By Doug Miller
Now the Democrats want payback, and are focusing a great deal of capital on getting their nominee, former school board Trustee Robert Solomon, elected in a district with 5,000 more Democrats than Republicans.
Ford's story has been told many times. Her husband was Harry Ford, a New York City firefighter who was killed in a fire on Father's Day in 2001. Long Beach's population seemed to double the weekend of his funeral, such was the outpouring of support. Already civicly involved - Denise was the head of the West End Neighbors civic group - she was able to make the most of the name recognition, and notched a victory on her first-ever run for office. It was a perfect storm, many said: In addition to her qualifications, she was helped by a general public weariness with the Long Beach Democrats and outrage over the recent Nassau County home reassessments, which led to increases in many homeowners' taxes.
This is Solomon's first race since his term on the Long Beach Board of Education in the late 1990s. An attorney whose practice focuses largely on real estate, Solomon was hand-picked by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi after Long Beach City Councilman Denis Kelly decided not to seek the seat. In September, Solomon faced a primary challenge from Warren Vegh, a Long Beach teacher who was supported by Zapson and several other local Democrats, but Solomon beat him handily.
Ford and Solomon have spent most of this campaign trying to define themselves to voters. For Ford, the focus has been on her work with community groups, civic associations and the local schools - fighting, she said, to get money for the district's children. Solomon has promised to bring Suozzi's magic to the district, saying that Ford's insistence on voting in "lockstep" with the Republicans has meant that the rising tide of the county executive hasn't been lifting local ships.
Quality of life
Ford tells the story of an Oceanside constituent who complained of "kids using his footbridge." She said she was curious about what this meant, so she paid him a visit. He pointed to the footbridge behind his house, which crossed a canal. Along with a friend, she said, she walked over and across the bridge. On the other side, she was met by a group of teenagers who threw a beer bottle at her, used threatening language and tried to chase her away.
"It was about 2 p.m.," she said. "So the other neighbors came out and told me that it's constant. ... We've had gang-awareness meetings, and this is why I've fought to get money for youth groups. The only thing keeping Long Beach safe is we're on a barrier island, and it's harder for them to get a toehold, the police tell me. But Oceanside gets it from Baldwin and Uniondale, and it's frightening."
Solomon, who lives on the Lido Beach/Long Beach border, says he has a vested interest in the rebuilding of Lido Boulevard, which has for years been used as a virtual freeway by commuters and beach-goers, to the chagrin of the locals. Zapson had hired a team of consultants to come up with traffic calming solutions, but left office before they could be implemented. Ford has repeatedly said she would rather see more lights near the residential section of the street, and more police enforcement.
Solomon's solution: "Paint." Reducing the road from three lanes to two and creating a bike lane, he said, would naturally slow traffic down and add a feeling of serenity.
Taxes
Solomon defended Suozzi's 19 percent tax hike his first year, saying it was needed to bail the county out of bankruptcy, and pointed to the current healthy bond rating as vindication. Further cuts in spending, he said, can only be made once pressure is removed from the county from outside sources.
"County-wide, we give $3 billion more to the state of New York than we get back in money and services," Solomon said. "Look at the top line in your tax bill, the $173 million state contribution to school districts. That number has been static. Despite everything else going up."
Ford said she voted against every fee hike that went before the Legislature, keeping her promise. She said that among her most important accomplishments was squeezing $750,000 out of Nassau County that was owed to the Long Beach City School District for its payments in lieu of taxes for Nickerson Beach, which were five years delinquent, and almost $70,000 in late fees to the City of Long Beach for the expense of running the N-69 bus from Long Beach out to Point Lookout.
The Suozzi factor
The specter of Suozzi looms over this race. The popular county executive has gotten involved in the campaign on several fronts, touting Solomon in interviews, making targeted appearances with him in the district and publicly calling Ford a "disappointment."
Solomon says his partnership with Suozzi will be a boon to the district. "I think I'll be able to deliver a lot more to the district than Denise has," he said. "Not by virtue of my resume, although that's part of it. Not by virtue of being a lawyer, although that's part of it. But by being a Democrat who's aligned with the county executive and Legislature."
The Long Beach Democratic Party has new leadership this time around, with Joshua Ketover, a Suozzi confidant, running the show. His presence is meant to assure voters that whatever problems the party had in the past have been taken care of, and that fresh faces are ready to serve. Solomon is running as one of those faces.
"It's clear that when I was running in the primary, I was up against the old Democratic regime," Solomon said. "I've never really been on the inside, so there was a lot of resentment ... Even though I've been around town a long time, I'm a completely new type of Long Beach Democrat."
For his part, Solomon has accused Ford of being a part of the Republican clubhouse, such as it is, in Mineola, claiming she has never once voted against the wishes of Republican leader Peter Schmidt. Ford said that most votes are unanimous, but while it may be true that she has not voted in league with the Democrats, she has swayed fellow Republicans to join her on certain votes, in effect bringing the party line to her side.
"I made several promises when I ran two years ago," she said. "I promised I would not vote to raise taxes, and I promised that I would not vote to raise fees. I never promised I would vote with the Democrats."
On the campaign
Solomon picked apart Ford's record, claiming, "She suffered a terrible tragedy and she got into office, I'm sure, because people felt a connection to her. But you shouldn't get to stay in office unless you do something while you're there. ... She's a great disappointment who voted in lockstep with the Republican minority.
"There is a disingenuousness about her, regardless of how appealing she is on the surface because of her story. Anyone who looks at the facts can't help being upset, because you're not getting your money's worth."
Ford said she doesn't mind the criticism, which she called sexist. "I cringe every time he refers to me as 'a nice lady,'" Ford said of Solomon. "How condescending can you be? I am nice, but I'm also very competent, I am very independent, I don't have a problem speaking my mind. I think on my feet, regardless of what life throws at me. But I manage to be nice throughout the whole process."
