Top priority at the Oct. 20 Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale meeting was to help alert the community on how to prevent their homes from being violated by the string of home invasions that have plagued Nassau County. Eighth Precinct POP Officers Tom Murphy and Paul LaMonaca dispensed literature and educated residents in attendance on how to help keep their homes invasion-free. Some of the tips included pruning overgrown shrubbery that hides windows and doors, making alarm stickers visible on doors and windows, keeping a car in the driveway, if possible, having outside doors of solid core or metal clad, setting inside lights on timers. They also advised walking around your home and creating a list of easy points of entry for an intruder and marking valuables with your driver's license number in order to make them traceable if stolen and found on a burglar.

According to the officers, Make Your Home Secure booklets are available at local precincts. Residents were very appreciative of the advice and POP officers LaMonaca and Murphy assured the crowd that Nassau County Police Department is placing a lot of time and effort into finding the offenders and working with the district attorney's office to see that they are punished.

Soon after the POP officers' presentation concluded, CCAF president Mike Grello welcomed Dave Mejias. The Democratic incumbent for the 14th Legislative District announced his plans for his campaign to the crowd and spoke about his commitment to the community in which he was born and raised. As a North Massapequa resident, Mejias shared some of the same concerns as the residents such as the activity in the Massapequa Preserve and announced that he was instrumental in the recently passed law of heavier penalties and fines for those caught with ATV's in the Preserve.

Since taking office in 2003, Mejias remarked that Nassau County taxes have not increased, there are 337 more police officers with another 125 graduating in November 2005.

"In fact", said Mejias, "Nassau County was voted the safest place to live two years in a row by Forbes Magazine and the FBI."

One of the major themes echoed by Mejias during his conversation with the audience was that the process with the school aid formula must be addressed and he is committed to making this a major focus if re-elected.

"We must fix the school aid formula, we must put pressure on those in Albany to give school tax aid relief," Mejias explained.

He said he is also equally financially concerned about his constituents and recently broke off from his party fighting a 90 percent pay increase.

"If that pay increase went through, I would have donated it all to local charities," Mejias stated.

He added he has already dedicated many efforts towards funding through grant monies for both the Farmingdale and South Farmingdale Fire Departments, aided them with the purchase of Thermal Imaging Camera, Notebook Computers and a stretcher and stair chair.

Mejias mentioned that during his first term in office he held multiple informational meetings on topics such as the Liberty Site, tax exemption and tax grievance.

"What I want for you," concluded Mejias, "is for you to believe that government can work again. This was a one party system for too long."

Mejias is running against Republican candidate Tom Sabellico in next week's election. The CCAF meets the third Thursday of each month at Allen Park's Community Center Building. For more information visit. www.ccaf-civic.org.