore the consolidation of services.
      "We have to keep our services as good as they are today, but we need to consolidate a lot of these special districts," said Ovadia. "We have to look into which services can be consolidated without giving up the level of services." She said she is concerned that unless something can be done to lower the tax burden on Long Island, more and more young people will continue to leave.
      Ovadia said she believes that her experience as an attorney -- where, she explained, she is very involved with her clients, often meeting them at their homes -- gives her the advantage of being able to help people through troubled times. "I know where the problems are, and I know where the good things are," she said, adding that she has the same issues as everyone else in her district and loves to learn different things from them. "I don't offer the experience in politics, I offer the experience in life."

17th Assembly District

By MIKE CAPUTO

      Lifelong residents of their respective communities, incumbent Tom McKevitt, a Republican of East Meadow, and challenger John Pinto, a Democrat of Merrick, are vying for the 17th Assembly District seat.
      McKevitt, who seeks a second full term in the Assembly, won a special election in February 2006 after former Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell vacated her seat to become county clerk. Six months later, McKevitt narrowly defeated Democratic challenger and fellow East Meadow resident Zahid-Ali Syed to earn a full term.
      Since taking office in 2006, McKevitt has made it a point to establish a perfect voting attendance record, something he said is crucial for elected officials. "The most important thing I do is vote, and make sure I get there," he said. "Because that's why people put me in office in the first place."
      Pinto is pursing his first elected position in state government, but has served for 11 years as a North Merrick school board member. For the past two years he has also served on the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School board.
      Pinto said his experience as a school board member and a leader in the community should help him if he is elected. "I think to be up there would be a good benefit for the community because of the work I have proven and done for 20 years," Pinto said. "I think I can bring that same commitment to Albany.
      In interviews with the Herald, both McKevitt and Pinto emphasized the importance of reducing the property tax burden for local homeowners, and especially gaining more state education aid for the school districts. McKevitt noted that local legislators have managed to secure more state education aid than the recently proposed executive budgets have called for. He vowed, however, to continue working to gain a fair share of state education aid for the county.
      "I think the most important thing over the last couple of years is getting more state aid for the school districts, and I think that is probably the biggest obligation for us to do in the state," McKevitt said.
      Pinto, who has helped mold several school budgets, stressed that more needs to be done on a state level to alleviate the property tax burden in the county. "It's great that you're making that progress, but you're not really making the progress that we need to help our communities to offset the property tax that is actually killing us," he said, adding that unfunded mandates handed down by the State Education Department are a major problem for school districts.
      McKevitt also identified mandates as a problem, and suggested more government oversight of the state education system. His plan includes supporting a bill that would charge an inspector general with overseeing education and possibly writing a bill that would require the governor, rather than the Board of Regents, to appoint the state education commissioner.
      "Part of the problem in the state is that we have a very poor educational structure," McKevitt said. "The commissioner of education should be appointed by the governor of New York state. It should not be appointed by the Board of Regents, who are fully insulated from the political process."
      Despite being in the Assembly's minority party, McKevitt said he has and still can propose bills, pitch ideas and make a significant impact for his constituency. He said he supported property tax rebates for seniors and a proposed gasoline tax cap, and co-sponsored a bill with Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) to make it easier to prosecute drunk drivers.
      "I think what is important with my vote is that check in the balance system of the majority with things they are doing," McKevitt said.
      Pinto said he believes that, if elected, he will have more of an influence in an Assembly in which Democrats are in the majority. "I think I am going to get a little more done," he Democrat said. "I am going to have my ear to the rail a little bit more than my opponent has done."
      Pinto, 45, has worked in the printing industry for 30 years, and is currently an operations manager for a company based in Freeport. A member of Calhoun High School's class of 1981, Pinto lives in Merrick with his wife, Christine, and four children ranging in age from 24 to 10. Before joining the school board in 1997, Pinto was active in the local Little League and Police Athletic League.
      McKevitt, who was born and raised in East Meadow, is a lawyer who worked in the Hempstead town attorney's office for nine years. After five years there, he started his own private practice. But he missed helping people, he said, so he went back to the town in 2003 and worked there until he was elected to the Assembly. McKevitt, 37, lives in East Meadow with his wife, Samantha, and his 15-month-old son, Connor.
      The 17th Assembly District includes portions of East Meadow, North Merrick, Merrick, North Bellmore, Uniondale, Roosevelt, Garden City, Garden City Park, New Hyde Park, Mineola, Carle Place, Albertson, East Williston and Williston Park.

Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.

Hooper, Bryant vie to represent 18th A.D.

By Dana Williams

      The race in the state Assembly's 18th District pits Democrat Earlene Hooper, the incumbent who has held the seat since 1988, against Republican challenger Darren Bryant, a community activist who ran unsuccessfully last year for a seat in the Nassau County Legislature.
      The two candidates are vying to represent a district that encompasses Lakeview, parts of West Hempstead, East Meadow, South Hempstead, Freeport, Hempstead and Roosevelt, among other areas.
      Hooper, a 38-year Hempstead resident, said she decided to run for re-election because she wants to continue to improve the district. "I have work to continue," she said during a recent interview at the Herald offices. "There are many assignments that I have that need to be completed, and many more that need to be started."
      During her current term, Hooper said, she has lobbied for and obtained millions of dollars for education, health care and revitalization and infrastructure projects, among other needs, in the district. In January, the Assembly passed a bill that wiped out the Roosevelt School District's $8 million accumulated deficit and provided the district with a $12 million grant for academic improvements. Assembly leaders said that the legislation would help bring the school's "funding in parity with other school districts in Nassau County and bring per-pupil spending in the district to the county average." The bill was authored and initiated by Hooper, and she considers it one of her most significant accomplishments.
      "The Roosevelt School District did not have to take out a loan because of that legislation," Hooper explained. "The district is also getting $12 million in additional aid for educational programs."
      Hooper also spearheaded efforts for a state-supported $220 million drive to rebuild all of the Roosevelt district's facilities. The plans have started to come to fruition, with the opening of a new $55 million middle school. School officials and students in the district -- the only district in the state that is run directly by the state -- celebrated the opening of the new building on Sept. 29.
      Hooper also said that, along with state Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City), she was able to earmark $91 million of the state budget for the Hempstead School District this year -- $15.2 million more than what was allotted in the budget former Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed in March. "That was the largest increase in aid in the history of the school district," she said.
      Hooper has made several efforts to improve the quality of life for her constituents, she said. She was a part of an effort that provided $61 million to improve health care service delivery at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. The funds, Hooper said, will fund emergency room upgrades and other improvements at the facility. In November 2006, she acquired $1.5 million for the redevelopment of the Village of Freeport's downtown area, which is now under way.
      Hooper, who serves on the Assembly's Education, Housing, Labor, Economic Development, Job Creation and Commerce and Industry committees, also said she is passionate about helping with community initiatives and organizations. In June she provided the East Meadow Public Library with a $5,000 grant to fund its Concert Series. She also presented Nassau County Auxiliary Police Unit 116 -- which serves West Hempstead and Lakeview -- with a $5,000 grant to help pay for emergency safety equipment and communication services.
      When asked why voters should re-elect her, Hooper said they should do so because she would continue to make sure her constituents have a voice in Albany. "I work each day as an assemblywoman to give a voice to the voiceless," she said. "That is my job and I will continue to do that."
      If she is re-elected, she said, one of her priorities would be to advance and complete projects she has begun in Roosevelt and Hempstead to create new, full-service health centers. The facilities, Hooper said, would help officials provide medical assistance to residents who are uninsured or whose coverage is limited. "The centers are under contract to be built," she said. "There will also be a MRI diagnostic center built in Hempstead."
      Hooper also plans to continue to work with the New York State Housing Authority to obtain funds for six new single-family homes in Roosevelt, and to work with other elected officials to improve school district facilities and roads in Hempstead. "This work is all a part of my job as an elected official, and there are still many issues that I will continue to address and work on here in the 18th Assembly District," she said.
      Bryant did not respond to several calls requesting an interview.

Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.

McDonough, Breakstone vie for 19th A.D.

By Scott Brinton

      Reforming New York state government is front and center in the race for the 19th Assembly District, which pits incumbent Republican David McDonough against Democratic challenger Jay Breakstone.
      McDonough, a former president of the Merrick Chamber of Commerce and a local businessman, said he is fighting hard to bring about change in the way Albany conducts business. "Reform is a big priority," he said. He supports the state Legislature's proposed Constitutional amendment to move the state budget filing date from April 1 to May 1. Doing so would give legislators a better idea of what the state's tax revenues would be for the coming year before they finalizing a budget, since the income tax filing date is April 15.
      The Legislature OK'd the amendment this year, but it must pass a second time next year. The assemblyman said he believed it would go through. If the Legislature OKs the proposed amendment, it would then move to a statewide public referendum next November.
      McDonough would like to take reform further. He said that many legislators propose hundreds of bills that they never expect to pass, but which speak to local interests that their constituents want addressed. The trouble is, the plethora of bills lead to a logjam of inconsequential legislation, McDonough said. He would like the number of bills that legislators can propose reduced to 20 to 30 a year.
      McDonough would also like to see unfunded mandates done away with. As an example, he mentioned the portable defibrillators that state law now requires school districts to have on hand. The law requiring them is good, he said, but added that the state should have paid for them, at least in part.
      Despite recent reports that the state Legislature is among the worst-run in the country, the assemblyman said, "Albany is not dysfunctional. You've got some of the rules that need to be changed." And, he noted, "I'm not part of the problem. I'm part of the solution."
      McDonough, who sits on the Assembly Republican Sexual Assault and Violence Task Force, is also pushing for civil confinement of offenders. If passed, the measure would allow the state to keep potentially violent sexual predators locked up in psychiatric facilities past the end of their prison terms. There they would receive further psychiatric treatment and evaluation until they were deemed safe to re-enter society. The measure has passed the Senate, but not the Assembly. Critics say it would unfairly punish convicts who have served their sentences and paid their debts to society.
      Finally, McDonough said that, in partnership with state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican of Merrick, he has been able to bring home tens of thousands of dollars in special grants for schools and fire departments.
      Breakstone, an attorney who is president of the Bellmore Elementary Board of Education, believes he would make a more effective legislator because he would sit with the Assembly's Democratic majority, enabling him to propose, and potentially pass, more legislation. Of McDonough, he said, "There is very little he can do right because he's in the minority. He's got five bills on which he's been the primary sponsor in three years."
      Breakstone believes the state Legislature is indeed dysfunctional, and he railed against Albany in an interview with the Herald. Like McDonough, he believes that too many untenable bills get proposed. And he said that the state's chronically late budget is indefensible. He noted that school districts have a hard time creating their budgets each year because the state can't file its spending plan on time. School districts don't know how much they'll get in state aid when they write their budgets, so they're never sure how correct their spending plans are until well after residents have voted on them. He proposed two-year state education budgets, which would enable school districts to craft better spending plans, since they would know well in advance how much state aid they would receive.
      Breakstone would like to see driver's education given back to school districts, which often outsource the program to local driving schools. He believes teenagers would take driver's ed. more seriously if it were taught by school-district teachers. The course, he said, "has sort of gone by the wayside, the way shop has." Breakstone said that the lack of attention given to driver's ed. may be a factor in a spate of recent accidents involving local teenagers.
      He would also like to see the bays of the South Shore better protected. He said that a comprehensive management plan and a stewardship organization that crosses all jurisdictions are needed to preserve the bays.

Comments about this story? MerrickEditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.

County financial analyst challenges Weisenberg in 20th A.D.

By JOSEPH KELLARD

      The race for the 20th Assembly District pits a longtime incumbent against a challenger who is making his first run at political office.
      Even though the incumbent, Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach), is nearing his 20th year in the Assembly, he doesn't necessarily see himself as a career politician. "I'm not staying in politics, I'm staying in public service," said Weisenberg when asked how long he expects to keep running for re-election. "I'm going to be there to the best of my health and my wife's health."
      Michael McGinty, Weisenberg's Republican challenger, said his campaign's focus is on neither Weisenberg nor on winning or losing the election. "I think it's about focusing our attention on a state Assembly which is New York City-driven and that I think is dysfunctional," said McGinty, an Island Park native. "We need another strong voice from Nassau County, and I like to think I could provide that voice."
      McGinty's resume details a career in municipal finance, including 20-plus years of budgetary and fiscal review work with the county's board of supervisors and legislators as well as with the county's receiver of taxes, McGinty's present position. For the past 30 years he has been active on the Nassau County Republican Committee, and in that time has sat on the zoning board for the Village of Island Park.
      Asked about his priorities if he is elected, McGinty was quick to name three issues: pursuing a moratorium on the state portion of the gasoline tax, cutting spending and reining in school property taxes. He explained that he would push for relaxing the state's gas tax until today's unstable economy improves, and he believes the revenues lost from this measure would be returned to the local economy in the 20th District, which includes the Long Beach barrier island, the Five Towns, Oceanside, Island Park, East Rockaway and Lynbrook.
      "I think the 40,000-plus people in this Assembly district will take that money they save on the gas tax and spend it in other ways and generate state revenue," McGinty said. "But you're going to give them the opportunity to spend the money and drive the economy."
      Weisenberg, a retired school teacher, Long Beach police officer and lifeguard, talked broadly about his goals. "My plan is to make sure that we maintain all that we can to provide a quality of life and dignity and respect for our people," he said. When asked for specifics, he talked about what has come to define his Assembly career most: fighting to secure financial aid to assist mentally and physically disabled children, to fund things like handicapped-accessible equipment or playgrounds at schools and parks.
      One such piece of legislation, Jonathan's Law, signed in May 2007 by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, entitles parents and legal guardians access to all child abuse investigation files and medical histories. Weisenberg noted that it took several years to get the law he sponsored passed, and his fight for it exemplifies his self-described role in the Assembly as a maverick who pushes relentlessly for his constituents.
      In response to critics who see him as focusing on too few issues, Weisenberg pointed out that he has worked to address issues as diverse as home insurance and the environment, highlighting funds he secured for dredging and beach restoration on the Long Beach barrier island. "Most of the Assembly doesn't like me because I'm one of those people who fights for my bills," he said. "I don't bend."
      Weisenberg emphasized that he has sponsored or co-sponsored more than 250 bills that have become law. Just two weeks ago, Gov. David Paterson signed a Weisenberg-backed bill that prohibits any other municipality from tapping into southwestern Nassau County's sole water supply, the Lloyd Aquifer, a bill New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg opposed.
      Weisenberg is also big on doling out about $163,000 in state discretionary funds he receives annually, paying for such things as firefighter equipment, adolescent health services, animal rescue and library and arts programs. "They provide a safety net for our not-for-profit agencies so we can have an ability to help these people that serve others," he said.
      Part of McGinty's focus is on spending cuts, which he said he would examine on a program-by-program basis. Citing state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's contention that over the next four years, spending will increase 34 percent while revenues climb just 21 percent, McGinty said the difference must be made up by capping property taxes or limiting property tax growth annually while cutting spending. His sights are set on unfunded mandates, which, he said, comprise nearly 70 percent of the state budget.
      "If the federal government wants a mandate, then they ought to be responsible for funding it," McGinty said, mentioning Medicaid as a prime example. "It should do the same for any program it mandates on the state and local level."

Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.

21st District Assembly Race

By Andrew Hackmack

      Tom Alfano was first elected to the New York State Assembly in a special election in February 1996, and has held the seat ever since. "I never looked back," he said. "I haven't lost my zeal to represent the people of my district."
      The Republican from North Valley Stream is being challenged by Democrat Alan Smilowitz in the 21st Assembly District. Smilowitz, 57, has lived in West Hempstead for the past 20 years. He is a general-practice attorney and runs a law firm out of his home.
      Smilowitz said he has always put his family first, but now that he is an "empty-nester," he finally had an opportunity to run for office, and he approached the Democratic party. "It's something I've always wanted to do," he said.
      One of Alfano's biggest issues is ensuring that Long Island receives its fair share of state aid for school districts to ease the burden on local homeowners. "We in Nassau are plagued by unreasonable property taxes," he said.
      Alfano said that every region of New York state has its own needs and Long Island needs people who fight for proper funding. He described himself as one of those people.
      Smilowitz said he supports a property tax cap on school districts, but agrees that the state should increase its level of funding. He noted that per-pupil spending varies greatly from district to district. "You shouldn't have that kind of disparity," he said.
      Since taking office, Alfano has welcomed more than 8,000 children from his district to the state Capitol. Students who visit Albany can sit in the same seats that the assemblymen and women do. Alfano said that the many layers of government can be confusing for children, and this experience helps them learn the role state lawmakers play. "I want an educated electorate," he said, adding that he tells children that Election Day is like his report card.
      Alfano said he wants to see more affordable local housing because many people, especially the elderly and younger people just beginning their careers, can't afford to stay on Long Island.
      Though Smilowitz describes himself as a social liberal -- he is pro-choice, supports same-sex marriage and is opposed to the death penalty -- he said he is not a fiscal liberal. He is concerned about the multi-billion-dollar New York state budget deficit, and noted that lawmakers may have to trim it back.
      He said he would not support raising taxes. Residents are already struggling to keep up with rising costs, Smilowitz explained, so the state should not add to that burden. "I would rather see cuts in spending," he said, suggesting that the hours state services are provided could be scaled back. "No one is going to die from not being able to stay at a park late."
      Alfano is pushing for redevelopment at Belmont Park, and the state recently secured $5 million for these efforts. "Belmont racetrack is a jewel," he said. "Since its beginning, it has been grossly underutilized."
      The consensus among Elmont residents is that there is a need for economic development, Alfano said. He would like to see a project that creates both temporary construction jobs and permanent jobs for members of the community. "We have to make this happen now," he said.
      Alfano sponsors several events each year in his district, including a soccer clinic, a basketball tournament, a health fair and the Women of Distinction awards ceremony. He said his style is to hold large events that deliver services to the people in the communities he serves.
      Smilowitz said that while he agrees with Alfano on many issues, such as lower property taxes and improving funding for schools, they differ on social issues. He supports the vision of the Assembly Democrats, and wants to join them.
      The 21st Assembly District includes Elmont, Franklin Square, North Valley Stream, Malverne and West Hempstead.