Recently the Three Village Times, an Anton Community Newspaper, featured an interview with Democratic nominee Bruce Parradine, who is challenging incumbent Nassau County Legislator Vincent Muscarella for his seat representing the Eighth Legislative District. Muscarella took the time to speak with Anton Community Newspapers to address his constituents and answer some of the questions raised by his challenger's comments. He noted at the beginning of his conversation, "I hope the people in the communities I represent have gotten to know me now and have seen that I am here working for them."

Muscarella added, "I just enjoy government and enjoy the opportunity to make a difference in as many things as I possibly can." He also commented, "I love doing what I do. I can't always solve every problem, but I will commit myself 100 percent to the effort. I believe that serving in government is a noble and honorable profession and I hold my head high and don't apologize. I love my job." He added that he has no intention of running a campaign of personal attacks and notes that he has respect for his challenger. "People who sling mud lose ground and I hope to never run a campaign like that," he noted.

In November of 1995, Muscarella was quoted at a Meet the Candidates Night as saying, "I don't know what 'patronage' really means. If I am running a government I want to surround myself with people who believe in my political philosophy, and believe in my way of doing things. If that's patronage, well then, so be it. This person, if he's competent, and he can do the job -- I would like him also to believe the way I do, and I would like him to support me, so that I know that if I'm out of the office and somebody asks that person a question, that question is going to get an answer that's fairly consistent with what I believe in." He was asked now in 1999 if he still adheres to this philosophy on the subject.

Muscarella responded, "If we're talking about a person getting a reward for work in the political system who is not qualified, only get the job because of political affiliations, and is overpaid, then I am absolutely 100 percent against it. It depends on what one is really talking about when one uses the term 'patronage.'" He went on, "I think that in government, as in business, employers look to surround themselves with people who are competent, intelligent, enthusiastic, and with whom one can bond over similar beliefs and a certain trust can be established. There's a commonality of purpose. I look to hire someone who is qualified and to pay them the market value for their job. I want someone who can represent me if I'm not in the office."

He was also asked, "Do you still support 'zero-based budgeting' which would require department heads to justify their entire budget each year in county agencies and has there been any progress in the county in this direction?" He answered, "I do believe in zero-based budgeting and in holding all departments accountable in the budget and not basing the budget on what was spent last year, but starting over each year from scratch and justifying requests for budget money." He qualified this statement by saying, "It's very easy to say this in theory, but in practice it becomes difficult."

"The budgets are prepared by the county executive and his staff," he explained. "We hold various hearings in the legislature. My committee that I chair is the Health and Social Services Committee. We hear from the chairs of all the committees and ask them to jusitfy rather than give pat answers about the money they are seeking before we approve the budget. Additionally, we hold committee meetings during the year and ask before grants are given that agencies explain the ramifications of the awarding of the money rather than just presenting figures on their clientele or the number of services they offer."

He added, "I think we strive for zero-based budgeting every day. Every time the budget comes before the legislature we try and implement it, but the legislature does not prepare the budget. We make changes in the budget where necessary before we approve it. During the budget process we go line by line and eliminate expenditures or programs if needed." He noted, "We've, over three years, eliminated $100 million from the county executive's budget."

During the budget process last year, the issue of shared sales tax revenue became a "hot topic." Immediate Past Garden City Mayor Frank Tauches, also the immediate past president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association, announced during his tenure as mayor at a Board of Trustees Meeting in the Village that he and his fellow mayors had spoken with Muscarella prior to the legislature's approval of the county budget and expressed their desire to see shared sales taxes with the villages. Following this meeting the legislator and his colleagues voted in a budget removing Gulotta's proposal to share the taxes, shocking and disappointing the NCVOA members in attendance and village residents in the days and weeks that followed. Muscarella took the opportunity to explain why he voted at that time in favor of maintaining the current system which does not share taxes with the villages and explained his support for shared sales tax.

"I am in favor of the county sharing sales tax -- I am in favor of the villages being able to negotiate for a portion of the revenue -- but during the last budget preparation it became clear that there were concerns about the county's ability to share and when considering the county's revenue projections, it was determined that it was neither the time or the place to institute shared sales tax. The majority of the legislators felt that this was not the year to implement it given the concerns about the budget," he expained.

Then Independent Candidate Pat Friedman in 1995 contended that the claims of the county at the time that the budget was balanced were "bold-faced lies" and claimed there was a deficit of at least $100 million in the budget. Now, Parradine is pointing to countless newspaper accounts of the county's financial deficit problems to challenge Muscarella for his seat. Muscarella was asked to explain what the current status of the county economy is, what is being done to deal with the deficit, and what role the legislature plays in the issue.

"In the last seven years we have finished the year with a surplus and some years we finish with a deficit. The concerns or scare in 1995 that there was a $100 million defecit did not come to pass," he replied. Now in 1999 with media reports of a $200 million deficit, and the state legislature approving the county executive's plan for the implementation of a transfer tax on real estate, the county is facing some of its biggest challenges yet. Muscarella said, "We will deal with our difficult times and put the county on good footing in the coming year and into the future."

He added, "I truly believe that Nassau County is the greatest place in the world to live. We have the greatest park system; it's safe; we have a strong economy; there are great stretches of beaches and a fantastic recreation system." Also, he observed, "As long as people believe taxes are spent fairly and wisely and to support those things that make Nassau County great, people don't resent paying taxes. It is when the perception is that this money is being wasted and taxpayers are not getting a return for their money, then people, and rightly so, begrudge paying. I still think if we look around at our facilities we can see the money is being well spent."

He did note, though, "I think we constantly need to reassess our expenditures. Unfortunately, our society is too focused on short-term thinking and not on the long-term. As a parent, you try to instill values and teach them that the short path is not always the wisest course. The candy bar may be good now, but putting money away for the long goal is wiser. I wish government would work that way. It's a philosophy I've always had."

Muscarella also noted that, "Being an elected official means talking to people and evaluating the public's concerns and needs and ways to accomplish their goals. Do we just wait to solve the problems now and fix the issue later or look to address long-term goals?"

Muscarella commented, "I enjoy trying to solve some of the county's problems. If people don't feel that I have adequately then I wish my opponent luck in his efforts. I believe I have earned the respect of the people in the communities of the Eighth Legislative District and I hope to serve them well for a long time."