John R. Lewis, Jr. is the Democratic candidate for the 8th Senate District, which includes the Village of Massapequa Park, as well as parts of Farmingdale, Seaford, Wantagh and Merrick.

Lewis said the issues affecting all New Yorkers are the issues that most affect residents of the Village of Massapequa Park. One such issue is a legislative process that Lewis believes needs to be overhauled.

"The very process by which the New York Legislature operates is fundamentally flawed," Lewis explained. "To put it succinctly: 'Albany status quo must go.'" Before the problems facing New York can be addressed, there are essential changes that need to be made, he said.

According to Lewis, these changes begin with opening up the process to public scrutiny, so the public can gauge the job legislators are doing. He then calls for curtailing the power respective leaders of the Assembly and Senate have over which bills make it to the floor for debate and vote. Finally, he believes in curbing the wasteful and costly practice of introducing bills for the sake of telling constituents you support an issue, knowing all along the bill will never make it out of a committee for vote on the floor, let alone become law.

"It is time we took back the legislature and made it more representative of the voters' desires, and less a hostage to the powerful leaders of the Senate and Assembly," Lewis said. "I think we should open up the process."

Citing billions of dollars in budget deficits, a budget that is consistently late, the highest debt in the nation, and State-funded education that is 10 percent below the national average, Lewis claims we are facing a crisis in educational funding.

"We pass on the cost of federally mandated programs to the county governments to the tune of more than $14 billion. In an attempt to maintain their jobs, our current legislators pass these costs on to local governments rather than make real meaningful changes. This is one reason why New York local taxes are 71 percent above the national average," Lewis said.

Because he says he is "a fighter," and will fight to change the system and "make the hard choices for New York," Lewis believes he is the best candidate for the position. He believes his prior experience as a Nassau County assistant district attorney, and his current experience as a criminal lawyer will make him an asset to the Senate.

Lewis grew up in Freeport and graduated from Baldwin High School in 1977. After high school, he was an entrepreneur, owning a retail business in Baldwin, and then a direct marketing business in Bellmore.

In 1990, Lewis returned to college, graduated from SUNY at Stonybrook summa cum laude after two years in a highly accelerated program. He went on to Hofstra Law School, again greatly accelerating his education, graduating after two years in the top 22 percent of his class.

Lewis has resided in Merrick for the last 13 years. He has been married to his wife Leslee for 19 years, and has a 5-year-old daughter.