Winning a seat in the State Assembly, on Feb. 3, was the culmination of a lifelong dream for Levittown resident, Kathleen Murray.

Murray, the first woman from Levittown to be elected to the Assembly, says that she had wanted to run for public office since she was about 12 years old. She believes that it is a very noble calling, despite all the cynicism that is out there today. As an assemblywoman, her job will entail making, creating, and enacting all the laws that govern New York State.

After only a little over two weeks, Murray has already gotten her committee assignments and begun choosing her issues. Her first committee meeting was for the codes committee, which deals with all of the criminal justice issues and criminal codes. She says "I was very pleased to be placed on that committee, with my background with Dennis Vacco." She believes that her background with the Attorney General's office actually had a great deal to do with her being assigned to that committee. She has also been assigned to the Housing Committee, which deals with all the housing issues, and the Oversight, Analysis, and Investigations Committee, which can deal with just about any issue and has a wide-ranging, broad agenda. Each member of the Assembly is assigned to certain committees which deals with issues and bills before they are ever brought to the Assembly floor. She feels that the committees are very important and that "if nothing else, you could help shape the debate on the issue and you could help shape the language of the particular bill that will eventually find its way to the floor."

Murray started off by signing onto a seatbelt law that would require children 16 and under to sit in the back seat, with a seatbelt on. She says she has also signed onto a bill for Jenna's law, which takes away parole for first time felony offenders. This is a bill, proposed by Governor Pataki, that is named for a woman who was murdered in November, by a previously convicted felon, who the parole board did not want to let out because he had not shown any signs of rehabilitation. The board's hands were tied, however because he had served two-thirds of his sentence and therefore had to be paroled. Jenna's law would make it so that the parole board would be given the option not to release a felon until his entire sentence had been served. This is an issue that Murray feels strongly about. Another issue that she feels very strongly about, is a bill that she has multi-sponsored, which would ban partial birth abortions. She says "I think that this is a horrific medical procedure that will be a very, very controversial issue with the Democratic majority." These are some of the issues that she has tackled since becoming an assemblywoman.

While she has not had much time to work with the Levittown community yet, she feels that in the future she can have a great impact on the area. She says that she has always wanted to represent the people, not only in Levittown, but in the State Assembly. Her goal was to be able to represent Levittown on a state level because she feels that she can do a lot of good as a legislator. She says "Everything comes back to the people you are serving and if I keep them in mind, if I keep their issues in mind, I think that will be the best guide for me as a legislator, because as they say, all politics is local and I believe this is true." She believes that if she does right by her constituents then they will do right by her. She says that she believes that legislators have the power to really improve the quality of life for their constituents, whether it is helping a little league team, or getting extra parking spaces for a senior center. She adds "You can, through the power of your office, help all sorts of groups in your communities and help the schools in all sorts of little ways." She believes that no task is too small for her to deal with. Murray plans not to forget her constituents, make her presence known to them when she is on Long Island, and continually be in touch with them.

Murray adds that she is so thrilled to be in the Assembly and that she looks forward to a long relationship with her constituents, as their assemblywoman.