By Mike Schnitzel
McCarthy ran for this seat, which represents a district that spans from East Atlantic Beach up through the Five Towns to Westbury, for the first time in 1996, three years after her husband was killed in what became known as the Long Island Rail Road massacre. That tragedy prompted McCarthy to speak out about guns for the first time. She became a gun control advocate, pushing for measures that would require gun manufacturers to add child safety locks to their products. She also pushed former 4th District Rep. Daniel Frisa to vote to reinstate the assault weapons ban, which had expired. McCarthy ended up winning Frisa's seat in the 1996 elections, and has maintained her hold on it since.
Her opponent this year is Martin Blessinger of Floral Park. Blessinger has been active in Conservative Party politics for the past decade. Before that, he was with the Nassau County Police Department for 21 years. He believes that education is the key to fighting crime and helping to improve society. "When you lock someone up, you look at their background," Blessinger said. "I never locked up many people with graduate degrees."
Blessinger believes that vouchers and charter schools are legitimate methods for helping to improve the public education system. "I'm in favor of whatever works," he said. "If we try vouchers or charter schools and they fail, I'll be the first to admit it. But you don't know how something new will work until you try it."
While education remains a priority for McCarthy, she doesn't feel that charter schools are the answer. "Public education is the best way to educate our children," she said, adding that she believes that vouchers and charter schools could end up hurting public education.
McCarthy believes that tax reform is the biggest issue facing people in her district, and that dealing with taxes would help with school aid and unfunded mandates, two issues that are critical to public schools. While the No Child Left Behind Act was the federal government's attempt to help the public education system achieve higher test scores, it has been underfunded, according to school officials across the nation. McCarthy said that better funding would help the public education system.
After originally voting to authorize President Bush to use military force in Iraq, McCarthy said she now believes that American troops should come home. "The war was mismanaged from the beginning," she said. "I am in favor of bringing the troops home." McCarthy would not elaborate on a timetable for when she would like to see American troops withdrawn from Iraq.
Blessinger was in favor of the war in Iraq from the beginning, and still believes it was the right move. "With all of Iraq's violations of the [United Nations] Security Council, we had to do something," Blessinger said. He subscribes to the "better fight them there than here" theory that so many who support the war agree with.
"What better way to counter Iran than to have a democratic regime right next door," Blessinger said. "Having a government in Iraq that is friendly to us will be beneficial in the future. If we leave now, what kind of message does that send?"
Both McCarthy and Blessinger believe that Iran - and its nuclear capability - needs to be dealt with during the next session of Congress. "The war on terror has been a history lesson to me," McCarthy said. "The U.S., as a world leader, needs to sit down with Iran and talk over what needs to be done. Diplomacy is the key in this situation."
Blessinger agrees, but he would not rule out military force. "I would never explicitly rule out any options," he said. "Talk should come first, but what happens if those talks fail and you've already ruled out military force?"
Blessinger said that one of his main issues in the campaign is the need for an evacuation plan for Long Island. He believes that his experience in the police department makes him the perfect candidate to undertake that challenge. "Evacuating our nursing homes and hospitals should be our number one priority in a disaster," he said. "We need to help the people who can't help themselves."
Blessinger added that with the right plan and resources for its execution, many lives could be saved. "It's not just terrorist attacks we have to worry about," he said. "Natural disasters could force us to evacuate. We need a plan so that people know the right way to leave safely."
Blessinger believes that his experience with the police department and his will to work for his constituents make him the best candidate to represent the people of the 4th District. McCarthy believes that she has represented her constituents well over the past 10 years, and will continue to do so.
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
