Joshua Ketover is challenging incumbent Dean Skelos for the 9th Senatorial seat. A partner in the law firm of Kirk, Medina, Lipton & Ketover, LLP, Mr. Ketover says he is seeking to bring his business experience as a defender of an individual's rights and his spirit of independence to the New York State Senate.

Among the issues Mr. Ketover is concerned with are property taxes, insurance, the state budget and government reform.

A candidate of the "Fix Albany" campaign, Mr. Ketover believes the state budget is facing immediate pressures reaching critical mass. Mr. Ketover proposes to get rid of waster and abuse marring educational funding programs. He also believes the current school aid formula is one of the most convoluted and mismanaged funds in the state budget.

Mr. Ketover is also concerned with the cost of Medicaid putting a burden on the taxpayers of Nassau County. According to the challenger, Medicaid is one of the most widely used and relied upon governmental programs ever devised as 50 percent of the cost for this program is borne by the federal government and 50 percent is borne by the state.

Mr. Ketover points out that New York is the only state that mandates the counties come up with money for this program themselves, offering no financial assistance to fund it. This unfunded mandate is a huge burden on the counties and has crippled their budgets, he said.

Mr. Ketover believes the state has to assume the responsibility of the cost of Medicaid back from the counties and said he would fight for the responsibility wrongly thrust on the county and return it to the state.

Another issue Mr. Ketover is concerned with is the cost of insurance. He said he promises to battle against auto insurance lobbyists and protect consumers. According to Mr. Ketover, insurance companies and HMOs have taken away from doctors the right to run the proper tests and give proper treatments without bureaucrats' prior approval. According to Mr. Ketover, Senate Democrats proposed legislation that would hold insurance companies and HMOs civilly liable for the consequences of their decisions.

According to Mr. Ketover, for years the controlling party in the Senate has been steering the state in the wrong direction. Failing to pass a budget on time for the 20th year in a row, a $4 billion deficit and an educational system in disarray are only some of the problems we all face, he said.

He said he is running for senate to end fiscal mismanagement, restore New York as the shining example of modern governance it once was and take back Albany for the residents.

Mr. Ketover is running on the Democratic and Working Family party lines.

Dean Skelos is seeking election to an 11th term in the New York State Senate. His experience in the Senate includes having been named the Deputy Majority Leader for Legislative Operations in 1995. Born and raised in Rockville Centre, Senator Skelos has been involved in numerous pieces of legislation that have affected life on Long Island.

Among his accomplishments are helping to repeal the non-resident earning tax paid by Long Island commuters working in New York City as part of their income tax in 1999, which he estimated saves Long Island commuters $120 million annually.

Senator Skelos also worked to secure 31 percent of the School Tax Relief (STAR) program's total, statewide savings for Long Island taxpayers. As a result, according to the senator, eligible seniors in Nassau County have received a 42 percent reduction in their school bills with all other local homeowners saving an average of 25 percent. In addition, the senator fought for record levels of state aid and funding for education-enhancing new technology/programs.

Among Senator Skelos' other notable accomplishments was authoring the New York State Sex Offender Registration Act in 1995, referred more commonly to "Megan's Law." Senator Skelos also helped establish the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program in 1987.

In 1998, Senator Skelos was appointed by Governor George Pataki to represent the senate on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's four-person Capital Program Review Board.

Recently, Senator Skelos began a campaign to save Long Island Rail Road service scheduled for elimination and prevent fare increases proposed by the MTA. Senator Skelos expressed concern over what the elimination of various branches including the West Hempstead line, termination of weekend service at other stations and a second fare increase in two years would affect the people of Long Island.

During the 2003-2004 legislative session, Senator Skelos sponsored over 140 pieces of legislation. Among the bills were "Adam's Law," which requires seat safety belts in taxicabs and liveries be clearly visible, accessible and maintained in good order, and bills dealing with criminal justice. Senator Skelos also authored legislation requiring the use of booster seats for children between the ages of 4 and 7 when riding a motor vehicle, a bill protecting gift card/certificate purchasers from hidden fees and charges, legislation protecting child witnesses and expanding Megan's Law.

Senator Skelos was elected to the state senate in 1984. Prior to that he served as assemblyman of the 19th District.

Senator Skelos said he would like to work toward on-time state budgets, having supported an agreement between the senate and assembly for budget reform that will fix the process to ensure a budget is in place on time each year.

Senator Skelos is running on the Republican and Independence party lines.