On June 16, Nassau County Legislator Brian Muellers, (D., Glen Cove), made his bid for re-election official with members of the press. Legislator Muellers, whose constituency includes his hometown Glen Cove and much of the North Shore, is seeking a second term as the representative of the 18 Legislative District. As a novice politician in the year 2000, he found himself as part of a Democratic majority seated at the legislature-a majority the Democrats had not seen in 50 years. "My race, this time, is at the crossroads of Nassau County history---the machine politicians of the past or will we continue with the politics of the new millennium?"

Legislator Muellers said he prides himself in treating people as adults and taking responsibility for county services and maintaining them, while looking into how the county can be more efficient. "The day I took office in Jan. 2000, the estimated deficit was $175 million and it was estimated to be $450 million if we did nothing. We cut $109 million from the budget and reduced county staffing by over 700 positions. For the county's 64 villages we initiated their getting a fair share of sales tax revenue. We had the courage to tackle reassessment to stem the multi-million dollar hemorrhage triggered by the current assessment system. We also had the courage to make difficult decisions and address them in an open manner rather than ignoring them," said Legislator Muellers.

While outlining his accomplishments and efforts to improve the communities in the 18 District, the legislator highlighted the creation of the Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee, successfully lobbying for a county commitment of $5 million for the Underhill property and securing additional property at the Mill Neck Conservation Area, among others. Legislator Muellers made headlines during the winter season while standing at the chaotic intersection of Northern Boulevard and Glen Cove Road, a deferred capital project long-ignored by the county even though it had been included in the capital plan. The capital plan, a mere compilation of several typed pages, compared unfavorably to the hefty volumes containing the capital plan of Suffolk County. Legislator Muellers' commitment to reform the county's capital planning process includes holding meetings open to the public to review the capital plan and streamlining the whole process which currently entails a money-and time-wasting five-step assessment of projects underway. The legislator made note of his efforts regarding the forming of the West Shore Road Task Force in Bayville to rehabilitate that thoroughfare; addressing drainage issues along Bayville's President Streets; the pursuit of clean energy use and the elimination of harmful pesticides on county property using legislation; the creation of master plans for the county's towns and villages and the continued emphasis on open government. Legislator Muellers calls himself a scientist with the solution and likes to approach issues by breaking them down into smaller projects and moving forward to solve them. He looks forward to continuing the progress the legislature has made recently versus turning back the clock to what he calls mismanagement.