Democrat Roger Corbin of Westbury is seeking re-election as county legislator in Nassau's 2nd district. The second district includes New Cassel, Hempstead, Lakeview, and part of West Hempstead.

Corbin has served in the legislature since its inception in 1996. He has served as deputy majority leader since the Democratic Party took 10-9 majority control of the lawmaking body, in the midst of the county's ongoing fiscal crisis during the 1999 elections.

He feels that the Democratic Party has made headway in turning the financially troubled county around, despite opposition from the legislature's nine Republican members and a Republican county executive.

"It's been exciting, but there's a lot of work to be done," he said in a recent interview. "And we need at least two more years in the majority with a functioning county executive. And we feel that we have a good chance to have Tom Suozzi as our county executive, and to retain the majority in the legislature."

In response to the Republican party's campaign ads criticizing the Democrats for the proposed 15.4 percent tax increase, Corbin noted that the increase was smaller than the ads insinuated, an average increase of $155 per household, because it was only for the county portion of a homeowner's tax bill. He also feels the tax increase was essential for plugging the county's budget deficit, accrued during decades of Republican-party rule. The 15.4 percent increase was rejected by County Executive Thomas Gulotta and the legislature's Republican minority, and ultimately an approximate 7 percent increase was adopted.

"We did the right thing last year by offering up a 15.4 percent tax increase to take care of years of neglect in this county. Republicans played politics with it. They said, 'All they want to do is tax you out of this problem.,'" Corbin said, noting that the increase was necessary because the Republican administration had not raised taxes to keep up with rising operational costs over the past three decades. "We had to do something to at least stimulate the budgetary process here in Nassau County."

He added, "There's nothing in this county that you can legally and realistically cut ... In 1986 had 1575 people working all the parks in Nassau County. Today, as we speak today, there's 327." In addition, he said the public works department is short 300 to 400 people, and the proposed 15.4 percent tax increase rejected by the Republicans would have back-filled those positions. The fiscal crisis has also caused funding for social service organizations to dry up, which Corbin feels will have an adverse affect, especially in light of the county's growing gang problem and other societal ills. "We've proposed not to touch those human, community-based organizations," he said.

He noted that the Democratic majority ensured that the reassessment of county properties was begun, and that the county must now tackle the tax certiorari issue, the county's process of giving tax refunds to homeowners who successfully challenge their tax bills in court. "I didn't vote for one tax certiorari in my first four years here, because of the fact that it was bankrupting this county - over $125 million to $130 million a year being bonded for that, and the debt service on that is over a billion dollars. And that's what's killing this county," said Corbin.

Corbin describes himself as a hands-on legislator and activist in the community who knows what's wrong with the county, and is coming up with solutions. He proposes that the county create a new, multi-purpose governmental building in Mineola, with a combination of private and public ownership. "Get out of these raggedy, old buildings that they've been neglecting for years - the maintenance cost, the capital cost can go into tens of millions of dollars, close to a hundred million dollars a year, that is structurally what's wrong," he said.

He added, "But do you know what this is, this is vision, and we've lacked vision in this county for the last 20 some-odd years ... We want you to fight to come to Nassau County, and we also want to make it affordable. The Democrats definitely want to make this place affordable, so that the young people, and our seniors are not run out of this county. And the only way you can do that, is to make sure that we pay down this debt, so we can begin to lower the rates and the cost of living here."

In addition to focusing on the county's fiscal situation, Corbin said that he has served the district by helping to pass legislation that is important to his constituents. He cited an eviction policy that protects the rights of tenants, as well as smoking, environmental and human rights laws. He cited the elimination of $109 million in budgetary spending, and capital projects, as other areas of accomplishment while a member of the Democratic majority.

Corbin was raised in Westbury and has worked for Off Track Betting Corporation for the past 31 years. He and his wife Regina have a daughter, Jeannine and three sons, Jason, Joshua and Jarrett, who is currently serving in the Arabian Sea as a member of the US Navy, in the war against terrorism. The incumbent candidate also has previous experience in the US Airforce, and as a parent-activist for educational reform in the Westbury School District.