Endorsements

Scaturro, a strong voice in the 4th C.D.

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy,( Garden City-D) who is campaigning for reelection to her 9th term has had a compelling story. Her entry into elected office came on the heels of the tragic shooting of her husband and son; only her son survived. She has been a strong voice for gun control legislation and deserves accolades for her efforts in this regard. On foreign policy, the Mideast in particular, McCarthy shows no strength. Her support of Israel has been lackluster at best. She’s continually been late to the game in response to key issues.

Her challengers in this three-way race are Nassau County Legislator Francis Becker of Lynbrook and Frank Scaturro, an attorney in private practice from New Hyde Park. Becker, the Republican nominee, has been an active voice in local politics; he is a household name in Lynbrook. His abilities in politics are best utilized locally.

Frank Scaturro, a Republican running on the Conservative line, is the youngest of the trio and the only candidate in the race who has not held elected office. By virtue of his legal education, and his experience as an aide to the late Senator Arlen Spector, Scaturro is the most qualified to hold office. He has an excellent command of issues. Without the support of his party leadership, Scaturro has shown the gumption to put up a good fight — a redeeming quality for a Congressman. This is an uphill battle for Scaturro, but we believe he will be the strongest voice for the Fourth C.D. The Jewish Star endorses Scaturro.

Sussman for Assembly

it’s time for a change

Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) has been in office since 1989. During that time, he worked with his colleagues in Albany to pass many bills, sponsored legislation to create tougher drunk-driving laws such as Leandra’s Law, and been a strong advocate people with special needs. He’s delivered assistance to the district with the benefit of discretionary funds, much like a checkbook, that is readily available to one in elected office. Most notable is the law he helped pass which yielded an enormous benefit — to himself. Legislation he supported precludes most state employees from receiving salary and pension for the same job—but not Weisenberg and his colleagues in the legislature. While “double dipping” — collecting two paychecks for the same job—Weisenberg was absent for over 30% of the votes this past term. This ethically questionable maneuver deems Weisenberg unsuitable to hold public office and advocate for fiscal responsibility for his constituents.

It would have been prudent for the Democrats to choose and groom a successor following Weisenberg’s challenge by Josh Wanderer in the last election.

Dr. David Sussman (R) of Lawrence, a urologist, has served on the Lawrence school board for 18 years, from 1996 – 2000 as president. He is one of the few board members whose children attended the public schools. He battled discrimination in District 15 by being part of the effort to provide special education services to non-public school students in their own school environment—the first district to do so. He has served on a school board that has streamlined the budget while maintaining (extracurricular) programs, so much so that over the last five years housing demand in the Five Towns has made a dramatic shift from District 14 to District 15. Sussman has earned a reputation for standing up for what’s right regardless of whether it’s popular. The Jewish Star endorses Sussman.

Reelect Skelos in the 9th Senatorial District

It’s important for Long Island to have a voice in Albany to speak up for our unique needs. As current Senate majority leader, Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) has been an exceptional voice and advocate for his district and for the overall region. Skelos is running for his 15th term against Democratic challenger Thomas Feffer. Calling Feffer a “challenger,” however, is a bit of an overstatement. The 24-year-old intern for the Nassau County Democratic Committee has not campaigned at all and hasn’t been available to answer any questions. He’s clearly taking one for the team.

Skelos is obviously the right choice for the 9th District. During his tenure as majority leader, the state government has actually functioned, something that seemed an unobtainable dream just a few years ago. Not only were the last two budgets passed on time — something that hadn’t happened for decades —they were passed early. Skelos helped to eliminate a $13 billion deficit without raising state taxes. The Jewish Star endorses Skelos.