Tom Alfano is running for re-election for the New York State Assembly for the 21st Assembly District, which includes, among other communities, Elmont, Franklin Square, West Hempstead and Floral Park, on the Republican, Independent, Working Families and Conservative party lines. Alfano has been a member of the New York State Assembly since 1996 and hopes to continue his service to work on issues he feels are important such as education, fiscal responsibility, health care and civil rights.

The 21st Assembly District is seen as a sort of melting pot with many diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups. Alfano sees representing such a constituency as a challenge and believes his work has reflected his constituency. Proof may have come earlier this year when there was a proposal to reshuffle the Assembly districts so that Alfano's district would have changed. According to Alfano's district office, over 2,000 statements of testimony were turned in an effort to keep Alfano's district intact. The effort was successful.

In his last bid for re-election in 1996, Alfano lauded the accomplishments of the state legislature when it came to fighting for new health care programs such as Family Health Plus and enhancing the Elderly Prescription Insurance Coverage Program (EPIC) for senior citizens who need help paying for prescription drugs as well as supporting gun control legislation.

However, during this past term, those in the state legislature were forced to deal with the issues relating with the September 11, 2001 attack. Immediately after Sept 11, Governor George Pataki called a special session of the state legislature. At that time, some anti-terrorist bills were passed. "I had never seen the spirit of legislators working in a bipartisan fashion more in evidence than I did during that special session. It set the tone for the last session. We should all work together for the betterment of the people of New York state. I have always adopted that since I've been elected in 1996. I work extremely well with the Democrats in the Assembly and certainly with my own colleagues where I am in leadership and I also work extremely well with our Senate delegation, which is very important to bringing a lot of significant money into the 21st Assembly District," Alfano said.

One challenge posed to state legislators now and in the near future is stimulating an economy that has been on a downward spiral. "The deficit is real. It will be there and I think you need experienced leaders to come to grips with it and put their arms around it and be able to have creative solutions to the current fiscal situation in our state and in our country. People have to regain their stock market losses and I'm certainly in favor of changing the federal securities laws that exist to punish corporate wrongdoers to the fullest extent imaginable," Alfano said. "The government can do some things to stimulate the economy such as investing in job centers and high tech businesses as the governor has attempted to do in Nassau, Suffolk and parts upstate. I believe there will be dividends. Lowering the interest rates creates a perfect environment for businesses to grow if they have faith in our economy. The solution is not simply to keep taxing people. I think the way to stimulate the economy is not by increasing the taxes, but by creatively investing state revenues and state funds in emerging businesses and encouraging small businesses to grow and employ more people."

A frequent visitor to schools in his district, Alfano believes education is an important issue. At the Elmont School District, for instance, there lies great challenges in educating children, particularly since so many different languages are spoken in the schools. Alfano considers himself a champion of public education in the state and acknowledges the need to fund some of the programs that exist in the schools. "We have serious needs," he said. "We will continue to fight as we do every year to make sure that education is not sacrificed in these difficult fiscal times. I think that's the last thing we have to consider if the economy doesn't improve and if things are very bad. That's the last step, the doomsday scenario."

In his tenure in the state Assembly, Alfano is proud of securing record amounts of state aid for the schools in his district and of the quality of education students are getting. "I'm very proud of the education of our children throughout the district, from Elmont to West Hempstead to Floral Park. I think our children are getting a superior education. I'm there frequently and I like what I see," he said.

Alfano is also proud of the work he has done within his district such as securing grants for Gateway Youth Outreach in Elmont, a unique program that services some 1,600 children in Elmont and the surrounding areas. The organization offers a variety of services including counseling services, after-school activities, reading and math tutorials and other services. "This is for working class people, people who have two or three jobs and can't possibly afford to live in the 21st Assembly District unless they did work as hard as they do and their kids, often young children, would then be left at home by themselves after school. We relieved them of that terrible burden that they would have by being creative, hardworking and getting these grants," he said.

Alfano is also proud of instituting a leaders and mentors program. Through the program 1,000 children just from the Elmont elementary schools went to Albany to speak to elected officials. "We've educated a generation of people in the western end of my district to not be intimidated by politicians and elected officials and just recognize that we're just like their parents and have the same concerns they have," he said.

If elected, Alfano believes the challenges facing state legislators include dealing with a budget deficit in a time when the economy is on a downswing and being vigilant against future acts against the state and country. "That's why you need tested leaders," he said.

In the state Assembly, Alfano is the ranking Republican member of the judiciary committee. He is also a member of the insurance, codes and labor committees.