Legislative Gazette: New lawmakers take their oath
By FAITH GIMZEK and STEPHANIE I. WITKIN
Gazette staff writers
Four new lawmakers took their seats in the Assembly Chamber yesterday following special elections in New York City and its suburbs last week.
The GOP gained ground by picking up two new seats in four special elections held on Feb. 9 and the only Democrat winning last week, David Weprin, will take over a seat formerly held by his father and his brother. This November the new legislators will need to be re-elected to keep their seats.
“It was a great day,” said Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua. “Obviously, we are very happy with our success on Election Day, and we are looking forward to November as well because we believe we have the best message for voters. We are looking forward to more good news to come.”
In Westchester County, a historically Democratic district, Republican Robert Castelli won the 89th District seat that Adam Bradley left to become mayor of White Plains.
Castelli, a small-business owner, former Lewisboro town councilman, state trooper and criminal justice professor at John Jay College, was first sworn in on Feb. 16 in his district. He ran on a platform of property tax relief, private-sector job creation and “zero-tolerance” ethics reform.
He said the ethics reform bill passed in the Assembly last month was a watered-down version of what is truly necessary – changing how the legislative power structure operates.
“Both Republicans and Democrats are marginalized by a system of rules where the speaker has unilateral power,” he said. “We need a constitutional convention to change the way New York state government works, to restore power to the people who are supposed to lead.” Citing concerns that he will have to battle against partisan politics to accomplish real reform, he said, “We need a nonpartisan approach, not bipartisan.”
Property tax relief is the first priority for the constituents of Westchester County, according to Castelli, who said his district has the highest property taxes in the country. “It is something that is choking us as a county, and as a result we are bleeding jobs like water through a sieve,” he said.
Castelli said the solution is to take a business-minded approach to reducing government spending through government agency consolidation, increasing public-private partnerships and ending unfunded mandates. “The conversation begins and ends with one word: taxes. The solution begins and ends with one word: reform,” he said.
On Long Island, Nassau County ‘s 15th Assembly District remains a Republican stronghold as Michael Montesano succeeded Rob Walker. Walker stepped down to accept the position of chief deputy county executive. Montesano has been an attorney, a village justice, a school board member and a detective.
One problem facing Montesano’s constituents is heroin use. According to the new lawmaker, Nassau County has seen an increase in heroin use in the last two to three years. “It is a plague,” he said, not only affecting adults, but school-age children too. Montesano said he wants to provide more resources to police so they can target school-age children and be provided better crime fighting equipment.
While Montesano acknowledges that drug use doesn’t just affect his district, he recognizes the affluence of his constituency provides the youth with greater financial opportunity to buy drugs.
Another concern for Montesano is the controversial Metropolitan Transit Authority payroll tax.
“The way I see it, the MTA is extremely, extremely poorly run,” he said. It is the lack of accountability that makes the MTA financially irresponsible and the MTA payroll tax took a “big bite” out of municipalities and schools that are already struggling fiscally, Montesano said. “This is where the state has to come in with a strong hand and take control,” he said.
In Suffolk County, Dean Murray, a Republican, prevailed in a tight race for the 3rd District seat, formerly held by Democrat Patricia Eddington, who stepped down after she won the position of town clerk for the town of Brookhaven last November.
Murray said the MTA payroll tax is a main concern of his as well. Murray, who is currently the owner of a Long Island advertising agency, said his first order of business is to try to repeal the MTA tax, saying it is an undue burden.
“We’re bailing out an authority we barely use,” he said. According to Murray, the MTA claimed that it needed a bailout or it would be forced to increase fares and decrease services. After it received the bailout in the form of a payroll tax from businesses, hospitals, schools, and the self-employed the MTA all but eliminated Long Island Rail Road lines east of Ronkonkoma and increased fares, he said.
David Weprin, the only Democratic victor, kept his Queens County seat in the family. Weprin’s brother Mark was elected to the 24th District seat in 1994 after the death of his father Saul Weprin left it vacant. Mark is currently holding the seat David once held on the City Council. “Nobody owns the seat, it’s not the family seat, but it will help me,” David said.
Weprin said his district is a diverse middle-class community that is most concerned with providing a well-rounded education for their children, protecting public safety and keeping in check the rising cost of city living, such as increased property and sales taxes.
He said his district also faces urban overdevelopment. “They’re concerned about the character of their neighborhood changing,” he said, adding that as a city councilman, he focused on down-zoning the area to prevent overdevelopment. He said his constituents are worried about historic homes being demolished to make way for “cookie-cutter” housing and “McMansions.”
Weprin said he knows that when he starts work in Albany, “dealing with budget discussions will dominate the legislative session.” He looks forward to using his political experience and expertise as former City Council Finance Committee chair in the Legislature. “I hope to continue my family history,” he said.
