Final Pitch: Ken LaValle vs. Jennifer Maertz

With only hours left before Election Day 2010, Patch is giving the candidates for New York State Senate representing the First District the chance to make their elevator pitches for Port Jefferson votes. They each get 250 words, give or take a few, to make their best argument for why they'd be best suited to stay in charge or take over the reins from the incumbent.

Ken LaValle, (R-Port Jefferson)

If re-elected, I would be a part of a majority that would reduce spending and reduce taxes. We need some sort of spending cap to be able to control our spending. I also believe in real property tax caps.

But at the core of my campaign is the belief that the majority of New York City senators do everything counter to our best interests. They created an MTA tax and are taking away our STAR rebate checks. They are eliminating Empire Zones that give credits to produce jobs.

We need to make sure we do battle with New York City legislation, and that we get our fair share for the state. We need to make sure that we acquire sensitive parcels to preserve and maintain the quality of life that people want.

If the republicans are back in the majority, that also means that I'll be chairman of the higher education committee again, and we can make sure that our state university system is not be cut in a disproportionate way. I will also make sure that we invest in places like Stony Brook University to link their research with Brookhaven National Lab and Cold Spring Harbor — an alliance that will produce jobs.

Jennifer Maertz would be a part of the New York City group if she is elected, and we need to come back to balance in the senate. If you read the papers, you will see that the democratic majority on a weekly basis has members under indictment. Again, we cannot have a New York City senate majority. By controlling everything in Washington, it has brought the state and the country into turmoil and chaos.

Jennifer Maertz (D-Rocky Point)

It's time to do away with the chaos in Albany. It's chaos we have seen for decades and it's time to stop the cycle.

I'm committed to rewriting the formula for state aid to schools. The current formula has stripped millions of dollars from Long Island districts. That has to change.

My opponent endorses Carl Paladino for governor, who plans to cut funding from places like the state Department of Environmental Conservation 20 percent across the board, supports tax breaks for landlords and will not create jobs. We need to use that money elsewhere.

If elected, I will commit myself to a comprehensive ethics reform bill. My opponent voted against that bill. But we cannot have a functional government riddled with corruption, and that corruption has to end. People want change and reform in Albany. They don't want excuses. Every time my opponent and I talk about ethic reform, all he does is defend Joe Bruno (former New York State Senate majority leader who was indicted on eight counts of corruption last year) rather than offer solutions.

My opponent says he didn't vote for the ethics reform bill because it didn't go far enough. That doesn't make sense. You try to get as much as you can in one bill and just keep pushing for more — you don't vote against it and throw it all out.

I also support making the income of elected officials transparent, revealing all information to the public on all income. My opponent has not supported that nor any real ethics reform.

We need to take representation in the senate away from senators from New York City and upstate and give it back to the people of Long Island.