Declaring that the Nassau County Republican Committee is taking "the gender gap head on," Joseph N. Mondello, chairman of that organization, on Thursday announced that two women - Maureen O'Connell, of East Williston, and Kathleen Murray, of Levittown - will carry the party's standard in a special election for the New York State Assembly to be held February 3.

The election, to fill vacancies in the 17th and 19th assembly districts, was made necessary by electoral wins in November by Michael Balboni, who is now a state senator, and Charles O'Shea, the newly elected chairman of the Board of Assessors.

Also introduced during a Mineola press conference was Linda Reed, who was appointed this past Tuesday to fill a vacancy on the Hempstead Town Board.

In addition to the special election to be held in three weeks, all three women will be running in the general election next fall.

"The simple truth is, we need more women in government," Mondello said after speaking briefly about each candidate. "Governing bodies, such as the Hempstead Town Board, simply can't be dominated by men anymore.

"This is something that's been recognized, not only by us, but by the New York State Republican Committee, which is making a concerted effort to draw women into elective office."

The nomination of O'Connell and Murray comes a year after the local Republican committee ran a total of 14 women for elective office on the county and statewide level.

If the two women and incumbent Assemblywoman Donna Ferrara win re-election in November, the Nassau Republican Delegation would have more women representatives in the legislature than any other county Republican organization in the state.

Though their numbers have been growing in recent years, women in general still remain a minority by a long shot in the assembly. Currently, only 23 of the ninety-six Democrats, or roughly 24 percent of their caucus in the lower house of the legislature are women, compared to 8 out of 51 Republicans, roughly 19 percent of that caucus.

Asked what their legislative priorities will be if they are successful in the special election, both O'Connell and Murray said they intend to help Governor George Pataki realize the goals he set forth this week in this State of the State message.

Among those goals were a proposal to expand the state's Child Care Plus program to guarantee access to health coverage for every New Yorker through the age of 18; an accelerated phasing-in of the STAR program, to provide further tax relief for senior citizens; and bringing significant change to the state educational system.

Pressed about whether she has any specific projects she'd like to undertake if sent to Albany, Murray said that "with so many critical issues confronting the legislature, it's hard to point to one and say, 'this is the one I'll focus on.'"

Given the thrust of the press conference, Mondello was asked about continuing reports that the governor is seeking a woman to serve as his running mate this year - a predisposition that would rule out a much speculated-about run by County Executive Thomas S. Gulotta for Lieutenant Governor.

"I haven't spoken to the governor since the holidays," the party chairman said, "but it is my understanding that he still believes he needs a woman to run beside him this year.

"Now, it may well be that after considering a number of possible running mates, he might change his mind and opt to run with a man. Certainly, if that were the case, I would be fostering Tom Gulotta as a possibility to fulfill that role."

Speaking further on the possibility of Gulotta being added to the statewide ticket, Mondello said he considers the county executive to be well-qualified for such a run.

"After all, he's been in government a long time, he knows the will of the people, and he has a tremendous capacity for raising money."

In recent weeks, as speculation about Gulotta has heated up, Mondello has said that he himself might be interested in becoming Nassau's next county executive.

At mention of this Mondello smiled and said, "Well, I'm certainly not going to say 'no' [to such an opportunity]. This county faces a great many challenges in the years ahead. We're going to need a good fiscal person to tackle them.... and while I'm not declaring my own candidacy today, I have to definitely say that I'm interested.

"That said, let me add that I am the county chairman of the finest Republican organization in the country and I'm very satisfied to serve in that role."

Asked if adding so many women to the Republican ticket for this year might enhance Gulotta's chances of being invited onto the Pataki ticket, Mondello said, "it has to help [his chances]."

"I believe that these three women on the ticket and the other women that we will likely ask to run as part of our slate on the ballot, more women will come out and support the Republican Party.

"It's simply the wave of the future. Statistics show that more women are registered to vote in this county than men. And when you put your best foot forward, good things happen."

Perhaps the most heated moment in the half hour-long press conference came when a reporter suggested that while Mondello is sponsoring Gulotta for statewide office, U.S. Senator Alphonse D'Amato is pushing another local candidate, Bruce Blakeman, the presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature.

"Listen, Al D'Amato and I have an agreement," Mondello said, I won't put bills before Congress and he won't make recommendations about potential candidates."

While the Republicans announced their candidates for the special election with great fanfare, the Nassau Democratic Committee were still hours away from determining who their candidates will be.

The frontrunners for the nod, which was to be determined last Thursday night, are Mark Keefe, a Uniondale attorney and former law school classmate of Jon Kaiman, the Democrats candidate last fall for Nassau District Attorney, and JoAnn Flora, ran last year in an unsuccessful bid for the Hempstead Town Board.