By Jonann Brady
About 70 people attended the open forum at Baldwin High School last Thursday to hear the candidates stake their positions, answer voters' questions and, occasionally, trade heated exchanges about their opponents' records. The forum was sponsored by the Baldwin Community Association and the Baldwin Oaks Civic Association and moderated by a representative of the League of Women Voters, who narrowed down more than 40 questions submitted by audience members.
In their opening statements, the Democratic incumbents, Kevan Abrahams (First District) and Joseph Scannell (Fifth District), touted their records in their districts and their work with County Executive Tom Suozzi in lifting Nassau County out of debt and to two bond-rating increases.
Scannell said, "Our fiscal plan is endorsed by everyone but our opponents." And Abrahams challenged Republicans, who have charged the Democrats with increasing spending and raising taxes, to "say what you would have done in its place. We want ideas."
In his opening statements, First District Republican challenger Ricky LaRosa appealed to voters to look beyond partisanship and asked, "Do you want a rubber stamp, or do you want someone to represent your district, your needs?" It was a theme LaRosa returned to throughout the evening, saying that he was disturbed by the direction the country was headed and that voters were rightly fed up with the two-party system and needed to take back politics at the grass-roots level.
Fifth District Republican challenger Kevin Kamen pointed to his long record of service in the Baldwin community, with 26 years on the library board and two decades with the auxiliary police. "I have served this community with honor and integrity for a quarter of a century ... I understand the value of a dollar and what people can afford," he said, adding, "I feel we can do much better than we're doing."
Sparring begins
The first question of the evening concerned what candidates saw as the biggest problem facing their respective districts and how to fix it. After the other candidates had answered, Scannell strayed from the point to directly challenge Kamen's record as president of the Baldwin Public Library. "As president of the library board, [Kamen] has increased taxes and spending as well."
The moderator led Scannell back to the question at hand, but the tension between him and Kamen mounted over the following two exchanges, as they addressed each other directly. Kamen responded to Scannell's attack, saying, "The people of Baldwin vote yes for that budget -- I just want to get that clear."
The moderator again broke in to keep Kamen on point, but during the next question, Scannell again returned to Kamen's record at the library, forcing the moderator to cut his answer short and restore order.
After the brief imbroglio, the two stuck to the questions posed, but the flare-up highlighted the fierce battle in the Fifth District.
With order restored, the candidates addressed the issues of economic development, affordable housing, taxes, code enforcement and crime.
Addressing the issues
Abrahams said that the county must start thinking of unconventional ways to create affordable housing, including cleaning up and developing existing properties such as brownfields. He added, though, that the First District already has too much housing, and because of a lack of commercial properties, residents are forced to shoulder an unfair school tax burden. He said that economic development was crucial, and that the communities he serves, particularly Roosevelt, must be made more attractive to businesses by weeding out gangs and crime.
As for the question of taxes, Kamen said, "That 57 percent [tax increase] didn't happen by accident ... people on both sides are not watching the bottom line," and he returned to his experience overseeing budgets at the Baldwin library. He said the county must consolidate services and questioned recent police and civil-service union raises.
Scannell retorted that under former County Executive Tom Gulotta's reign, the county relied on "fiscal gimmicks and one-shot deals" to balance the budget. He said that the recent union contract negotiations actually saved the county $25 million, and the recently approved Sewer and Storm Water Authority saved about $19 million.
LaRosa said that state and federal mandates were draining the county and added that the county needs to address its hiring practices. "Folks, it's patronage, and both parties are guilty of it," he said.
Abrahams said that those who claimed the current administration had increased spending by $500 million were distorting the numbers, and that the county was burdened with uncontrollable expenses, such as increases in health care, pension and Medicaid costs. Again, he pointed to independent, non-partisan organizations that had endorsed the county's budget and financial plan. "I guarantee not one organization says the county is going backwards," he said.
In dealing with quality-of-life issues, all of the candidates agreed that code enforcement needs beefing up to weed out illegal dwellings and other code and parking violations, and each pledged to work with the Town of Hempstead to beef up enforcement.
In dealing with gangs, both of the incumbents said they have worked closely with the First Precinct, the only precinct in the county to have 20 officers devoted to gang prevention and three gang task forces up and running. Kamen suggested bringing in the FBI and DEA to conduct sweeps of gang-infested areas, and LaRosa suggested deporting illegal immigrants if they are over 18 and commit a gang-related crime.
Each candidate said that they would put the interests of their districts above party loyalty and vote against party lines, with both Scannell and Abrahams saying they have crossed party lines during their tenures. Kamen said, "I'd never sell my soul ... I'm not jumping through anyone's hula hoops -- no way." And LaRosa went him one better by declaring that he had already been kicked out of the Republican party once before for protesting an English-only law.
The final say
In his closing remarks, Scannell said Baldwin had "turned the corner" in the past four years, and he had "delivered to his hometown like no other legislator in the past."
Kamen said his passion for the community would make him the better representative. "Your representative should have passion," he said. "I will listen to you. I will be a 24/7 legislator that will be on the streets. I'll make house calls like your old doctors did."
Larosa again declared that the entire political system was broken, and said the national politicians "have been bought and sold, but we can take back our government on the local level."
And Abrahams reminded the voters that this election was not just about their individual districts but about the direction of Nassau County. "You have the ability to vote for a party that is moving the county forward," he said.
