By Hector Flores
To ensure that voters have the information they need on the candidates¹ stances on key issues in the district, the Herald is focusing on three crucial areas of concern: affordable housing, education and health care.
sub head: Housing
In an effort to bring affordable housing back to Long Island, McKevitt favors an Assembly proposal that would set aside $200 million in grant money to be awarded to first-time home buyers. Prospective purchasers who fulfill an income requirement would be able to use the money to buy homes.
McKevitt also favors a Balboni/DiNapoli bill, which would require developers to dedicate 10 percent of their projects to affordable housing.
³A couple ‹ let¹s say a teacher and a police officer ‹ will not be able to afford a home on Long Island because they only have a combined income of $100,000,² McKevitt said. ³That is not enough money to buy a house here. The bottom line is that the working class cannot afford to buy a home on Long Island, and this is something that still needs remedying."
Sedacca, like McKevitt, favors the
Balboni/DiNapoli bill, but she insists that the first thing that needs to be done is to ensure the affordability of current housing by providing school tax relief and building next-generation homes for the work force. "These new homes should be made available to anyone who makes under $60,000," Sedacca said. "We should also look into converting old abandoned factories into lofts -- as it was done in Port Washington -- and developing our downtown areas to accommodate the working class."
Sub head: Education
McKevitt feels that some progress has been made with the passage of the 2006-07 state budget, which includes a large increase in aid to school districts. "We have given a significant increase as compared to the past, and hope to repeat that level of aid this year," he said.
McKevitt has been working on a proposal to create an inspector general for education, which he said would ensure that school money is being properly spent. "We are also looking into placing new requirements on school districts ‹ the same requirements that have been placed on corporations,² he said. ³For example, it would be a crime if an ex-employee receives a pension that is greater than what they were originally authorized to receive."
Sedacca says that the state's funding formula for school districts needs to be revamped, and she said she would also look into re-examining the Lottery Commission. "The formula does not take into account the cost of living," she said. "In addition, the Lottery Act needs to examined. When it was first enacted, 55 percent of the proceeds was used for education; now only 32 percent is used. By shifting only 20 percent from prize money [to education], we would have three-quarters of a billion dollars. I also plan on examining the state Education Department, to see about getting immediate tax relief."
Sub head: Health care
The two candidates take different approaches to health care. McKevitt says that exposing fraud and restoring state funding to Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) programs are the best solutions, while Sedacca would lobby for affordable universal health care.
"One of the biggest problems is Medicaid spending," McKevitt said. "It is estimated that 10 percent of Medicaid spending is taken up by fraud. I'm hopeful that the new Medicaid inspector general will able to crack down on this."
To provide affordable prescription drug coverage to seniors, McKevitt has voted to override many of Gov. George Pataki's health care cuts and supported restoring current programs such as EPIC.
If elected to the Assembly, Sedacca would focus on making health care affordable. ³It is easier for someone with health insurance to have preventive care, but someone without health care waits until they become very sick before they see a doctor, and that increases the level of state-funded care they will need to get better,² she explained. ³For that reason alone, people need affordable health care.²
Sedacca hopes to work with the governor to reform the current health care system. "We need to examine health insurance companies," she said. "We have to make sure they are providing what people are paying for, and not just making profits for their shareholders."
Before being elected to the Assembly in March, McKevitt was the attorney for the Town of Hempstead for nine years. He is a graduate of Hofstra and Hofstra Law School, and is a member of the American, New York state and Nassau County bar associations. A longtime member of the East Meadow Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce, McKevitt mentors children from local middle schools in his spare time.
Sedacca¹s political experience includes being named the first woman mayor of the Village of East Williston. She has also been the director of legislative affairs for the Town of North Hempstead, the executive director and treasurer of the Nassau County Village Officials Association, a board officer of the North Hempstead Civic Coalition and president of the East Williston Civic Association. She is currently the commissioner of assessment review and ombudsman for the Nassau County Department of Assessment.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
