Well, the election season is certainly going to be interesting this year. The Democrats are holding their 28th Nassau County Convention on May 28 at the LI Marriott Hotel in Uniondale and we have heard some glimmers of what will be happening. We have been hearing things off the record and they are still unofficial, but we can't wait to start reporting the events.

Nearby in the Town of North Hempstead, voters will be considering council districts, the proposal to divide the town into districts with one councilperson representing each district and the possibility of increasing the number of councilpersons. That's always an interesting subject. The Town of Oyster Bay voted on that issue several years ago when the Republicans, in rejecting the concept, called the proposed districts "wards," and gave the issue a negative spin saying it would bring New York City politics to the Island. They said their at-large councilpersons were assigned various areas and that representation already existed. They also spoke about the increased costs of the proposed structure and if we remember correctly, they spent more to quash the concept than it would have cost to have it in effect for the first year.

Now with a strong Democratic presence in Nassau County and the recent formation of the Nassau County Legislature, it is interesting to watch the concept creeping through the county.

Those in favor of council districts/seats see it as a way of having greater influence on what happens in your area. Another view is one supporting the current at-large system - if one representative doesn't respond to your message, you can go to another representative for help. All those considerations are without mentioning the cost of the salaries and staff needed for the possible addition of new officials.

This is a very interesting time in Nassau County as we redefine ourselves. With the Town of Hempstead following the Nassau County Legislature in instituting districts, and the Town of North Hempstead ready to vote on the issue, how close is the Town of Oyster Bay to reconsidering their former decision?

At the same time, as we consider what we think will be fair representation for residents, there are still people interested in the concept of forming more incorporated villages, as many residents believe they can serve local concerns better. As we said before, this is going to be an interesting time to be writing (and reading) about local government elections and the politics behind them.

- DFK