Running for re-election to a third term in the Nassau County Legislature, Republican Edward Mangano is touting his strong commitment to representing the communities of the 17th Legislative district, his advocacy of the environment, and his tireless work to revitalize the Grumman property.

It was set against the backdrop of massive layoffs at what used to be Long Island's largest employer, Grumman, that Mangano stepped into the county political scene. The former aeronautics giant had recently merged with its competitor Northrup and was downsizing from approximately 25,000 jobs to just over 3,500.

Mangano, a Bethpage resident, noted that in addition to the hardship experienced by the blue collar unemployed workers, the departure of such a mainstay in Nassau would have far-reaching implications throughout the county. The shutdown cost the county millions of dollars in lost tax revenue, it had an adverse effect on local school districts, and it left the property polluted and, considered by many, unusable.

"My pledge was to revitalize that property and get it cleaned it up. I am proud of how hard I have worked and the fact it has happened," said Mangano in an interview in early October. "Most people had said it would not happen in a short period of time, that it was impossible . . . Business papers at the time had stated that you could not attract any big companies there, the location was bad, it had environmental problems, you would not be able to re-create jobs that used to be there."

According to Mangano, the county has been successful in returning over 10,000 jobs to the property, returning millions of dollars in tax base and most importantly, cleaning up the the property. He insisted that much of the progress on the site was equally due to the cooperation and input of concerned residents and environmental groups.

He noted a Department of Environmental Conservation meeting held last January, where it was reported that for the first time the plume of contamination on the site was receding rather than spreading. He further indicated that there have been over 300 areas of ground contamination that have been cleaned up.

"There is still a lot of work to go, but it is being done instead of being fought over in lawsuits. The money is going into actually cleaning up the property. So I am very proud of that accomplishment. "

Mangano stated that it was his involvement with the Grumman site that helped forge his strong advocation for the environment. He has been involved in the preservation of 13 acres on the former Grumman property for park land and athletic fields, an acre-sized nature sanctuary in Hicksville, and the addition of three acres to the Jericho Preserves.

"By having such an environmental problem in the community, I learned a lot about the environment. I learned the importance of preserving land that is environmentally significant."

He has also, while working with residents, been an active proponent of preserving the Underhill property and protecting the valuable ground water it replenishes. The New York League of Conservation Voters has endorsed Mangano based on his "stewardship on behalf of the environment."

"Because of the important environmental and redevelopment issues in my community I have been studying the issue since the late 1980s. I have a great knowledge of what needs to be done and continue to be done. I feel that knowledge has helped me throughout the district in preserving land and assisting the environment in other areas."

Despite the county's fiscal problems over the last two years, Mangano feels he and the legislature have been responsive to the needs of the county and in particular the 17th Legislative District.

"Since this legislature has been here we have cut $1.8 million in spending and we have reduced the size of government and at the same time we have turned back requests for speculative revenue."

Although Mangano does not like to "play the blame game," he stated the county's financial problems can be partly attributed to the fact that there has not been an increase in property taxes in eight years.

"What has happened is that contractual obligations have risen and the cost of operations have risen, yet revenue generated from property taxes has not," said Mangano. "In past years, these shortfalls were made up with what everybody calls "one-shots."

He continued, "What has happened now is that Wall Street is really demanding that there be recurring revenue to make up for shortfalls as opposed to nonrecurring revenue.

"So here we are, and how do we fix it? Our mantra has always been to look to the taxpayer last, so we had outlined a plan earlier this year that we would have liked to have seen implemented in the proposed budget by the administration. What has happened is that we feel that after several hearings the plan that was proposed was not responsive to our request, was not responsive to Wall Street and would not produce good results to the taxpayer."

In addition to the county's budgetary woes, its tax assessment system has come under fire in the past year. It has been argued that the archaic system of determining property taxes has created large inequities among homes throughout the county, especially between high income communities and lower income communities. Mangano states he is supportive of finding a solution for the problem, but warns against rushing into anything that might create even larger inequities.

"I know there is a problem. I just want to make sure we do not make it worse. If we are going to come up with a solution, it has to produce a betterment and not another inequity. That is something that needs to be carefully scrutinized as plans are proposed. And they will be proposed because we do have an archaic tax assessment system that screams to be updated."

Mangano is standing behind his record amid concerns of a possible public backlash against Republican candidates this November. He stated that in addition to his fight for environmentally sensitive properties, he was instrumental in rehabilitating Cantiague Pool, which was losing thousands of gallons of water a day.

"There is a tremendous amount of negative publicity going around and you are always concerned about that. I would hope that people look at what I have done. I have worked hard and I think I have done exactly what the legislature was designed to do, which is to give our district greater representation," said Mangano. "I have made changes and I have brought home projects. Most of the items that are being raised, if you would look into how the legislature has responded it has been in a positive manner. It has been in a manner that benefits the taxpayer. We have been your voice in county government."

Mangano notes the problems that arose from the county health insurance policy with BPA had nothing to do with the legislature. They were contracts that were entered into prior to when the legislative body was formed in 1996. According to Mangano, however, the legislature did hold hearings and was able to obtain over $19 million back from those who had the contract and correct the system.

"I am happy to answer for what I have done. I feel I have done the right thing and worked hard for everybody as fairly and as strongly as possible throughout my district," said Mangano.

"Continuing my work on the redevelopment of the Grumman property, making certain the environment is cleaned up and the property is placed back on the tax role and jobs are created," said Mangano of what he plans to do if returned to office. "I plan to continue trying to preserve open spaces that protect our water supply, and bring the services that Nassau County has to offer to everybody, especially seniors and veterans."

James Keough, looking to bring a new and independent voice to a county government he says has disillusioned its constituency, is running for election to the Nassau County Legislature in the 17th district.

"The response has been nothing but positive. Whether or not that translates into Republicans going to the booth and pulling the lever for a Democrat remains to be seen," said Keough, who has been campaigning since late August. "The Republicans are bombarding their constituency with literature explaining how they are not to blame for a $300 million deficit and how they did not do it and how they can fix the problem."

He continued, "It is definitely uncomfortable for them, and there is a lot of infighting going on too, and usually that is not the style of the Republicans."

Keough stated in a recent interview, that the reason for the Republican Party's apprehension and concern entering the November 2 elections is that the one-party rule they have enjoyed for so long has contributed to the creation of a $300 million deficit.

Cutting wasteful spending by the county is among the several actions he is advocating. He stated he would call for a line by line justification of all the patronage positions currently held in the county, and of all the spending for pagers, cell phones, and non-emergency passenger vehicles. He would also call for competitive bidding for property sales and personal service contracts. Most importantly he said, he would lobby for a fiscal oversight board "with the power to prevent unrealistic budgets."

"We need an oversight board because we have had things like the one-shot deals to balance the budget and now we are in debt. We definitely need fiscal oversight until the budget is balanced."

Keough admits the Republican leadership has realized that a problem in the county exists, but asserts that many of the Republican-led Legislature's directives concerning the budget were wrought from measures the Democratic party has sought for years.

"They are trying, but where were they before? That is part of the one-party-in-power-too-long problem. Every Republican legislator owes his job to Joe Mondello. If he did not want them in there, they would be out. That is no way to run a county government," he said.

The county is currently using an assessment system that is almost universally considered outdated and unrepresentative of current property values. Keough stated the system should be overhauled, in fairness to low-income homeowners and to stem the rash of lawsuits from residents contesting their rates, which is costing the county up to $100 million per year.

"It is morally wrong to have the people who are getting the least amount of service, the least amount of benefit, and the least amount of assessment taxed the most under the current system," said Keough, who is a Hicksville resident.

He further stated that once the county has reassessed it would be able to work on cutting the excess fat in the budget. "If things are still not balanced then you have to look at the way you tax people, which is the best way to get money to run the county. If property taxes are not the best way or not the fairest way I would investigate the idea of changing the way we tax, maybe even an income tax."

A New York City high school teacher and a carpenter, Keough, ran unsuccessfully against Mangano in 1997, and was also unsuccessful in his bid to obtain the Democratic nomination in 1995. Despite his lack of success in the past, Keough feels there is a window of opportunity this year, if not for himself, then for other Democratic candidates.

"This is the first time the Republicans have been in trouble," the candidate said. "It is a historic time for the Democrats . . . It is up to the people. If they take the time to come out and vote, anything can happen."

He cited the 1st Legislative District, which covers Uniondale and surrounding areas, as indicative of the Democratic Party's loss of support. The Democrats in this district outnumber the Republicans, yet the incumbent candidate from that district is Darlene Harris, a Republican.

"People have not even gone out to vote. They are disillusioned, they are disenfranchised. They do not believe anyone, and you can not blame them," said Keough who fully expects seats such as that of the first district to be won by the Democratic party. "But you have to realize this is the only power that we have in this country, and we have to go out and try."

He continued, "Even if I do not get elected, the county needs more Democrats. You need a balance. You need at least a two-party system in this county."

Keough has also promised to open an office within the district, in order to make himself and the services the county offers more accessible to his constituents. He also would hope this would let people know that they too have a say in what goes on in the county. "Everybody has an idea, some of them are valid and some of them are not, but there is no opportunity to express them in the current government."

He feels the county should play an active role in the preservation and protection of environmentally sensitive land, such as the Underhill property in Jericho. He proposes that instead of new developments on pristine land the county should encourage the redevelopment of economically diminishing areas.

He also would like to change the way the automobile is used on Long Island. According to Keough, commuters' dependence on the automobile is destroying the environment. If the county wants to build a HUB centered around Nassau Coliseum, then some type of mass transportation system would have to be built, he said.

"I will bring a totally different perspective. That is my main qualification . . . I know how to think for myself, I know how to get along with people and I know how to listen. I am honest," he said. "We need some people who are going to do what is right for all the people."