Drip, Drip, Drip

Franklin Square Water District Taps Into Taxpayers' Wallets

Seems that everyone and his brother has a salaried position at the Franklin Square Water District, doesn't it?

Yup. Brother, son, uncle. You name it, they've given new meaning to the word "nepotism."

Get paid for not working? No problem.

Get paid for attending meetings that never took place? No problem.

Get health benefits, for yourself and your extended family, that no one in the private sector could have, even if you're a part-time, no show employee? No problem.

Read what The Community Alliance has to say about this Special Taxing District in their recent report, The Father, Son, And Holy Ghost.

And what does our County Legislator have to say about the shenanigans that go on at the Franklin Square Water District?

Not that much. In fact, Vincent Muscarella has said NOTHING!

Surprised?

You shouldn't be.

After all, the same political Machine that gave you Mr. Muscarella, has produced the very cogs that clog the water mains at the Franklin Square Water District.

Its a club, remember?

And who do you think is the leader of the Franklin Square East Republican Club, where you'll probably find the folks who run the water district hanging out?

Vincent Muscarella, of course!
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Michael Uhl is no stranger to what goes on at the Water Districts.

He ran for Commissioner in West Hempstead on a platform of reform, and in service to the community, did just that.

Michael Uhl exposed the nepotism. He opened up the "behind closed doors" process to the public. He generated reports, mailed newsletters, and created a website, all in the interest of keeping you and I informed.

Why, Michael Uhl even got the other Commissioners at the West Hempstead Water District to do what they'd never done before -- watch what's going into our water and coming out of the tap!
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Had enough of the Machine politics, the political patronage, the party hacks serving themselves at your expense?

Michael Uhl has had enough.

On November 6th, you'll have the chance to tell Mr. Muscarella that you've had enough, too!
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Click HERE to read the Comptroller's audit of the Franklin Square Water District

The Great Debate

Watch Michael Uhl Address The Issues As He Takes On Vincent Muscarella In The News 12 Debate

News12 Debate: Nassau County Legislature, 8th LD

When: Thursday, October 4, 2007

Times: 4:30 PM and 12 Midnight
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From Michael Uhl's opening statement:

. . .my name is Michael Uhl, and my campaign is driven by the need for change, the need for full-time advocacy, and increased accountability, which are all at the core of solving the many property-tax crises we face today.

My opponent has been a Legislator since 1995. During his twelve-year tenure, Nassau County has experienced the worst fiscal crisis in its history and is now suffering through a property-tax crisis that is causing families to leave Nassau County.

My opponent has had six terms in office to address the tax problem. Sadly, the best he's done is to endorse a misleading tax plan to freeze assessments and issues press releases about air safety, sun protection, and babysitters.

I will cut costs by eliminating waste and consolidating public services across all levels of government. This type of reform would allow us to reduce taxes. Unlike my opponent I will work with Tom Suozzi to lower taxes, and at the same time identify new income streams to raise revenue for the County.

As a Water Commissioner, I created genuine reform despite many obstacles placed in my way. This benefited residents in the form of increased water safety and improved accountability to taxpayers.

I pledge this same spirit of change, reform and accountably to you the voters.

This is how it all begins. How it ends, on November 6th, is up to you!

For Nassau County, It Isn't Easy Being Green

Uhl Pledges An Environmentally Friendly Nassau; A Greener Suburbia

A few years back, appearing at Hempstead Town Hall for a pow wow on the Community Green Project which he chairs, Michael Uhl met up with then Town Councilman Joe Kearney, both taking an elevator ride to the fourth floor.

Michael was holding an aerial photo of Nassau County, depicting but a few areas of green (little open space being left in Nassau), alongside various shades of gray.

Having the Councilman as a captive audience, Michael held the photo up to Joe Kearney, and, referencing the plethora of gray space, asked, "How can we make this map green?"

The Councilman, without missing a beat, replied, "Paint it green!"

Michael shook his head in disbelief, exiting the elevator without a further word.

Councilman Kearney has long since retired -- out of state, of course -- leaving Michael, and the rest of us, to ask, "How can we make Nassau County green?"

Brownfields proliferate the landscape, adorned only by politicians' placards and empty promises to remove the blight.

Environmental Bond monies -- $150 million, to be exact -- languish, some of it allocated, much of it, not.

The condition of our parks, particularly the so-called "passive" parks that serve many of our communities, deteriorates.

The taxes pile on, and, like the perpetual drip of a faucet, the money flows out, almost imperceptably, with little beneficial result.

"How can we make Nassau County green?"

Don't ask our Nassau County Legislators, whose political posturing, infighting, and across the aisle finger-pointing have reduced the Legislature to a laughing stock, bringing initiatives to preserve open space, create green space, redevelop brownfields, revitalize and rehabilitate our parks and downtowns, to name a few, to a virtual standstill.

If only we could bottle all the hot air that comes out of our County Legislature. We'd solve the energy crisis in one fell swoop!

Every election year, the candidates talk about progress, about "moving forward," about change for the better. And, time and time again, whether as creatures of habit or giving them the benefit of our doubt, we return the same politicians to office, with little progress, scant forward movement, and, if there is change at all (certainly, not in our pockets), it is rarely for the better.

Of course, when we send the same entrenched politicos back to tackle the same, age old problems, is it any wonder nothing changes? What can we expect from those whose main objectives are to win the next election and serve as your Legislator for life.

"If we are going to change the way we do business in Nassau County," says Michael Uhl, "we have to first accept that the status quo is never good enough. You cannot expect the same people, with their tired ideas, to change the course, when their only mindset is to stay the course."

In an age when Americans are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels, and environmentally sound solutions to our energy concerns, why are our Legislators in Nassau County still clinging to the era of the dinosaur?

When did our vision of suburbia, with its green lawns and white picket fences, become blurred by political indifference and an unwillingness to put people before politics?

Maybe if we stopped watering the potted plants in local government -- those who have taken root in our legislatures and town boards, and now serve as little more than immoveable, inanimate objects -- we can begin to make Nassau green again.

Isn't it time for a change in your County Legislature? Michael Uhl knows it is. You know it is!

Uhl Supports Consolidation Of Sewer Districts

Says Suozzi Plan To Merge Local Districts Will Save Taxpayers Money

Lauding County Executive Tom Suozzi for taking the first steps toward the meaningful consolidation and elimination of costly and wasteful special districts, Michael Uhl, candidate for County Legislator in the 8th LD, was quick to urge legislators to approve the plan.

"The consolidation of local sewer districts, involving four municipalities [the Villages of Cedarhurst and Lawrence and the Cities of Glen Cove and Long Beach] will be the first step toward reducing waste and eradicating duplicative services," said Uhl.

The municipalities have agreed to consolidate their sewage treatment operations with the County’s Sewer and Storm Water Authority.

"This will be a great savings to homeowners," Uhl said, referencing the efforts of Residents for Efficient Special Districts, a non-partisan, not for profit civic organization devoted to advocating for the most efficient and effective provision of Fire, Sanitation, and Water services. "Taxpayers have been paying too much for too little for far too long!"

The consolidation proposal must pass muster of the Nassau County Legislature, as well as local and town authorities.

"If this measure is still pending before the County Legislature when I take office in January," declared an optomistic Uhl, " you can count me as a definite 'Yea.'"

The Three Muscarellas

Will The Real Vincent Muscarella Please Stand Up?

Mondello or Muscarella?

Murray or Muscarella?

Mondello, Murray, or Muscarella?

On the issues, it sure is hard to tell them apart!

Joe Mondello. The man who brought you Tom Gulotta, and who, "under the leadership of our great Chairman" (as Mr. Muscarella has called it) has given us 12 long years of Vincent Muscarella.

Kate Murray. Rivaling Mr. Muscarella only in photo ops per capita, Murraygrams versus Muscarellagrams, and the ability to say, "we have no control over local government."

Vincent Muscarella. If you don't think he looks a lot like Joe Mondello and Kate Murray, take a closer look.

Vincent Muscarella. We've seen enough!

You've Got To Be In It To Win It!

You Can't Vote For Change Unless You're Registered To Vote

Folks have been calling and e-mailing the Uhl Team [thank you for your support], saying, "We're tired of the same old, same old. What can we do to help?"

The first question we ask is, "Are you registered to vote?"

Surprisingly, many residents are not registered.

Perhaps you are new to the area, and haven't changed your registration. Maybe, out of sheer frustration, you simply haven't voted for a few years, and your registration has lapsed. Or, it could be that you're thinking, "What difference could my vote make, anyway?"

Well, let us tell you: When Michael Uhl won his election as Water Commissioner, unseating a long-entrenched political hack by a mere 3 write-in votes, believe us, it made all the difference in the world!

Unsure whether you are registered to vote? Contact the Nassau County Board of Elections at 516-571-2411.

Want to register? Visit the Board of Elections at 400 County Seat Drive in Mineola, or access the Voter Registration form online (click HERE) and register to vote by mail.

Remember, elections really are won or lost on the basis of a single vote. Let your voice be heard, and your vote be the difference!
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THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE FOR THE NOVEMBER 6th ELECTION IS OCTOBER 12th!

Uhl Urges Residents To Apply For Property Tax Rebates...

...And To Apply Pressure On State, County, And Local Legislators To Lower Taxes By Cutting Costs, Eliminating Waste, And Consolidating Services

Residents in the 8th Legislative District, indeed, all Long Islanders, will receive letters this week from the NYS Department of Taxation & Finance, detailing the process for applying for the so-called STAR property tax rebate.

"Last year, residents got their property tax rebate checks automatically," said Michael Uhl, candidate for Nassau County Legislature. "This year, homeowners will actually have to apply to get what little property tax relief is being offered."

Letters are being mailed to all Long Island homeowners during the week of September 24th, with instructions on how to apply for the rebate. Information is also available online at www.tax.state.ny.us/star/2007/default.htm.

"This is the old Robin Hood scenario," said Uhl. “Only this time, it’s the middle class and the poor who are getting robbed.”

"Instead of picking our pockets of thousands of dollars in the first place," declared Uhl, "then making homeowners jump through hoops to get back a few hundred bucks, our legislators should be working on lowering the property tax by cutting costs, eliminating waste, and consolidating services. That would provide homeowners with real property tax relief, not the same old smoke and mirrors, 'into one pocket out of the other', that has permitted property taxes to literally go through the roof.

Uhl urges all residents to join him in the fight for practical solutions to the property tax crisis.

"The first step is to acknowledge that the problem of ever-escalating taxes will not be solved through either rebates or 'freezes,'" Uhl concluded. "The answer is to cut costs by eliminating waste and consolidating services across the board.

Concerned residents can learn more about the issues that hit home -- and cost dearly -- at www.uhlwin.com.

Mr. Muscarella Celebrates 105 Years As County Legislator

How Many More "Happy Returns" Can The Taxpayers Take?

Okay, so Mr. Muscarella hasn't served 105 years in the Nassau County Legislature -- yet (watch the video) -- it only seems like 105 years!

12 long years standing in one place can seem like a lifetime. If it were up to Vincent Muscarella, he'd make it a lifetime.

Isn't it time we help our County Legislator blow out the candles? Michael Uhl knows it is. You know it is!

Could Tom Gulotta Be Far Behind?

"...our great chairman Joe Mondello..."






January 4, 2002

Incumbent Legislator Muscarella Re-elected

Nassau County voters re-elected Vincent Muscarella to the 8th Legislative District. He has served as legislator for the past six years. At Republican headquarters Election Day, Muscarella told his following, "Republicans built this county and Republicans, under the leadership of our great chairman Joe Mondello, will keep this county strong."
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Having won re-election in 2001, Mr. Muscarella sang the praises of Joe Mondello.

Now, its one thing to laud Republicans for building Nassau County. They did, and every Republican -- every Nassau County resident -- should acknowledge and be proud of that accomplishment.

But to sing the praises of Joe Mondello, the man who brought us Tom Gulotta, and in the midst of this county's worst financial nightmare?

What was Mr. Muscarella thinking?

Uhl Calls Assessment "Freeze" A Farce

"A Band-Aid Over A Festering Wound"

Vincent Muscarella thinks that a FREEZE of the assessment would lower your property taxes. Or maybe that's just what Mr. Muscarella wants you to think.

Muscarella says FREEZE. Michael Uhl says, CUT COSTS, CONSOLIDATE OPERATIONS, ELIMINATE OVERLAPPING SERVICES.

"A freeze does not lower the expense of operating government that has grown out of control," says Uhl, "whether that government rests at the County Seat, Town Hall, Sanitary Districts or School Districts. They all still have to make their bottom line."

Freeze the assessment, and the tax RATES go up to close the gap. It’s a non-starter. A Band-Aid on a festering wound, not a cure, or even an effective treatment.

"To propose a freeze as the answer to our property tax woes is nothing short of farce," concludes Uhl. "When homeowners are paying more for garbage collection than police protection, and we have more levels of local government than Iraq has insurgents, its not a freeze we need, but a strike at the very heart of the problem -- too much government, too little action."

Can anyone say, "special taxing districts?"

Change. Advocacy. Accountability.

An Open Letter From Michael Uhl

Change.

Some say its inevitable. Others, especially in these parts, say its darn near impossible.

Still, change -- hopefully change for the better -- is necessary if we are to grow and thrive, as individuals, and, of equal import, as a community.

This is why I am running for Nassau County Legislator in the 8th LD, and challenging the longtime incumbent, Vincent Muscarella.

Change.

For more than 12 years -- since the Legislature's inception in 1995 -- Vincent Muscarella has held the seat in the 8th Legislative District.

Twelve long years.

When Mr. Muscarella was first elected to the Legislature, many of us truly believed he had what it takes to deliver that promise of a bright future for our towns, villages, and hamlets. An attorney. A former State Assemblyman. Someone familiar with the legislative process. Surely, he would be a leader, an advocate, a true representative of the causes of community. Sadly, it was not to be.

Twelve long years.

Through the Gulotta administration, when his own party ruled the roost in the Legislature and pulled the purse strings.

Twelve long years.

Through fiscal irresponsibility and the wink and nod of "turn the other cheek."

Twelve long years.

Through the policy of putting politics and party before people and practicality.

Twelve long years.

Vincent Muscarella has held that seat in the Legislature -- your seat in the Legislature -- and has done just that -- sat.

Twelve long years.

Silent. Stoic. Stiffled in the staleness of the status quo, our County Legislator sits -- with the notable exception of making appearances for ribbon cuttings and street namings, as the photo op may require of him.

Asked to run, to enter the fray, I thought to myself, "Is my quality of life better today than it was twelve long years ago?"

I took a good look at my 1995 property tax bill, and then at my most recent statement. No, I am not better off.

I took a walk along Hempstead Avenue, a County road, the plans for the reconstruction of which have been gathering dust on our Legislator's shelf for the better part of a decade. No, I am not better off.

I think about the County placing ex-cons, Level 1 Sex Offenders, and the indigent in motels and hotels in our neighborhoods, with our Legislator having the audacity to deny it. No, I am not better off.

I stroll through the local County park -- deemed "passive" (a code word for neglect) -- where the Legislature approved and spent more than one million dollars for a pond filtration system that gave out after a month, and hasn't filtered so much as an eyedropper full of water since the late 90s. No, I am not better off.

And what of the $150 million in Environmental Bond monies we voted for? Where and how has that been allocated by the Legislature? Where and how -- if at all -- is our money being spent?

No, I am not better off today than I was twelve years ago. Just twelve years older, and quite a bit wiser.

Yes, it will be an uphill battle to unseat someone who has, for all intents and purposes, been crazy-glued to his seat for twelve long years.

Then again, no one said change would come easy.

I am asking, as an independent voice in our community, not only for your support in this campaign and your vote on November 6th. I am asking you to take a long, hard look at the issues. Consider what matters most in your neck of our woods, to join the discussion and the debate, and to be a part of the Uhl Team in bringing real change to the 8th LD -- and maybe even some spare change into your wallet, once we address property taxes realistically, and not with political ploys that have no substance.

I invite you to read -- and, perhaps, contribute to -- The Uhl Blog. Your comments, your thoughts, your ideas matter. Hit our "links." Check out my website at www.uhlwin.com.

See how, together, we can begin to make a difference.

The opportunity to change, to move forward, to retake suburbia and recast our vision for that new Nassau everyone talks about, but no one seems to do anything about, is before us.

The power to effectuate that change is yours.

Please feel free to e-mail me at friendsofmichael@uhlwin.com, or to call me at 516-521-0044, with any questions, or to lend a hand.

Thank you!

Michael Uhl
West Hempstead, New York
www.uhlwin.com

Committee to Elect Michael Uhl, Nassau County Legislature

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

To Our County Legislator, Communication Is The Problem To The Answer

Never mind the October onslaught, with near-daily delivery to your mailbox of unsolicited nonsequitors. [We can call them, Muscarellagrams!]

MUSCARELLA OFFERS TIPS FOR LEAF RAKING SAFETY.

MUSCARELLA GIVES ADVICE ON ROASTING CHESTNUTS.

MUSCARELLA SPEAKS -- SILENCE IS GOLDEN.

Talk about diminishing returns.

Here's the raw data:

Total Number of press releases from February, 2000 through March, 2005 -- 138 (27.6 press releases per year).

Now, that's not particularly revealing (yes, it pales by comparison to the hourly releases issued by Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, but let's not mix apples and avocados). If you dig a little deeper, however, you can see that, every year since 2000, the number of substantive press releases issued by Vincent Muscarella* has declined dramatically:

2000 - 53

2001 - 41

2002 - 25

2003 - 6

2004 - 8

2005 - 3

2006 - None listed in the "archives"

2007 - 3

*Only press releases bearing Mr. Muscarella's name, and not releases issued jointly by the Republican legislators, or by Mr. Muscarella, on the public's dime, as pre-election campaign fodder, were considered in the count.

Could it be that Mr. Muscarella is losing touch with his constituents? Or is it that the lethargy of the long-term is taking its toll, the fatigue of twelve years in office having set in?

Or maybe he just takes us -- and our votes -- all for granted!

And what about the content of these releases:

- 5/20/2003 - BOATING SAFETY INFORMATION PROVIDED BY LEGISLATOR MUSCARELLA

- 9/6/2002 - LEGISLATOR MUSCARELLA INFORMS PARENTS ABOUT BABYSITTERS AND DAY CARE

- 4/3/2002 - LEGISLATOR MUSCARELLA GIVES ADVICE ON AIR TRAVEL

- 4/30/2001 - LEGISLATOR MUSCARELLA OFFERS SUN PROTECTION FACTS

- 10/16/2000 - LEGISLATOR MUSCARELLA OFFERS HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

- 6/19/2000 - LEGISLATOR MUSCARELLA OFFERS ELECTRICITY AND HOME SAFETY TIPS BROCHURE

Sun protection, eh? And this was before Al Gore was clamoring about Global Warming!

Don't get us wrong. Sun protection. Advice on air travel. The safe use of electricity. All important stuff.

Question is, are these issues on which our County legislator should be spending his valuable time, and our hard-earned money, given that we are facing many more pressing problems, and the fact that his "tips" are readily available from quite a few other sources, most of which cost us not one penny?

And lest you think we're complaining about quantity, where one elected official sends too many, and the other too few, this is really about quality -- making content, and communication, matter.
We've never seen so many elected officials concerned about our use of sunscreen! Or is it their names they want us to remember, long after the sun has set?

While Our Parks And Roadways Fall Into Neglect, Our Legislator Fiddles

. . .And Vincent Muscarella Lives In West Hempstead, Doesn't He?






February 9, 2007

Letters to the Editor

Wreck The Hall's

Seems we're always "looking forward" in West Hempstead , but only occasionally "moving forward." Take the long-awaited restoration of Hall's Pond Park , for instance.
Just ask Michael Uhl, who spearheaded the Community Green project, or John Shaud, one of a handful of dedicated volunteers who toil, year in and year out, to keep this centerpiece of West Hempstead green.

For a decade or more, the few - local volunteers - have maintained and nurtured our public park, which, labeled "passive" by the county, has languished in neglect.

Today, our community, and its civic leaders, herald in a new day for Hall's Pond Park , a most deserved "thank you" to our civic association for its perseverance in high order.

Still, let me see if I have the timeline - and how things really work in our neck of the abandoned woods that grace the northern end of the park:

We approve a $50 million Environmental Bond Act (EBA) in 2004. A proposal for West Hempstead's Hall's Pond Park is submitted in early 2005. Later in 2005, the proposal is accepted, and, thereafter, unanimously approved by the Nassau County Legislature. Not one penny of funds allocated and to be appropriated under EBA for the restoration of Hall's Pond Park and environs is expended in 2005, 2006, or, to date, in 2007. In 2006, Nassau County residents pass a second Environmental Bond Act (EBA II), this time for $100 million, with little having been done - other than paying for interest - on the first. In early 2007, after a meeting to discuss nominations for projects under EBA II, while having yet to undertake much if any of the approved projects under EBA, West Hempsteaders are told that work will begin on the Hall's Pond Park restoration project in the dead of winter, end of 2007, or, perhaps, in "early 2008." [God forbid someone - anyone - might think it prudent to at least suggest that this work be started in the coming spring of 2007.]

So, here you have it: We sing praises and pat backs for initiatives we approved (and started paying for) three years ago, which, by all rights, should have been completed (or at least well under way) two years ago, and now, we are told, won't even move from drawing board to Nassau Boulevard until almost a year into the future - if we're lucky.

Gee, could the long-awaited reconstruction of Hempstead Avenue be far behind?

Am I missing something here - and elsewhere, apparently - or do we simply "enjoy" paying, waiting, paying, waiting, and paying, waiting some more, with no appreciable community benefit to show for either our patience or our interest payments on those bonds? Seems to me it has become somewhat of a bad habit, be it on the restoration of a park, the reconstruction of a roadway, the revitalization of our "downtown," or the closure of a no-tell hotel, to simply accept the talk, while waiting all too patiently for action.

The tale is spun that good things come to those who wait. We pay dearly for the tale (and for the yarn to spin it). Nothing happens. We thank one and all for what's been "done," and for their promises to do more of the same tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes, yet it looks so much like yesterday that we can barely distinguish it as anything other than today. And the tale is spun yet again. . . Clearly, we are all missing something here!

Yes, "looking forward" is wonderful. Actually "moving forward" is even better.

Seth D. Bykofsky

(The writer is a former president of the West Hempstead Civic Association. His proposal for improvements to Hall's Pond Park was among the nominations submitted and approved by the County of Nassau - back in 2005.)

You Have A Friend In Michael Uhl

If You're Not With Us, Vincent, You're Against Us

West Hempstead, home to the 8th LD's Vincent Muscarella and the challenger in November's election, Michael Uhl [when people in your own hometown are running against you, you'd better start to worry], has been battling tooth and nail to close a crime-ridden no-tell motel -- the Courtesy -- for the better part of twelve years. About as long as Mr. Muscarella has been the Nassau County Legislator for that area. [Think about it!]

Here's what they had to say about Muscarella at the Close The Courtesy blog:

Nassau County Legislator, Vincent Muscarella: FOE

We suppose Vinnie is too busy "voting against the reassessment" to so much as say anything about the Courtesy. Gosh, you would think Vin would at least offer up some moral support. Nothing. Not even a single photo op (and he has quite a few, doesn't he?).

All those years when the County was placing ex-cons, sex offenders, and the indigent at the Courtesy, and Vin Muscarella not only wasn't doing a darn thing about it, he was steadfastly denying it. Sure, closure of the Courtesy is primarily a Town matter, but Vin, why add fuel to the fire?

You would think, at least a public show of support, a press release, a quote -- other than "Tom Suozzi should do his job" -- something! After all, Vin does still live in West Hempstead -- doesn't he? Well, you wouldn't know it. The silence is killing our community, Vinnie. Don't just sit there like a potted plant, say something!

Wow! If that's not an indictment from folks in your own community, we don't know what is.

Maybe its time we stopped watering the potted plants in the Nassau County legislature.

Michael Uhl Launches Campaign To Shake Up County Legislature

Calls For Advocacy, Not Complacency In 8th Legislative District

When Nassau County Democrats tapped Michael Uhl to run for County Legislature in the 8th District, they drew a blank. Literally.

Uhl, of West Hempstead, is a registered “blank,” meaning he is not affiliated with – or beholden too – any political party or position.

A true independent, Michael Uhl has been an advocate for environmental causes, an active conservationist, and, as an elected (by a 3-vote margin) Water Commissioner in the West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens Water District, an instrument of progressive, positive change – breaking through the stonewalling and back-pedaling that characterizes the operations of the so-called special taxing districts.

Uhl is looking to unseat longtime incumbent, Vincent Muscarella, who has had a stranglehold on the seat in the 8th LD since the County Legislature’s inception in 1995.

“Twelve years is a long time to stand in one place,” said Uhl, “and, in terms of proactive, community-friendly legislation, the record is as short as it is staid.”

Among the issues that Michael Uhl hopes to bring to the fore, both in the campaign and as a Legislator, are the lowering of property taxes through consolidation and elimination of duplication and waste, not the smoke and mirrors of an artificial “freeze;” the creation of a workable and viable Master Plan for the revitalization and redevelopment of the “downtowns” and “Main Streets” of Nassau’s varied towns and hamlets, long suffering from hodge-podge planning and haphazard zoning, with building sustainable communities as a centerpiece; and re-creating a suburban quality of life that is once again affordable and enjoyable.

Of the County Legislature, and its inherent infighting and partisan polarization, Uhl commented, “If the State Legislature has been characterized as ‘dysfunctional,’ then what we have here in Nassau is non-function. What we need in the Legislature, and in the 8th LD, in particular, is advocacy on behalf of residents, not the complacency of the status quo.”

Uhl complemented his opponent for “keeping the seat warm” for the past twelve years, but declared, “Its time to move on, to move forward, to move off square one. Nassau County needs activists, not career politicians unable to clean up their own mess.”

While acknowledging an uphill battle to unseat a long-entrenched incumbent, Michael Uhl pledged to “bring some serious, and long-absent debate” to the table, hoping to open new vistas, if not a few minds.

“We’re in this race to win one for the people,” Uhl concluded. “We’re challenging the ‘same old, same old,’ and, in the end, hope that folks agree, ‘its cool to vote for Uhl!”

The 8th Legislative District encompasses Garden City, Garden City South, Stewart Manor, West Hempstead, Franklin Square and portions of Elmont and Floral Park.

www.uhlwin.com