John Ciotti has been representing the 3rd Legislative District, which now includes parts of Elmont, Franklin Square, South Floral Park, West Hempstead and North Valley Stream since the first session of the Nassau County Legislature in 1996. Ciotti, who now sits on nine of the legislature's 11 committees, has become a mainstay on the 19-member legislature as he was re-elected in 1997, 1999 and 2001. But now the Republican legislator from Valley Stream may be facing his most difficult battle yet.

That's because district lines have changed and Ciotti estimates that the 3rd Legislative District is comprised of more Democratic voters than has been in the past.

However, Ciotti feels he has the issues on his side. The 3rd District legislator believes that having a Democratic county executive with a Democratic legislator representing the 3rd District would threaten the system of checks and balances that was created when the legislature was implemented.

Ciotti believes his opponent, Democrat Larry DeAngelis, would only rubber stamp what the Suozzi administration wants to implement. Úquot;That completely takes away from the foundation and the reason why we were set up,Úquot; he said.

One issue Ciotti is concerned with is illegal housing. The legislator consulted with the Town of Hempstead board when it passed a resolution earlier this year that gives building inspectors more teeth in fighting illegal housing by expanding the basis for probable cause for illegal housing to include such factors as multiple electrical meters, mailboxes and doorbells.

Ciotti also talked about working together with Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino about setting up a quality of life courtroom, which would provide a forum in which to listen to quality of life issues. He hopes that the courtroom will be set up sometime in January and February.

Another big issue is county finances. Ciotti points out that the 3rd Legislative District has a high concentration of senior citizens. Úquot;Because of that, I always have to be watching the issues concerning the vulnerability of the fixed income individuals. Whenever we're taking votes on the legislature, although I'm looking at the county as a whole, I'm specifically honing in on the fact that I have a substantial number of seniors that are on fixed incomes,Úquot; he said.

Ciotti said he vows to be tax conscious to the citizens of the 3rd Legislative District. He has come out in opposition of a progressive income tax to fix the county's fiscal problems. Úquot;You can't justify and rectify and correct the situation with another layer of taxes. If you look at the seniors, they built this economy; they built these homes; they built the environment; why are we now forcing them away?Úquot; Ciotti asked.

Like his colleagues in the Republican caucus of the legislature, Ciotti has been critical of the Suozzi administration and the Democratic caucus for raising taxes.

Ciotti said that he believes the residents of the 3rd Legislative District are overtaxed, noting that since 1999, there has been a 57 percent cumulative tax increase, a number the Democrats, who took the majority of the legislature in 1999, dispute. Over the same period of time, spending has increased $500 million, yet the structural deficit has increased to the point that in three or four years, it will remain at $300 or $400 million, Ciotti said.

Úquot;How do you increase taxes by 57 percent, increase spending by a half million dollars, keep the same structural deficit and claim you're moving forward? You can't. We're moving backwards,Úquot; he said.

Ciotti also questioned a budgetary practice in which he said, for the year 2003, $70 million was budgeted for new employees, but was never spent. Úquot;That's called padding. It's called a cushion. The administration calls it surplus. Basically, what they did was padded the budget and took the $70 million and spread it around,Úquot; he said.

He has also been critical of reducing the police force, cutting youth programs, which was talked about if the county did not get its sewer and storm water initiative passed. Úquot;When we see programs threatened or actually cut, we have to stop that at all costs,Úquot; he said.

Ciotti believes that eliminating patronage, something he said exists in the Suozzi administration, and consolidating departments are ways in which the county can save money. As far as layoffs are concerned, Ciotti believes that if layoffs are needed to save the county money, the higher echelon employees should be laid off first and replaced with qualified, lower paid individuals. Úquot;That would save the county millions of dollars,Úquot; he said.

Larry DeAngelis is hoping to take over the reigns for incumbent Legislator John Ciotti in the 3rd Legislative District. He unsuccessfully tried to bump Ciotti from his seat in the 2001 race and decided to run again this year for one main reason: his opponent.

Úquot;John Ciotti, along with Tom Gulotta, helped bring our county to near bankruptcy. Even now when Tom Suozzi is successfully turning the county around, he [Ciotti] refuses to be part of the solution,Úquot; DeAngelis told Anton Newspapers.

He criticized how county and state Republicans Úquot;sabotagedÚquot; a plan for a new Storm and Water Authority that DeAngelis said would have saved Nassau taxpayers $25 million. Úquot;Just when it seemed that Nassau County, under the leadership of County Executive Tom Suozzi, was emerging from a dark era of shameful mismanagement...Úquot; he said.

DeAngelis, who believes the district needs a representative who will Úquot;speak out for residents, not look on as partisan politics jeopardize the fragile health of Nassau's budget, vows to work with the county executive to continue the Úquot;rebirthÚquot; of a fiscally sound Nassau and at the same time put the community before politics.

Úquot;I am the only candidate who will work with Tom Suozzi to bring the county back to sound fiscal health,Úquot; he said, Úquot;and I am the only candidate who will actually work for the betterment of our community, not the selfish interests of a few.Úquot;

If elected, DeAngelis said he'd fight to end waste, patronage and corruption in county government, protect workers' rights and guarantee them a real living wage, clean up abandoned sites and revitalize downtown areas.

First and foremost, however, DeAngelis wants to keep the county in good fiscal health. Úquot;Once we have financial security, I will work on the specific needs of our community.Úquot;

Once that's accomplished DeAngelis said he'd call on government officials at the state and federal level, including Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, to propose timely solutions to frequent airplane and helicopter over-flights, a nuisance that's plagued the residents of Floral Park, Bellerose and other surrounding areas for quite some time. He'll also focus on improving the quality of life for Elmont residents. Úquot;Brownfields are eyesores and a financial burden for our community. I will work to clean up those fields and put them back into productive use,Úquot; he said.

A lifelong horseracing enthusiast, DeAngelis recently lent his name to a race at Elmont's own Belmont Park. Úquot;The park is a major source of jobs and revenue for Elmont and the surrounding areas. We need to build a stronger relationship between our community and the racetrack to make Elmont the real home of Belmont Stakes,Úquot; he said.

Despite these important community issues, DeAngelis said he focused much of his campaign on Úquot;shedding lightÚquot; on the role that Ciotti played in bringing the county to the brink of bankruptcy. Úquot;I am talking to hundreds of voters every week about my commitment to work with Tom Suozzi to clean up the mess that Republicans created with our finances,Úquot; he said. Úquot;Mr. Ciotti stood by while the county was going billions of dollars into debt. Taxpayers are being held hostage by partisan politics once again.Úquot;

Noting the great diversity of the district he hopes to represent, the Franklin Square resident said that each segment of the population adds to the community's greatness.

Described by First District Legislator Kevan Abrahams as a Úquot;strong voiceÚquot; for working families and someone who Úquot;appreciates and respects minority communities,Úquot; DeAngelis is confident he'll be a successful leader and promises to be accessible to his constituents.

Úquot;I will work with civic, school and church leaders to identify problems and fix them,Úquot; he said. Úquot;I have excellent working relationships with local community leaders and more importantly, I have a great relationship with Tom Suozzi and other county leaders. I know that together we can accomplish great things for the Third Legislative District.Úquot;

DeAngelis has been a phone company worker for the past 23 years and is a staff representative for Communications Workers of America (CWA), a union in which he is a member. He is also a founding member of the Working Families Party and is running on their party line, as well as the Democratic Party line.

He's lived in both Elmont and Franklin Square for the past 16 years with his wife, Ann, and their two children and has worked with community organizations on several issues, including quality of life, education and safety.

The 3rd Legislative District encompasses Franklin Square, Elmont, North Valley Stream, South Floral Park and Bellerose Terrace.