By Jeff Lipton
Omar Jorge said he is up for the challenge after he was recently nominated by the Nassau County Democratic Committee to face the longtime incumbent whose family name is synonymous with politics and public service in the area.
Barring a Democratic primary election in September, Becker will be pitted against Jorge in November.
³I think that one of the things that is happening in the district is that the Democrats are more organized,² said Jorge, who grew up in Malverne and is a Kellenberg Memorial High School graduate. ³The Democrats in the area are beginning to unify and mobilize. But the district is still [mostly] a Republican district.²
The 6th L.D. covers the villages of Lynbrook, Malverne, most of Valley Stream and East Rockaway and portions of Rockville Centre and North Valley Stream.
Becker, who was the first elected representative of the 6th L.D. in the new Nassau County Legislature 12 years ago, was reelected by wide margins in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005.
³Competition is always good,² said Becker, who said he welcomes the challenge by Jorge. ³That¹s what the Democratic system is all about.²
Jorge said when he was a student at St. John¹s University his interest in public service piqued after he became an intern for Assemblyman Michael Cohen in Forest Hills, Queens in 2001.
³That year I spent in Albany was an eye-opening experience,² said Jorge, who recently graduated from law school. ³It was life-changing. I was amazed how involved the government is in the day-to-day lives of people.²
Jorge said as an intern he completed much research in traffic safety and other quality-of-life issues. He said he plans on practicing real estate law and is selling real estate for a Valley Stream company. He also runs an Internet company to help small businesses with their Web sites.
The Democratic challenger said his interest in politics also increased watching the failure of the Nassau County Republican Party beginning with the administration of former county executive Tom Gulotta. The notoriety Gulotta brought to Nassau County with his fiscal mismanagement was ³shameful,² he said, adding, ³Francis Becker was part of the ruling party back then and he has to shoulder some of the blame.
³There has been a Renaissance [in the county] due to [county executive] Tom Suozzi and now a Democratic majority,² added Jorge.
But Becker said the Suozzi administration is facing a $160 million deficit next year, ³and you can¹t blame Gulotta for that. The Democrats can no longer use him as their whipping boy. Now, it is under their watch.²
Becker said the Republicans are intent on winning back the majority on the Nassau County Legislature, with the Democrats currently holding a slim 10-9 lead.
If elected in November, Jorge said his number one priority would be the consolidation of special districts ‹ such as sewer, water and sanitation ‹ which would then help to lower property taxes. ³People won¹t move to Nassau County because of the property taxes and we¹re losing a lot of good people because of that,² he said.
Becker, who said his office has helped more than 1,000 residents in the 6th L.D. with significant problems such as social service concerns over the last 10 years, agreed that taxes remain the biggest issue facing local residents.
³School taxes, any kind of taxes,² Becker said. ³We have to find ways to keep Nassau County more affordable. If we don¹t do that, then there won¹t be anyone to teach or to protect or to govern.²
He said another chief priority should be to stop the county from reassessing homes every year, which impacts the tax base. ³Reassessment is not necessary every year,² Becker said.
He said he also wants to continue the Streetscape program, which has helped beautify neighborhoods in his district.
Becker¹s family has been in politics for several decades. His brother was the local representative to the State Assembly and his father was mayor of Lynbrook and a State Supreme Court judge
³My family loves public service,² he said.
Becker, who said he had never heard of Jorge before now, said he is looking forward to meeting him and debating him on the issues.
Jorge said he realizes he must work extra hard to overcome the Becker name-recognition in the 6th L.D., but he is prepared for that uphill battle. ³I¹m going to go door-to-door and talk to people and meet them face-to-face on the sidewalks,² he said. ³I¹m just going to tell them it¹s time for a change in the 6th Legislative District and that they could have better representation than they¹ve got now.²
Comments about this story? Jlipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
