By:Angela Marshall
Ketover, of Long Beach, has adopted much of Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi's "Fix Albany" campaign ideas, and says that if voters knocked out the reigning deputy majority leader, that would send a message to the rest of the Republican-dominated Senate that closed-door policy-making and failure to pass budgets on time is not acceptable.
Skelos, of Rockville Centre, rejects Ketover's criticisms, saying that neither his opponent nor Suozzi really knows how things work in Albany. "You can have an on-time budget and a horrible budget, but I'd rather have a good budget that takes care of our needs in our districts, and that's, I believe, what we have accomplished," he said.
Skelos says that much of the budget delay was the result of the Senate's refusal to back down and let the Democratic-led Assembly cut Long Island's share of the state education aid. He said that under Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's plan, 6 1/2 percent of Long Island's 13 percent increase in aid would have been cut. Instead, Long Island schools were allocated $96 million more in aid this year. "We're not going to sell our school districts down the river," Skelos said.
Skelos explains that while he understands the burden residents face when they get their tax bills, the state has done a lot to help fund schools. The senator said that aid to education has increased 54 percent since 1995, and in Nassau County it has gone up 60 percent.
Still, Ketover argues, if there were open debate and compromise instead of divisiveness between Republicans and Democrats, the budget could be approved on time and necessary legislation would become law. "Divisiveness is not working," he said. "It's been tried for two decades. It's not working. I think after 20 years we should have learned the lesson that we need to work together in order to revamp our programs and revamp how we fund these things."
Skelos counters such arguments by saying there is rigorous debate in the Senate, pointing to several instances when Republicans and Democrats have worked together for the good of the voters. He says the idea raised by critics of New York government that Albany is run by three men, Gov. George Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, is simply wrong. The Senate, Skelos says, has many conferences with Bruno before he meets with Pataki and Silver to discuss the issues and direct him on how to negotiate. "We have rigorous debates and disagreements, " Skelos said.
But he maintains that when it comes to negotiating the final details of a piece of legislation, there can't be 212 people arguing, because it would be impossible to get anything done.
As for Democrats and Republicans working together, Skelos said, "We work very cooperatively with the Assembly delegation." He points out that it was Long Island representatives from both sides of the isle banding together that resulted in the school aid increase. He also talks about working with Democrat Tom DiNapoli to help secure funding for Long Island Bus and Nassau County during its fiscal crisis.
Skelos explains that his emphasis over the past few years has been economic development, specifically creating high-paying jobs in biotechnology and the high-tech arena. He says he has helped convince many fledgling companies that Long Island is a great place to open up. "I believe we can eventually create thousands of high-paying jobs on Long Island," he said.
One of Skelos's proudest accomplishments was helping OSI set up shop on the SUNY Farmingdale campus, and learning that the company has recently created a cancer drug that, he said, could be the biggest find in biotechnology in years.
If he is re-elected, Skelos says, one of the projects he plans to focus on in his next term will be cleaning up the reservoirs and ponds near the Southern State Parkway.
One of the areas Ketover says he would focus on in Albany, if he's elected, would be the creation of more affordable housing on Long Island. A renter himself, the candidate claims that working-class families are "under attack" and being priced out of the area. He criticizes Skelos for not supporting a bill that would require 10 percent of all new construction to be reserved for affordable housing for working families.
Skelos counters that argument, saying he doesn't oppose workforce housing, but he does oppose the state telling localities how they should zone. He says municipalities have the right to set these kind of zoning restrictions now, and it should fall to them to do so. "I don't believe it's our right," he said.
The incumbent also says that legislation signed into law this year increased the amount of down-payment assistance the state provides to working-class families from $20,000 to $40,000.
Ketover, who, in addition to working as an attorney at his own law firm in Garden City is an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, says he decided to run after complaining that Democratic candidates in past years haven't fought aggressively to be elected. He decided that he had the ability to run and the time to devote to the race.
Ketover, who is single, attended Long Beach High School, Brandeis University and California Western Law School. He says that, if nothing else, he hopes his campaign will make "voters understand how the decisions that are made in Albany affect them every day."
Skelos and his wife, Gail, have a son, Adam. Skelos graduated from South Side High School in Rockville Centre, Washington College and Fordham University School of Law.
Among his proudest accomplishments while in office have been the creation of the state's Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program in 1987, and his authoring of the New York State Sex Offender Registration Act, commonly known as Megan's Law, in 1995.
The 9th Senate District comprises Rockville Centre, Baldwin, Oceanside, Long Beach, Island Park, the Five Towns, Malverne, Valley Stream, East Rockaway, Lynbrook and West Hempstead. The News 12 Long Island debate between the candidates will air Friday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m.
