Elected in 1998 to the New York State Senate, Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. is running for his eighth term in the Eighth Senate District on the Republican, Independence, and Conservative party lines.

Calling his time in office "a labor of love," Fuschillo pointed to his accomplishments in the Village of Massapequa Park as evidence of his commitment to the residents of this district.

"I've had a very successful tenure in providing millions of dollars to the Village of Massapequa Park for downtown renovations to spur economic growth and support for the local businesses, as well as supporting the schools with increased funding every year since I've been in office," Fuschillo said.

One of his latest successes was winning a grant of $100,000 for the Village of Massapequa Park for improvements to Village Hall, including adding an elevator to make the building handicapped accessible, as well as improvements to the Senior Center for the Mommy and Me Program and the Senior Program.

Together with Massapequa Park Village Mayor James Altadonna, Fuschillo said he is currently seeking road improvement money for the village from the state to help continue with his the mayor's road resurfacing program.

Fuschillo also mentioned his success in working with Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto to bring $100,000 to the Town of Oyster Bay to help them build the Field of Dreams.

Throughout his time in office, Fuschillo has sponsored historic legislation, including gaining overwhelming passage of his landmark public health policy which ensured that all employees are able to work in a smoke-free environment regardless of their profession. This new public health policy aims to protect all non-smokers from the dangers of secondhand smoke, and allows the public to enjoy all public facilities free of this health danger.

As chairman of the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, Fuschillo was successful in passing a statewide ban on all products containing ephedra that were not approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration. Additonally, Fuschillo is the author of the New York State Telemarketer Do Not Call Registry, recognized as one of the toughest consumer protection laws in the nation.

Prior to his election, Fuschillow as the chief operating officer of a private, not-for-profit family service agency where he managed more than 400 employees and 40 human service programs throughout Long Island and the five boroughs of New York City.

He serves on the board of directors and is a member of many organizations including Ascent: A School for Individuals with Autism, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, Italian Americans in Government and Order Sons of Italy.

"I grew up in a family that dedicated their lives to community service," Fuschillo said, "and I'm continuing in that tradition by helping individuals on a daily basis."

Fuschillo and his wife Ellen have three children.