The Year 2000 was an exhausting one politically on the national level. The heated presidential and senatorial campaigns dominated the news throughout the entire year. The unbelievable ending to the Bush-Gore contest was a fitting climax. This year the scene shifts to the local scene. With the announcement that County Executive Thomas Gulotta will not run for re-election, the door is open to new faces. The Democrats will choose between Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli and Glen Cove Mayor Tom Suozzi and, since there will probably be a primary fight, that campaign will last at least until September. The Republican leadership has not announced its choice for a candidate although Plandome resident Bruce Bent is gaining the most attention. On the town level, there will be a showdown between Supervisor May Newburger and Councilman Angelo Ferrara, unless a primary battle occurs in one of the major parties. As a local weekly paper, our coverage of politics is necessarily limited, but we try to keep our readers informed. Some years ago, while Ben Zwirn was supervisor and Gerry Cunningham was the minority member of the North Hempstead town board, there were constant battles at town board meetings, causing one reader of the Manhasset Press to write a plaintive letter, saying Úquot;Can't these two guys settle things between them so that I can get back to reading about weddings and kids' ball games in my local paper?Úquot; Although we sympathize with that sentiment, we can't keep our head in the sand. This editorial is just a promise to try to keep a balance--to keep our readers up to date on what's going on with county and town politics and to treat the candidates with objectivity, knowing that we're not going to be able to please everyone. We also welcome your letters on any and all local topics.

E.F.B.