Last week, the Nassau County Republicans and Democrats both held their annual conventions for the purpose of selecting candidates for the November 7 elections.

This is a year to watch in Nassau elections following the huge upset in the county that for decades has been known as the "Republican Machine." While the Democrats and Republicans may have many differences, both parties maintained optimism at their individual conventions.

The Democrats, at their Wednesday night convention, held at the Best Western in Hempstead maintained an optimistic attitude that was much different from the tone of last year's convention. Whereas in the past Nassau Democratic candidates did not hold out much hope going into elections, after a year in which Democrats won seats in the Town of Hempstead, known as the heart of the Republican Party and took the majority in the county legislature, they, under the leadership of Nassau Democratic Chairman Thomas DiNapoli, maintained extremely positive attitudes that not only would they hold onto the seats in the Town of Hempstead that they won last November, but they would gain the majority on the town board and pick up several seats on the state level as well.

Republicans, on the other hand, made their intentions to win back the rest of Hempstead Town clear and also promised to hold onto their incumbents on the board. Nassau Republican Chairman Joseph Mondello also let it be known at the party's Thursday night convention at Division Avenue High School in Levittown, that he fully intended to hold onto the party's five incumbent state senators. In the State Assembly, Republicans currently hold seven out of the county's 11 seats. With six of the seven incumbents making another run, the party has also selected candidates for the four seats currently occupied by Democrats and picked former Town of Hempstead Councilman Robert Barra to run for the seat currently occupied by Republican Jim Darcy, who is making a run for the Town of Hempstead in the upcoming elections.

This year's Town of Hempstead elections take on a particularly significant historical role, not only because of the upset that the Republicans suffered losing three of the six council seats, but because it is the first time that the Town of Hempstead candidates will run in districts rather than at large. This change comes after a lawsuit brought on by now Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, in which she and other plaintiffs claimed that the town's at-large voting system was racially discriminatory. The courts decided in the plaintiffs' favor and ruled that the Town of Hempstead must be divided into six councilmanic districts. Currently Republicans hold the majority on the board with three Republican councilmembers and a Republican Town Supervisor. With all six council seats up for grabs the majority of this significant municipality, which is the largest township in America, hangs in the balance.

For District 5 of the Town of Hempstead, which includes Wantagh, North Wantagh, North Bellmore, Bellmore, Merrick, Seaford, and Lido Beach, the Republicans have selected the Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Angelina (Angie) Cullin to run against incumbent Rita Kestenbaum who won her seat last November. Kestenbaum noted that last Novemeber, "We did the impossible and three Democrats were elected to Town Board." She expressed her belief upon the Democrats nomination of her, that this year the Democrats would take the majority on the board. Her opponent, Cullin, of Freeport is determined to prevent this from happening. Mondello noted upon the nomnation of Cullin, that she is willing to give up her position of Receiver of Taxes in order to "step up to the plate" to run for a council seat. Cullin, who has been receiver of taxes since 1993 previously was the Town of Hempstead's first female board member, a position which she held from 1987-1993. Cullin, who was re-elected last November, would only give up the position of receiver of taxes if elected councilwoman.

In District 6 of the Town of Hempstead, which encompasses Levittown, East Meadow, Salisbury, and North Merrick, there is currently no incumbent. The Democrats have selected community activist Viki DeJong, of Westbury, to run for that seat, while the Republicans have selected former Town of Hempstead Councilman Gary Hudes to run. DeJong, who is well known in the Town of Hempstead as the chairperson for the Citizens Committee for Civic Action on solid waste and her involvement with the operations of the Hempstead incinerator and has made previous runs on the Democratic Party line told those gathered at the Democratic convention, "Some recycled things are much better than new things ... this time I'm going to win." Hudes, who lost his town board seat in November after having been appointed in July is known for his involvement around the Levittown community in which he lives, as well as throughout the county, serving as the president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce. Both Hudes and DeJong were recently appointed to the Hempstead Town Supervisor's Cell Tower Task Force to monitor and make recommendations regarding the location of cellular telephone towers within the township.

In other local elections, for the 4th Congressional District, the Republicans have chosen to run Gregory Becker of Lynbrook, a former New York State Assemblyman, against incumbent Democrat Carolyn McCarthy, of Mineola. This will be a rematch of the 1998 election in which these two candidates ran against each other. On the state level the Democrats have not yet chosen a candidate to run against incumbent Kemp Hannon, of Garden City, for the 6th Senatorial District. In the 8th Senatorial District incumbent Charles Fuschillo, of Merrick, will run against Jeanette Santos, of Babylon. For the 14th Assembly District, the Democrats had three people interested in running against incumbent Marc Herbst, of Hicksville, and did not immediately name their candidate, but after the convention selected Gary Burke, of Plainview to run for that position. In the 15th Assembly District, the Republican incumbent Donna Ferrara, of Westbury, will run against Darlene Sigalow, also of Westbury. The 19th Assembly District race will be between Republican incumbent Kathleen Murray, of Levittown, and Democrat Steve November, of Merrick.