The League of Women Voters of Manhasset/Port Washington sponsored a Candidates Night Monday evening, Oct. 20, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Manhasset.

Represented were candidates for the 7th State Senate District, Senator Craig Johnson and his opponent Barbara Donno. The 7th Senate District encompasses the entire Town of North Hempstead. It also includes the communities of Elmont, New Hyde Park, Floral Park, South Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Bellerose Village, Bellerose Terrace, and parts of Franklin Square and Hicksville.

Following are opening statements, questions/answers, and closing statements. Their curriculum vitae appears elsewhere in the paper.

Johnson thanked the League of Women Voters for holding the very important forum. He said he has been a Senator now for 20 months and has fought for lower taxes and higher state aid. He grew up in Nassau County and said he will fight so the opportunities and benefits it afforded him will be available to his sons. We've made progress, he said, but given the uncertain and rocky financial times much more must be done and an experienced and independent legislator is needed. "As Senator, I've provided such leadership and will continue to provide leadership going forward to secure a stronger, more affordable Nassau County," he said.

Barbara Donno broke her kneecap in a fall and was unable to stand at the debate, so from her seated position with her leg resting on another chair she thanked the league for sponsoring the debate. She noted she had participated in many such debates when on the Manhasset Board of Education. "I'm not a New York politician," she began, "I'm a teacher and I've dedicated my life to education and giving back to my community." She mentioned she volunteered her time on the school board for nine years, four as president, and currently held a volunteer position as Mayor of the Village of Plandome Heights. If elected to the Senate, Donno said she would roll up her sleeves and find solutions to existing problems just as she did on the school board and now as mayor. Bickering and electioneering rhetoric are not solving our state's problems, she said, and "right now that is all I see coming out of Albany." She said that property taxes are a major concern and she will apply commonsense solutions. "If elected I will reach across party lines to help find real solutions," she said.

Q-What are your thoughts about preserving, consolidating or eliminating special districts such as sewer, water or garbage found throughout the county?

Johnson

Johnson said he believes in eliminating those that would help reduce costs. "I am the ranking member on the State's Local Government Committee and in addition I serve on the government committee on efficiency and we looked at the issue," he said. Special districts account for only about 5 percent of the total property tax bill. Commissioners should not take a salary or benefits, he said. The turnout for special district elections is terrible, he added, and should therefore be held in conjunction with either national elections or school budget elections to guarantee a better turnout. He also said the budgetary practice is not as open as it could be.

Donno

Answering the same question, Donno said as mayor of a local village she likes local control and would be hard-pressed to give it up. On the other hand she said she understands there has been abuse and misuse of funds in some special districts and that has to be controlled. "I would not care to give up local control of services and don't believe our residents want it either," she said.

Q-There has been so much mail in the past two months from both candidates, but more from Barbara Donno, so I assume she has more money. However, all of hers are negative whereas his are positive.

Donno

Donno disagreed all her ads were negative and said they addressed the issues. She said her campaign was run on facts, that if Johnson's voting record is negative, his voting record is negative.

Johnson

Johnson said it was hard to respond in the allotted one minute. He said he is proud of the campaign he is running and proud of his record as a county legislator and senator. We all face the property tax problems, he said, and we as a state are facing fiscal disaster. Newsday, Albany Times Union and some local papers had disputed his opponent's claims against him, he said. The discussion, he added, "should be about how to fix problems, and we are here to talk about our plans. I'm curious about my opponent's plans, and am not sure what they are." He said he looked forward to talking about what both hope to accomplish. Politicians agree to disagree, he said. He also said the public is tired of negative ads, both nationally and locally. People get on a train in the morning and are not sure if on the return trip they will have a job, he said, and added that negative, misleading, distorted attacks serve nobody and will not solve problems. "We as public servants should give you positive answers about what we will do when elected," he stated.

Q-A Roslyn Heights resident asked Donno about her campaign aide being caught and arrested for removing Johnson signs and replacing them with Donno signs.

Donno

Donno said she did not condone what was done and it was not directed by her or her campaign. She added he was a 21-year-old who was passionate about the election, and when caught was truthful about what he had done. She said there had been a Johnson worker found in her office. She reiterated she did not and does not condone what her aide did. She added he is facing legal action.

Q-A Port Washington resident said both candidates mentioned they would work to lower school taxes. What can or can't the New York State Legislature do to lower school taxes?

Johnson

There is a lot the state legislature could do regarding school taxes and school funding, Johnson said, and it comes from two sources: state aid and property taxes. He said he had gotten $41 million in additional state aid for his schools. "I broke from my party's ranks to get more school aid," he said. The senator also said costs for unfunded mandates are pushed down by the State Education Department onto our schools and while it was necessary to eliminate them he complained that when he supported a constitutional amendment to eliminate unfunded mandates it was blocked on the floor of the Senate by Republicans. We should allow schools to dictate their own busing plan to save money, he said, and acknowledged one superintendent informed him if allowed to do that he could save $1 million. Also, Johnson said, money can be saved by reducing or eliminating equipment mandates. Sometimes, he said, they are mandated in the middle of the school year after the budgets are approved and create havoc.

Donno

"Believe it or not we do agree here. As president of the school board I understand the difficulty doing the budget and making sure all students get a quality education. Our schools do not get their fair share back from Albany-17 percent of students come from Long Island and we get 13 percent back and therefore we must redo the state aid formula to get our fair share. Ban unfunded mandates, require school districts to be accountable for the money they're spending to ensure it is being spent efficiently and wisely-not siphoned off as in the Roslyn scandals,"she stated. Mr. Johnson has talked about getting state aid back to his district, Donno said, but there are districts that didn't benefit including his own. She said Port Washington got less than its share of state aid; received less than last year, and that she would fight for all districts, not just some.

Q- Which issues are foremost in this legislative year knowing very little money is available?

Donno

Property taxes are the main issue, she said. The economy is facing a budget deficit, she added, noting one thing that could be done is to enforce the laws already in place, for example, collect sales taxes on cigarettes from Indian reservations that have not been enforced. She said legislators need to stop bickering and work together. Donno said this is not about Republicans and Democrats, "it is about all of you."

Johnson

"We have to focus on the economy," Johnson stated. "In 2000 I entered public service when my mother passed away. I became a county legislator and was on Team Suozzi when we restored financial stability to Nassau County. Nassau County was on the brink of bankruptcy, and we changed that." I am a lawyer by trade, Johnson said, and can help do the same thing for New York State. "We just signed a bipartisan bill in the Senate that will save $1 billion over two years. We also need to take a look at authorities that operate as secret governments, for example, the Toll Bridge Authority could merge with the Thruway Authority and operate under the State Department of Transportation-- for the year 2008-09 that could save $30 million." He said if there is a 6 percent attrition rate per year just by instituting a hiring freeze, not firing, the savings in 2009-10 could approach $100 million.

Q-How should we approach a cap on property taxes?

Johnson

"I supported the property tax cap put forth by Governor Paterson that was the bill put forth by Senator Skelos. It provides relief to seniors because taxes are increasing exponentially. They are house rich and cash poor," he said. He suggested to exempt out certain costs-special education-where unfunded mandates can cost $100,000 for just one student per year. Certain schools in the 7th district provide terrific special education services and parents with special needs children are drawn to the area but the state does not fund adequately, he said. Transportation expenses should be exempt too, he added, and busing should be an initiative of local control.

Donno

"It is a step but still a tax and taxes will go up every year by 4 percent," she said, adding that also to be dealt with are unfunded mandates, fraud and abuse, the need for more state aid, and the need to get our fair share from Albany. Donno stated $2.6 billion as the cost of Johnson's Triple Tax Relief Plan and stated she does not agree with it.

Donno said if she had been in the Senate at the time of the vote on the tax cap she would have voted for it. "It is a step in the right direction," she said.

Q-A member of the New York Civil Liberties in Nassau County asked about schools empowering students, as they grow up, to have information on comprehensive, age appropriate sex education that is medically accurate. She also asked about discrimination on school grounds.

Donno

The question surprised Donno, she said she thought there was sex education that was medically accurate in the schools and she said discrimination should not be tolerated.

Johnson

He said he supported sex education. He said he knew of an 11-year-old girl in Uniondale who asked a 13-year-old girl for information about sex.

Johnson complained about the misinformation on his tax reduction plan disseminated by Barbara Donno and commented that in 2004, the last year of her tenure on the school board, the property tax increased by 8 percent. And, he noted, Manhasset, a wealthy community, went on austerity.

Donno

Donno responded saying in 2004 the budget increased 5.76 percent, one of the lowest on Long Island. It was the year of the perfect storm she said-reassessment, the Roslyn scandal and she stated Johnson's current law firm was involved in deceptive practices with schools.

(Editors note: The 2003-04 Manhasset budget represented a budge- to -budget increase of 5.87 percent. A 5.87 percent budget increase is a 7.67 percent tax rate increase.

In May 2004 the community rejected that budget. In April, virtually the same budget was presented for a second vote and again was voted down. The community voted for austerity, restricting the budget-to-budget increase to 3.79 percent. The vote was a vote for change. Barbara Donno had chosen not to run that year for a board position.)

Donno

"I am angry at the tax burden and that is why I am running. I refuse to sit on the sidelines. My opponent has a shallow property tax plan, and after getting record state aid some districts are left in the dark. I have spent my life giving back to the community. I speak up when something is wrong, and I will do it in the Senate," Donno said.

Johnson

Johnson thanked the League of Women Voters for hosting the forum and said he wished there was more time. He said he wished "we did not get bogged down in what people are not concerned about." He said he hoped it helped people decide who they would vote for, for State Senator. Johnson said finances were critical and "we all need to work together so the burden on the taxpayer is eased." He said he was proud of securing $41 million in increased state aid in spite of how his opponent presented it. "To fix New York's broken state aid program, I'm the candidate. I will continue to work for you," he said.