This Election Day, I Humbly Ask for Your Vote

I love Long Island! With great beaches and parks, a variety of world-class restaurants and entertainment options, and top notch public schools, Long Island is an ideal place to live. That’s why Renée and I chose to raise our family here.
For over 20 years, I have been involved in our community in multiple ways. I have coached our children in soccer, baseball and basketball, and have stressed the importance of teamwork and good sportsmanship. Seeing our local area was in need of better fields and sports facilities, I worked as a member of the oversight committee for the award winning East Hills Park.  
When the Roslyn Superintendent of Schools was arrested for stealing $11.2 million from Roslyn taxpayers, I joined the Budget Advisory Committee to help make sure our tax dollars were being well spent. Seeing I could be of more help as a School Board Trustee, I ran in 2009 and have been on the Board of Education ever since. I’m very proud of my record, working with my fellow trustees to keep taxes down while expanding services. Since my first year on the Board, Roslyn has been below the tax cap, even before there was one, and we have kept taxes lower than every other K-12 school district in Nassau County.
Last year I was appointed by Governor Cuomo to the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) and pushed aggressively for transparency and more active bidding on contracts. Long Island’s government officials have been lacking ethics on almost every level, so while on NIFA I created an ethics disclosure form.  As a NYS Senator I will push for strict ethics reforms (which have been blocked by the very officials who have been arrested!).
After Hurricane Sandy I responded quickly, coordinating efforts to send four truckloads of supplies to communities in need on our south shore. Realizing how many residents were in need, I helped procure a donation of 800 space heaters and gave them to homes with no heat. Then, through All Hands Volunteers, a nonprofit disaster response organization where I am a board member, I created Project Long Island in Long Beach. We had thousands of volunteers from all over the country come in and clean up over 200 homes, free of charge.
Currently, I am a board member of the Lloyd Magothy Water Trust which puts Red Mailboxes in local pharmacies to properly dispose of expired meds so they don’t find their way into our water supply. I am also a board advisor to STRONG, a nonprofit organization in Uniondale that helps prevent gang violence, and works with recently incarcerated youth to become productive members of society. In my house, giving back is a family affair as my daughter, Stephanie, volunteered at STRONG’s camp this past summer, my son, Ethan, volunteered for two years at North Shore Animal League, and Renée, a former teacher at Mineola HS, is a bully prevention presenter for Child Abuse Prevention Services, a board member of Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center, and a social worker.
I have numerous endorsements from organized labor to organizations that know I will fight for women’s equality. Newsday endorsed me because they are excited about my forward and creative thinking. NYSUT has entrusted me to fight for public education. The Sierra Club and The Long Island Environmental Voters Forum believe I am the best choice to help protect Long Island’s precious environment. Governor Cuomo and NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli believe I will bring a fresh, energetic perspective to government and fight for transparency to help stop corruption. The best endorsement will hopefully come from you on November 8^th.