By Nick Buglione
The 13th District encompasses East Meadow, Salisbury, North Merrick and North Bellmore.
Maher, 43, a lifelong East Meadow resident and a civic activist, has charged that Gonsalves has grown complacent, and believes the incumbent¹s age and health have become an issue. "It's my belief that Norma doesn't want this job anymore," Maher said. "I don't think she's part of the solution, I think she's part of the problem."
Gonsalves, a grandmother, won re-election two years ago despite being hospitalized with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system.
Rumors began to swirl concerning whether Gonsalves was physically capable of serving in the Legislature, though she recovered and claims to have never missed a committee or legislative hearing in the past two years. "Not one," said Gonsalves, who has represented the 13th District in the Legislature since 1997. "And I have five committees. I think I can do the job."
Gonsalves lists preserving open space and spearheading a North Merrick revitalization project as two crowning achievements of her past term. "The work we've done with the environment has been quite an accomplishment," she said. "It's been a long process, but you've got to keep it going."
Three years ago, Gonsalves teamed up with civic leaders, the Herald and fellow county Legislator David Denenberg (D-Merrick) to help expose the problems plaguing the woods lining the Meadowbrook Parkway and other parkways across the county. She has also supported the Open Space Fund and the Environmental Bond Act, which are aimed at protecting county parks and preserves.
With North Merrick's aging business district on and around Merrick Avenue in need of a facelift, Gonsalves spent the last three years lobbying for funds. Her work produced results in late September, when she announced a project to upgrade the commerce zone in three phases.
"The biggest part of my job is constituent services," Gonsalves said. "A lot of people have been helped."
A teacher before becoming a legislator, Gonsalves belonged to the Wenwood Oaks Civic Association in East Meadow and is one of the founding members of the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations. She is also a past president of the East Meadow PTA Council.
Maher, who works in real estate, ran unsuccessfully for town board four years ago. She has also been active in East Meadow, organizing a forum on affordable housing at the East Meadow Public Library in September 2004.
Since then, Maher has created the grass-roots organization No Smoke 19, which is lobbying for a law that would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone younger than 19 in Nassau County. Though legislation was introduced, four of the seven members of the Health Committee, including Gonsalves, voted to table the measure. "[Gonsalves] went on the record that she would vote for that bill," Maher said.
Gonsalves, however, claims that's not the case. "I said if it ever reaches the full Legislature, that if the majority supported the legislation, it would be a unanimous vote," she said. "I didn't turn this into a political football. I don't like making children pawns."
The legislator added that the county should invest more in education to stop youth smoking, and thinks this legislation would be more effective if it were passed on the state level.
Maher, meanwhile, promises that, if elected, she will hold the line on county property taxes while pushing for more affordable housing. "There's really no plan to build affordable housing right now," she said, adding that mixed-use developments in downtowns, and the legalization and regulation of accessory apartments, are two viable solutions.
"I want a chance for this office," Maher said. "I'm a community resident that's going to work for [the residents]."
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
